check out this fun site!
www.HowManyOfMe.com
I am 1 of 2 with my married name and 1 of 18 with my maiden name :)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday July 31
My cousin and her son came to hang out this morning. I got some dishes done before she came and folded laundry while she was here so it was a peaceful but productive morning. Otherwise I rested. I read a little at naptime, practiced my relaxing/breathing for the birth and took a little nap myself :)
Im having urges to paint the hallway.....someone make me stop the insanity!!!! :) I seriously might though. It looks so plain now that Ive painted the front room and the kitchen....
So here is the deal with my "change in plans"......
Ive had an unsettled feeling about this birth for a few months. I couldnt pin down if it was a worry/fear or some kind of instinct. A friend lost a baby full-term when I was pregnant with Jayna and then Jayna had some major cord issues (around her neck and shoulder like a backpack and it caused heart rate issues). Maybe I wont ever be able to not know what I know now or maybe there is something else going on.
Its gotten stronger recently. Its not a fear about having a homebirth. I believe that in 90+% of births no interventions are needed and that homebirth is safer than an intervention-filled, medically-managed hospital birth......BUT I also believe that the instincts God has given women are important and should be listened to.
All that said....we are now going to try and have this baby at the birth center (www.inannabirth.com) and not here at home. If my body seems ready we will attempt a natural induction on Sat. the 9th. (this is 6 days before my due date, jayna was a week early) If it doesnt work, we'll know Im not ready and we'll try another day. Natural induction ONLY works if you are ready. If I go into labor before that or while at home we'll decide right then whether we will stay here and wait for my midwife or drive up to the birth center. It will depend on the time of day, traffic (its an hour without traffic), how I feel, etc.
There were many people present at my birth with Jayna and I loved it. I was so excited. Maybe its because Im tired or all thats going on but I dont feel the same way this time. I thought I wanted a big party but Im feeling differently now. So we will continue to pray and go with what seems best for this baby, at this time.
Homebirth just seemed like the next logical step and it seemed easier than driving (who likes to drive in the car while in labor?! ugh!). Its not some personal goal I have for myself - I want to do whats best. With how far away we are now and this worry on my mind, its not the easier option anymore. So we will see what the Lord has and what day he wants this little one to come!!! :)
lots on my mind with all of this......im trying to change gears from the house to preparing mentally and physically for birth.......to be in prayer more ....to be still more and listen for His will and guidance.......
Im having urges to paint the hallway.....someone make me stop the insanity!!!! :) I seriously might though. It looks so plain now that Ive painted the front room and the kitchen....
So here is the deal with my "change in plans"......
Ive had an unsettled feeling about this birth for a few months. I couldnt pin down if it was a worry/fear or some kind of instinct. A friend lost a baby full-term when I was pregnant with Jayna and then Jayna had some major cord issues (around her neck and shoulder like a backpack and it caused heart rate issues). Maybe I wont ever be able to not know what I know now or maybe there is something else going on.
Its gotten stronger recently. Its not a fear about having a homebirth. I believe that in 90+% of births no interventions are needed and that homebirth is safer than an intervention-filled, medically-managed hospital birth......BUT I also believe that the instincts God has given women are important and should be listened to.
All that said....we are now going to try and have this baby at the birth center (www.inannabirth.com) and not here at home. If my body seems ready we will attempt a natural induction on Sat. the 9th. (this is 6 days before my due date, jayna was a week early) If it doesnt work, we'll know Im not ready and we'll try another day. Natural induction ONLY works if you are ready. If I go into labor before that or while at home we'll decide right then whether we will stay here and wait for my midwife or drive up to the birth center. It will depend on the time of day, traffic (its an hour without traffic), how I feel, etc.
There were many people present at my birth with Jayna and I loved it. I was so excited. Maybe its because Im tired or all thats going on but I dont feel the same way this time. I thought I wanted a big party but Im feeling differently now. So we will continue to pray and go with what seems best for this baby, at this time.
Homebirth just seemed like the next logical step and it seemed easier than driving (who likes to drive in the car while in labor?! ugh!). Its not some personal goal I have for myself - I want to do whats best. With how far away we are now and this worry on my mind, its not the easier option anymore. So we will see what the Lord has and what day he wants this little one to come!!! :)
lots on my mind with all of this......im trying to change gears from the house to preparing mentally and physically for birth.......to be in prayer more ....to be still more and listen for His will and guidance.......
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday
I got aobut 90% of the work done in the master closet today. woohoo! Now you can actually walk into it - before there were literally boxes up to my shoulders. And the biggest blessing was the 8 or so huge boxes that I unpacked provided hours of fun for three little ones :)
I also finished painting 3 of the doors in the hallway (bathroom, noahs room and door to the family room) and Steve put on the pretty new hardware. Im *so* glad to be done with those three! I also painted 2 in my bedroom and there are two more in the hall that need second/third/tenth coats.
So Im thankful it was a productive day :)
Oh! and my kids ate something green for the first time in a long time (not counting the m&ms that Caleb stole today from my secret stash.....stinker). I made pork in the crock pot, brown rice, and brocoli - healthiest things we've had in awhile (shamefully!)
tonight im going out with friends from church for 3 of the ladies' birthdays......it will be late but it should be fun! I'll be hungry again by that time anyways LOL
I also finished painting 3 of the doors in the hallway (bathroom, noahs room and door to the family room) and Steve put on the pretty new hardware. Im *so* glad to be done with those three! I also painted 2 in my bedroom and there are two more in the hall that need second/third/tenth coats.
So Im thankful it was a productive day :)
Oh! and my kids ate something green for the first time in a long time (not counting the m&ms that Caleb stole today from my secret stash.....stinker). I made pork in the crock pot, brown rice, and brocoli - healthiest things we've had in awhile (shamefully!)
tonight im going out with friends from church for 3 of the ladies' birthdays......it will be late but it should be fun! I'll be hungry again by that time anyways LOL
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
This week's goals
1) install new sink faucet so we have cold water to drink (ok, thats my goal for Steve!)
2) unpack/sort the mountain of clothes/boxes in the master closet. Then we can find the floor again and get organized I can get the room set up to be baby/nursing-friendly. We use a wooden portable crib next to the bed for several months as well as co-sleep. It makes it easy to get him out to nurse while laying in bed. Ill also move the glider in here when we make the room :)
3) Finish fan in master bedroom so we can get the box and all the nuts/bolts out of here and I can get to the dresser (again, a goal for my beloved. he just loves how driven I am on his behalf LOL)
4) Mow and edge the lawn (Steve is so useful)
5) And most importantly........Get someone out here to take care of the nasty little creature that was watching me pee last night. I dont care if its a "water beetle" or whatever its HUGE and looks like a cockroach and its NASTY. And while they are here they can get rid of the giant, black carpenter ants flying around my room at night too. Its all out war little buggies. I cant take many more emotional breakdowns so I really need to be able to pee at night and feel safe and not like Im being watched my nasty creatures waving their antennae at me.......blech............
(really love the house and the "beetles" were funny when they were in the garage harassing Steve - but in MY bathroom - not so funny. remember: everything is bigger in the TX. and yes, that includes the bugs)
2) unpack/sort the mountain of clothes/boxes in the master closet. Then we can find the floor again and get organized I can get the room set up to be baby/nursing-friendly. We use a wooden portable crib next to the bed for several months as well as co-sleep. It makes it easy to get him out to nurse while laying in bed. Ill also move the glider in here when we make the room :)
3) Finish fan in master bedroom so we can get the box and all the nuts/bolts out of here and I can get to the dresser (again, a goal for my beloved. he just loves how driven I am on his behalf LOL)
4) Mow and edge the lawn (Steve is so useful)
5) And most importantly........Get someone out here to take care of the nasty little creature that was watching me pee last night. I dont care if its a "water beetle" or whatever its HUGE and looks like a cockroach and its NASTY. And while they are here they can get rid of the giant, black carpenter ants flying around my room at night too. Its all out war little buggies. I cant take many more emotional breakdowns so I really need to be able to pee at night and feel safe and not like Im being watched my nasty creatures waving their antennae at me.......blech............
(really love the house and the "beetles" were funny when they were in the garage harassing Steve - but in MY bathroom - not so funny. remember: everything is bigger in the TX. and yes, that includes the bugs)
Tuesday July 28th (i think?)
Lord - please bless my husband who has all 3 chidlren out on a walk to the park in the hot, hot texas sun. Bless him and keep him. Amen.
Is Steve the best or what? *sigh* :)
Today was busy. The kids and I made the 1hr trip up to see my midwife for my 38wk checkup. All is fine, nothing exciting to report.
I am very emotional/weepy the last few days. We have some decisions to make, please pray for us as the Lord so gently and kindly guides us through this time. Ill fill everyone in soon. Nothings wrong, just some possible change in plans.
I just sorted the 0-3 mos baby boy clothes (we found them!) and Im washing them now. Three tiny loads......not earth-friendly, i know, but just the first time I wanted to wash his clothes alone. Pregnant ladies do weird things like that. Its important at the time.
:)
Is Steve the best or what? *sigh* :)
Today was busy. The kids and I made the 1hr trip up to see my midwife for my 38wk checkup. All is fine, nothing exciting to report.
I am very emotional/weepy the last few days. We have some decisions to make, please pray for us as the Lord so gently and kindly guides us through this time. Ill fill everyone in soon. Nothings wrong, just some possible change in plans.
I just sorted the 0-3 mos baby boy clothes (we found them!) and Im washing them now. Three tiny loads......not earth-friendly, i know, but just the first time I wanted to wash his clothes alone. Pregnant ladies do weird things like that. Its important at the time.
:)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
One more......
hard to choose! im so excited - these mean so much to me :)
I think overall my favorite is the black and white I have posted below where they are all looking at my belly :) but this one is very special of us......
I think overall my favorite is the black and white I have posted below where they are all looking at my belly :) but this one is very special of us......
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday
by 8:30am this morning I had: cleaned up a boy who had an accident and cleaned his bed, cleaned up a girl that had an accident and cleaned the floor, fed the kids breakfast, cleared and cleaned the kitchen counters, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher and washed the pots and pans. Phew!
now its 9:30 and Ive eaten breakfast myself, made some more red raspberry leaf tea (tones the uterus, reduces bleeding after delivery), put the clean pots and pans away, fed Caleb and Jayna AGAIN, folded a load of laundry, started a new load of laundry and straightened up.
I still have several loads more to do and I need to put away what Ive folded (my least favorite part). Oh and a shower would be good :)
Im contemplating braving Costco (on a Sat with 3 kids am I nuts?!?!) .....only because I have this fear that the baby will come early and I wont have snacks ready for my midwife and friends. I dont know why but thats my crazy pregnant lady worry for today. Once I have those muffins in my freezer I will feel better (and I better taste one to make sure they are good heehee!)
Steve will hopefully be home around 4. Yesterday he took the kids to the library and the park so I could have some time - such a good daddy and husband :) The little kids fell asleep very soon after I posted last night. Noah wanted to have our "special time" where we lay in bed and talk.....we both fell asleep that way. Very sweet :)
other goals today: read my bible. final coat of paint on 3 of the doors. paint more of the kitchen. do some school. not have a baby.
p.s. I slept MUCH better last night - 9.5hrs and very few dreams! Thank you Lord!!!!!!! :)
now its 9:30 and Ive eaten breakfast myself, made some more red raspberry leaf tea (tones the uterus, reduces bleeding after delivery), put the clean pots and pans away, fed Caleb and Jayna AGAIN, folded a load of laundry, started a new load of laundry and straightened up.
I still have several loads more to do and I need to put away what Ive folded (my least favorite part). Oh and a shower would be good :)
Im contemplating braving Costco (on a Sat with 3 kids am I nuts?!?!) .....only because I have this fear that the baby will come early and I wont have snacks ready for my midwife and friends. I dont know why but thats my crazy pregnant lady worry for today. Once I have those muffins in my freezer I will feel better (and I better taste one to make sure they are good heehee!)
Steve will hopefully be home around 4. Yesterday he took the kids to the library and the park so I could have some time - such a good daddy and husband :) The little kids fell asleep very soon after I posted last night. Noah wanted to have our "special time" where we lay in bed and talk.....we both fell asleep that way. Very sweet :)
other goals today: read my bible. final coat of paint on 3 of the doors. paint more of the kitchen. do some school. not have a baby.
p.s. I slept MUCH better last night - 9.5hrs and very few dreams! Thank you Lord!!!!!!! :)
Friday, July 25, 2008
just blabbing......
funny how i have so much less energy when i have a long list of not-fun things to do. my dishwasher needs to be unloaded/loaded, i have big pots to wash, laundry to put away, more laundry to do, laundry to fold, clutter to pick up and put away, etc. Im suddenly so tired I think I may be asleep before 9 (its been more like midnight lately).
Usually i get a big burst of energy once we get the kids down and I get Steve to help me do things around here that I cant do on my own. But a friend called and they are off to the movies. Im glad for him, he has had a hard week at work and deserves it, but I miss him and Im bored.
In the old house Id just sit and watch TV. Since we are only using it for dvds, Im noticing all the times I need to choose something else. Its a *good* thing, definitely, just hard tonight.
I hate being the bedtime police all on my own too. We are so strict about coming out and yet they do it over and over and over and when there are 3 of them it can make your head spin! Its 8:30 so Jayna and Caleb should be giving up any minute - hopefully.
I really want to lay down and rest. I slept horribly last night.....couldnt fall asleep, then Caleb was up several times with growing pains, Jayna was up wanting to come to my room (which she eventually did), I wake up every time I attempt the feat of rolling over, etc. Hopefully Ill get a good nights sleep tonight and wake up, ready to wash dishes and fold clothes with a wonderful attitude and a song on my lips LOL :)
just feeling huge and tired. lots of braxton hicks contractions. those really wear me out in the evenings so maybe its a way for my body to get me to rest and do less........probably not a bad idea :) we are so wonderfully created!
Usually i get a big burst of energy once we get the kids down and I get Steve to help me do things around here that I cant do on my own. But a friend called and they are off to the movies. Im glad for him, he has had a hard week at work and deserves it, but I miss him and Im bored.
In the old house Id just sit and watch TV. Since we are only using it for dvds, Im noticing all the times I need to choose something else. Its a *good* thing, definitely, just hard tonight.
I hate being the bedtime police all on my own too. We are so strict about coming out and yet they do it over and over and over and when there are 3 of them it can make your head spin! Its 8:30 so Jayna and Caleb should be giving up any minute - hopefully.
I really want to lay down and rest. I slept horribly last night.....couldnt fall asleep, then Caleb was up several times with growing pains, Jayna was up wanting to come to my room (which she eventually did), I wake up every time I attempt the feat of rolling over, etc. Hopefully Ill get a good nights sleep tonight and wake up, ready to wash dishes and fold clothes with a wonderful attitude and a song on my lips LOL :)
just feeling huge and tired. lots of braxton hicks contractions. those really wear me out in the evenings so maybe its a way for my body to get me to rest and do less........probably not a bad idea :) we are so wonderfully created!
Friday
My wonderful friend Ami watched the kids for 2hrs today so I could do whatever. I went and got paint for the kitchen, then came home and painted the doors - again. These doors!!!!! They are sucking up the paint, even after several coats of primer. I think one more coat and maybe 3 of the 8 I need to do will be done :( I wish we would have just bought the new 6 panel doors we wanted to but this IS saving money so its worth it.
I also finally took some time to sit and read my bible - definitely not doing enough of that. Lots of praying but not enough time in the Word to sit and LISTEN. The main point I think the Lord wanted me to hear: He is my strength. We are on this journey for Him and He will take us from strength-to-strength. There is JOY in following Him! and there is nowhere else Id rather be :)
So .......we chose a color for the kitchen and I painted behind the countertop today when the kids went down for nap/quiet time. Steve actually picked it. I like it though. May take a little adjsuting too but I think i can make it work :) hint: its a blue. Ill post picts when its done!
hot, hot, hot here in TX! blech!!!!!! its supposed to be 103 on Sunday. It will be nice to have this baby and not be gigantic trying to get the kids in and out of the car and grocery shop in this heat :)
I also finally took some time to sit and read my bible - definitely not doing enough of that. Lots of praying but not enough time in the Word to sit and LISTEN. The main point I think the Lord wanted me to hear: He is my strength. We are on this journey for Him and He will take us from strength-to-strength. There is JOY in following Him! and there is nowhere else Id rather be :)
So .......we chose a color for the kitchen and I painted behind the countertop today when the kids went down for nap/quiet time. Steve actually picked it. I like it though. May take a little adjsuting too but I think i can make it work :) hint: its a blue. Ill post picts when its done!
hot, hot, hot here in TX! blech!!!!!! its supposed to be 103 on Sunday. It will be nice to have this baby and not be gigantic trying to get the kids in and out of the car and grocery shop in this heat :)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Pictures 3
Area we created last night in the garage. The wood cabinet is built-in. Then thats my chest freezer and a shelf for extra kitchen items, etc. Its just to the right as you walk out into the garage. We keep some shoes right infront of the shelf for now. My washer/dryer is directly across, on your left as you walk out.
New Roman shades in the master! They are double with a layer of white sheer and then a gold room-darkening fabric on the inside. got a great deal on jcpenney.com :) Notice the computer on the right? Im sitting on the bed right now, keyboard in my lap :) Oh and notice my fan is still hanging from the ceiling in pieces LOL. it exasperated Steven.
New Roman shades in the master! They are double with a layer of white sheer and then a gold room-darkening fabric on the inside. got a great deal on jcpenney.com :) Notice the computer on the right? Im sitting on the bed right now, keyboard in my lap :) Oh and notice my fan is still hanging from the ceiling in pieces LOL. it exasperated Steven.
Front room. Not a great picture but you can see the paint - its very light in the sunlight. It does show off the crown molding though. Notice the door is just primed - I dont even know how many coats its had now. Its close though. Kids are watching Little House on the Prairie :)
New shiny ceiling vents! Half of them were stuck closed, broken, etc. One had all the paint peeling and was freaking me out worrying about lead. The ceilings are still a mess with cracks and horrible patch jobs but at least we have pretty vents for now :) They werent easy to find either, I had to buy them online!
Jayna on her birthday (July 8th) - showing off the pretty dress auntie Sarah and uncle G got her!
Pictures 2
Kitchen eating area on day 2 or 3. Lots of boxes.
Kitchen eating area today. Much more cleared out although there still are a lot of boxes. Most have office supplies (no desk area yet) and kitchen items I havent decided if Im keeping. This is also where we will do school so I have my school books in boxes still too.
The old nasty linoleum we found when we ripped out Caleb and Jayna's carpet
Kitchen eating area today. Much more cleared out although there still are a lot of boxes. Most have office supplies (no desk area yet) and kitchen items I havent decided if Im keeping. This is also where we will do school so I have my school books in boxes still too.
The old nasty linoleum we found when we ripped out Caleb and Jayna's carpet
The new pretty laminate flooring :)
Here is a picture of the new lamp outside and the new mailbox. I added the bronze house numbers today to break up the white. Eventually we want a full-glass storm door with matching bronze handle. We will also be painting the trim around the windows and door white (and eventually the trim white). I like the more crisp look :)
Pictures!!!!!
Kitchen before (first week here) - new appliances but still that awful maroon paint
Kitchen Today. The white is just primer. The green rug is because my feet just cannot take standing on that concrete floor all day! (not bearing the load they are already bearing LOL)
My sweeties at breakfast. Caleb and Jayna.
Kitchen Today. The white is just primer. The green rug is because my feet just cannot take standing on that concrete floor all day! (not bearing the load they are already bearing LOL)
My sweeties at breakfast. Caleb and Jayna.
She wasnt too keen on the double kisses
This is the "reading area" that is just to your left as you walk in the door. I have a huge pile of boxes full of books.....but I cant find the little things that hold up the shelves! Its my favorite place to sit and put my feet up anyways :) plus its nice and cool under the fan!
yay!
we officially moved Jayna and Caleb in last night - hooray! and even better - she slept in her bed all night and didnt come to mine! hip-hip-hooray! :) I actually really love cosleeping with her but its either time to put a firm end to that or Ill be cosleeping with two and that really doesnt sound like fun. We'll see how it goes but we are just happy that last night went well! And both boys slept in too - Caleb really needed that.
I think we have chosen colors for the kitchen - I think we are going to go a little crazy with some fun bright colors! I was thinking a very neutral sage green but what fun is that? ;) Our front room is very neutral and relaxing so Im feeling daring in the kitchen.....hopefully I dont start painting and have a hormonal breakdown LOL.
Still cant find blackout curtains or shades Im happy with for Jayna or Caleb so Im going to make my own with blackout fabric from Joannas. Then later I can get something cute to go over it. Its only $5.99/yd so when I find my coupon it will be a great deal. For now they are sporting the beach towel look :)
Steve and I did a ton of work last night. We unpacked a lot of boxes in the kitchen area, set up a set of shelves in the garage for my big kitchen items, etc. It feels really good. slowly but surely!
Today I am working on putting up new numbers on our pretty new white mailbox. The one that was here was original gold and I pretty much didnt even want to touch it, much less reach my hand into it!!!! So we got a new white one to match the door and the trim that will someday be white as well :) We are going with that venetian bronze look outside too so the new light is bronze and so are the numbers. Picts to come of course!
Im ready to set up the printer since it looks like my room will be the computer room until my dad comes and runs some ground wires up into the attic and back down again to the kitchen. Now I just have to find the cord.....I saw it somewhere....one day...........hmmmmmmm..........
Im going to look for that a bit and if I cant find it, put some more coats of paint on the doors and take a nap while I can :) Im going slow, I promise. No choice anymore. I feel like I have the worlds biggest watermelon strapped to the front of me :)
I think we have chosen colors for the kitchen - I think we are going to go a little crazy with some fun bright colors! I was thinking a very neutral sage green but what fun is that? ;) Our front room is very neutral and relaxing so Im feeling daring in the kitchen.....hopefully I dont start painting and have a hormonal breakdown LOL.
Still cant find blackout curtains or shades Im happy with for Jayna or Caleb so Im going to make my own with blackout fabric from Joannas. Then later I can get something cute to go over it. Its only $5.99/yd so when I find my coupon it will be a great deal. For now they are sporting the beach towel look :)
Steve and I did a ton of work last night. We unpacked a lot of boxes in the kitchen area, set up a set of shelves in the garage for my big kitchen items, etc. It feels really good. slowly but surely!
Today I am working on putting up new numbers on our pretty new white mailbox. The one that was here was original gold and I pretty much didnt even want to touch it, much less reach my hand into it!!!! So we got a new white one to match the door and the trim that will someday be white as well :) We are going with that venetian bronze look outside too so the new light is bronze and so are the numbers. Picts to come of course!
Im ready to set up the printer since it looks like my room will be the computer room until my dad comes and runs some ground wires up into the attic and back down again to the kitchen. Now I just have to find the cord.....I saw it somewhere....one day...........hmmmmmmm..........
Im going to look for that a bit and if I cant find it, put some more coats of paint on the doors and take a nap while I can :) Im going slow, I promise. No choice anymore. I feel like I have the worlds biggest watermelon strapped to the front of me :)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A family picture :)
My friend Patrice is *so* patient. She did an awesome job on our family/maternity picts taken a week or so ago. I dont have the pictures yet but I have ONE so I thought Id share......
Its funny that Caleb looks so happy and sweet because he was the most difficult! He kept falling down on the ground when they asked him to pose. Ill post more when I have them!
Only a few more weeks.....
Im 37wks tomorrow. I had Jayna at 39 weeks so its possible we are only 2 weeks away from meeting our Abram! Last night I suddenly had some strong braxton-hicks that came every 3-5mins for several hours. They made me need to sit down and a few I couldnt talk through...I didnt think I was in labor but it did make it so much more real all of the sudden! I probably just overdid it (still priming doors, they are sucking up the paint!!!!) but Im thankful my body is preparing :) exciting! Its so, so hot here so Im trying to do less and drink more :)
Jayna and Calebs room is just about fnished! She is taking her first nap in there right now......well, im stil waiting for her to finally give up and go to sleep :) the guys did the quater-round last night to finish off the floor and they moved the furniture in. Its coming along! I just need to unpack clothes into their drawers and find something to darken their windows. Right now I have a piece of blackout material tacked up that covers 2/3 of the big window and beach towel tacked up to the other window LOL. very classy ;) I almost ordered vinyl roll-down shades but knowing what I know about the toxicity of PVC I just couldnt, no matter how cheap they are. PVC is one of, if not the most, toxic man-made material on earth. Bad stuff. But with fabric it needs to be washable since Caleb is allergic to dust. So we'll probably go with some blackout curtains or something made by me on a tension rod :) it just has to be inexpensive!
The guys also moved my freezer into the garage! hooray! Im sure my friend is happy to have it out of hers too. The garage is about half-emptied.....we are getting there!
We are trying to focus on giving the boys some attention and letting them help us more with our projects..... the behavioral problems that we know can come with lots of change, are starting to pop up. They are just wild and crazy, fighting, etc. Im sure we've been more lax than we've realized over the last few weeks/months with requiring them to obey, listen the first time, etc. So we have some catch-up work to do there. We know that time with us is the ingredient for success so we are trying.......trying. I tried to do a day of school the other day......Noah was very, very attentive because has great auditory skills and loves to listen about animals. Caleb kep throwing himself on the floor and whining LOL and Jayna was intent on grabbing books and coloring inside of them with a pencil :) We got about half done when daddy rescued us by taking Noah to the store with him :) They did work hard yesterday helping Steve in the garage - so cute to see my men working together!
My goals this week are to finish the doors and get the new hardware installed on them. I can also work more on my kitchen since Steve is almost done setting up my extra storage in the garage (for large things I dont use that often, paper goods, etc). If I can find some of my birth books Id like to do some mental preparation too.
Happy Wednesday!
Jayna and Calebs room is just about fnished! She is taking her first nap in there right now......well, im stil waiting for her to finally give up and go to sleep :) the guys did the quater-round last night to finish off the floor and they moved the furniture in. Its coming along! I just need to unpack clothes into their drawers and find something to darken their windows. Right now I have a piece of blackout material tacked up that covers 2/3 of the big window and beach towel tacked up to the other window LOL. very classy ;) I almost ordered vinyl roll-down shades but knowing what I know about the toxicity of PVC I just couldnt, no matter how cheap they are. PVC is one of, if not the most, toxic man-made material on earth. Bad stuff. But with fabric it needs to be washable since Caleb is allergic to dust. So we'll probably go with some blackout curtains or something made by me on a tension rod :) it just has to be inexpensive!
The guys also moved my freezer into the garage! hooray! Im sure my friend is happy to have it out of hers too. The garage is about half-emptied.....we are getting there!
We are trying to focus on giving the boys some attention and letting them help us more with our projects..... the behavioral problems that we know can come with lots of change, are starting to pop up. They are just wild and crazy, fighting, etc. Im sure we've been more lax than we've realized over the last few weeks/months with requiring them to obey, listen the first time, etc. So we have some catch-up work to do there. We know that time with us is the ingredient for success so we are trying.......trying. I tried to do a day of school the other day......Noah was very, very attentive because has great auditory skills and loves to listen about animals. Caleb kep throwing himself on the floor and whining LOL and Jayna was intent on grabbing books and coloring inside of them with a pencil :) We got about half done when daddy rescued us by taking Noah to the store with him :) They did work hard yesterday helping Steve in the garage - so cute to see my men working together!
My goals this week are to finish the doors and get the new hardware installed on them. I can also work more on my kitchen since Steve is almost done setting up my extra storage in the garage (for large things I dont use that often, paper goods, etc). If I can find some of my birth books Id like to do some mental preparation too.
Happy Wednesday!
Monday, July 21, 2008
End of Week 2
Its monday again - one of my favorite days of the week since its Steves day off :)
Jayna said her first sentence yesterday! She is still behind in speech but there is one phrase she says often to Noah - "bad boy" ;) Well yesterday she didnt want to leave their room and go to bed but I told her she had to and directed her down the hall and she got really bad and said "bad boy mama" - arm gestures, grumpy face and all LOL. It was soooooo funny. And all I could think was "yay, her first sentence!!!" :)
yesterday wasnt such a happy day here in project land. steve tackled the installation of the ceiling fan in the master bedroom. He's done it before but thing after thing went wrong. He finally got it to stay attached (just the base) with all the wires in and .... it doesnt work. (you can giggle, I am!) Poor guy. So he is going to conquer it this afternoon. And the fan in the eating area. His buddy is coming over tonight also to install the closet doors in Caleb and Jaynas room (Lord please let that go smoothly and easily!). So it should be a productive day :)
the front room is now officially painted. I still have to do the trim but the walls are done. I also found a favorite new activity - caulking windows. Im a dork. I know. Its just so fun to make the edges all pretty and white and know you are saving money on your electric bill too :) Im going to finish my first tube soon LOL and will have to buy more!
Im tired today though and just resting. I slept 9hrs last night but with 3 or 4 trips to the bathroom and constantly checking Jayna for fever (she is getting her last molar) I guess it wasnt enough. I took a nap this morning too but Im still taking it easy. Ive had some really big contractions lately which are reminding me to behave myself :)
I should get my freezer back today or tomorrow! Its in my friend's garage. We moved some things out to the curb yesterday (well Steve did) so there is space now. Yay! so excited! I got to shop-vac in there a little - you know, the crazy gigantic pregnant lady out shop-vacing at 10 at night LOL. But there is SO much nastiness in the garage. How do people live like that?!?! I will def. be out there again before they put the freezer in to get the rest :)
My mom comes in 10 days. I cant believe this little one will be here sometime in the next three weeks or so. Its so crazy. Im getting excited to see him and excited for the homebirth. God is so good. He is faithful.......we sang a song in church yesterday......"I dont want blessings, I just want more of You" and "I dont want anything ordinary, it will never satisfy me". Lord - let the ordinary things of this life NOT satisfy me (even caulking!) because only You truly can. Please help me to honor you through working hard but keep my focus on You and loving my family and others first and foremost. More of you Jesus. More of You!!!! Amen.
Jayna said her first sentence yesterday! She is still behind in speech but there is one phrase she says often to Noah - "bad boy" ;) Well yesterday she didnt want to leave their room and go to bed but I told her she had to and directed her down the hall and she got really bad and said "bad boy mama" - arm gestures, grumpy face and all LOL. It was soooooo funny. And all I could think was "yay, her first sentence!!!" :)
yesterday wasnt such a happy day here in project land. steve tackled the installation of the ceiling fan in the master bedroom. He's done it before but thing after thing went wrong. He finally got it to stay attached (just the base) with all the wires in and .... it doesnt work. (you can giggle, I am!) Poor guy. So he is going to conquer it this afternoon. And the fan in the eating area. His buddy is coming over tonight also to install the closet doors in Caleb and Jaynas room (Lord please let that go smoothly and easily!). So it should be a productive day :)
the front room is now officially painted. I still have to do the trim but the walls are done. I also found a favorite new activity - caulking windows. Im a dork. I know. Its just so fun to make the edges all pretty and white and know you are saving money on your electric bill too :) Im going to finish my first tube soon LOL and will have to buy more!
Im tired today though and just resting. I slept 9hrs last night but with 3 or 4 trips to the bathroom and constantly checking Jayna for fever (she is getting her last molar) I guess it wasnt enough. I took a nap this morning too but Im still taking it easy. Ive had some really big contractions lately which are reminding me to behave myself :)
I should get my freezer back today or tomorrow! Its in my friend's garage. We moved some things out to the curb yesterday (well Steve did) so there is space now. Yay! so excited! I got to shop-vac in there a little - you know, the crazy gigantic pregnant lady out shop-vacing at 10 at night LOL. But there is SO much nastiness in the garage. How do people live like that?!?! I will def. be out there again before they put the freezer in to get the rest :)
My mom comes in 10 days. I cant believe this little one will be here sometime in the next three weeks or so. Its so crazy. Im getting excited to see him and excited for the homebirth. God is so good. He is faithful.......we sang a song in church yesterday......"I dont want blessings, I just want more of You" and "I dont want anything ordinary, it will never satisfy me". Lord - let the ordinary things of this life NOT satisfy me (even caulking!) because only You truly can. Please help me to honor you through working hard but keep my focus on You and loving my family and others first and foremost. More of you Jesus. More of You!!!! Amen.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thurs and Friday
I had my "home visit" yesterday. The midwife assistant Lynne came and we just went over where the birth tub will be, where the dryer is located for warming towels etc. She checked Abrams heart rate and all is well with him, thankfully. Ive been anxious lately and paying close attention to his movements as we get closer to the end.
Steve removed the OLD (original) ceiling fan from the kitchen eating area yesterday. But then I pulled a pregnant lady move and said "are you sure you like the one we got" - which of course means Im not sure. He was so upset to not have to, I mean "get to", put the new one up last night LOL (that was sarcasm). We will go to Lowes this weekend to see if there is another we like better.
Both boy's beds are now put together. yay!
I went to Home Depot today and bought the FreshAir paint for the front room as well as the white paint for the trim. Hopefully I like the color! I dont have time for samples and they dont sell them in that line anyways. It should be fine though. Im still not decided on a color for the kitchen. Leslie is coming tomorrow morning to help me paint though so at least we'll have somewhere to start.
We had originally hoped to budget in new 6-panel doors because all of the interior doors are flat, wood or particle board and they are all different. We do still hope to do that one day but since some were missing knobs and some knobs were broken, and again, all of them are different- we decided to paint the doors (white) and start investing in the knobs. We decided on the levers in venetian bronze. We had said we'd never get levers again because the kids can open them so much earlier but with older siblings it doesnt really matter. The boys can break off those childproof knob covers in 20 seconds anyways ;)
Steve didnt have to go in until noon today but he has to close so he wont be home until 8:30 or 9. My plan is to let the boys play out back in the sprinkler and do their boy thing while I paint inside with Jayna. My sweet friend Ami made us dinner for last night and tonight so we have plenty to eat and I wont have to cook anything :) i have some amazing friends :)
Im going to try and lay down a little. I didnt sleep well at all last night. I had dream after frustrating dream about projects that we couldnt finish. I wonder why LOL (after 2hrs wasted yesterday we discovered the computer will stay in our room until my dad can come out and do some rewiring)
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Steve removed the OLD (original) ceiling fan from the kitchen eating area yesterday. But then I pulled a pregnant lady move and said "are you sure you like the one we got" - which of course means Im not sure. He was so upset to not have to, I mean "get to", put the new one up last night LOL (that was sarcasm). We will go to Lowes this weekend to see if there is another we like better.
Both boy's beds are now put together. yay!
I went to Home Depot today and bought the FreshAir paint for the front room as well as the white paint for the trim. Hopefully I like the color! I dont have time for samples and they dont sell them in that line anyways. It should be fine though. Im still not decided on a color for the kitchen. Leslie is coming tomorrow morning to help me paint though so at least we'll have somewhere to start.
We had originally hoped to budget in new 6-panel doors because all of the interior doors are flat, wood or particle board and they are all different. We do still hope to do that one day but since some were missing knobs and some knobs were broken, and again, all of them are different- we decided to paint the doors (white) and start investing in the knobs. We decided on the levers in venetian bronze. We had said we'd never get levers again because the kids can open them so much earlier but with older siblings it doesnt really matter. The boys can break off those childproof knob covers in 20 seconds anyways ;)
Steve didnt have to go in until noon today but he has to close so he wont be home until 8:30 or 9. My plan is to let the boys play out back in the sprinkler and do their boy thing while I paint inside with Jayna. My sweet friend Ami made us dinner for last night and tonight so we have plenty to eat and I wont have to cook anything :) i have some amazing friends :)
Im going to try and lay down a little. I didnt sleep well at all last night. I had dream after frustrating dream about projects that we couldnt finish. I wonder why LOL (after 2hrs wasted yesterday we discovered the computer will stay in our room until my dad can come out and do some rewiring)
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday - day 10
Today I installed a new toilet seat and a new shower head in the main bath. The old toilet seat was clean but the paint was peeling off. The new one is perrrrty and shiny white and it closes slowly on its own (not electronic, just how the hinge is). One less noise in this house is a good thing :)
I put in a showerhead with a big "rain" head that makes it a little taller for steve. Its removable on a hose so we can rinse the kids down ;) The bathrub is pretty yucky and we (ok Leslie) tried lots of things to clean it but the stains are old and permanent. I just cant get myself to fill it up for a bath yet so the kids are getting showers for now - which is easier anyways.
The shower head that was in there already was newer so I put that in the neglected master bathroom shower which had a super-old one. I also sprayed it all down with vinegar to disinfect and Steve will shower in there soon to give it a good scrub.....needs a new shower door eventually, for sure. I saw black stuff but Ill just let him deal with that. icky.
I think I may have chosen the colors I want to paint.....Im leaning towards Home Depot's new "Fresh Air" line. Its a zero VOC paint and the colorant is also zero-VOC which is not typical yet, even in the other "green" paints like the one Sherman Williams makes - which is what I usually use (their Duration Home or Harmony line).
AFter the kids went down Steve and I opened up one side of the garage doors (oh those things ar dirty! ick! new ones are on the list for sure....someday) and started pulling out and distributing boxes. Ok. I mostly directed him :) but I did carry in a few light things. We managed to get the other piece of the desk we needed (working towards getting this computer out of my bedroom!) and the coffee table - woohoo! We celebrated afterwards by putting our feet up on it and starting a movie while enjoying some leftover chocolate cake :) (we hosted a surprise party for a friend here last night).
Leslie is coming over again tomorrow morning. I hope to get some work done here in the master and in the hall linen closet. Sometime this weekend or next week Steve and his friend will do the quarter-round in Caleb and Jaynas room and the closet doors so we can get them moved in - finally. That will help the space issue in here a lot. We thankfully do have a lot of attic space for baby clothes, chrsitmas stuff, etc. Its jsut a matter of sorting and getting it to the right place right now.
I have to give a major praise to the Lord for His mercy - the kids really have handled all this so well. Jaynas naps have been great, even in a very light room with towels push-pinned to the windows LOL (waiting on an order of roman shades I got for an awesome deal on jcpenneys.com) She is sleeping fine at night and the boys are too. He is good! This would definitely be much harder if they werent adjusting well but they are doing great!
well thats enough blabbing. I have to lay down before I undo everything my chiropractor fixed for me this morning :) night!
I put in a showerhead with a big "rain" head that makes it a little taller for steve. Its removable on a hose so we can rinse the kids down ;) The bathrub is pretty yucky and we (ok Leslie) tried lots of things to clean it but the stains are old and permanent. I just cant get myself to fill it up for a bath yet so the kids are getting showers for now - which is easier anyways.
The shower head that was in there already was newer so I put that in the neglected master bathroom shower which had a super-old one. I also sprayed it all down with vinegar to disinfect and Steve will shower in there soon to give it a good scrub.....needs a new shower door eventually, for sure. I saw black stuff but Ill just let him deal with that. icky.
I think I may have chosen the colors I want to paint.....Im leaning towards Home Depot's new "Fresh Air" line. Its a zero VOC paint and the colorant is also zero-VOC which is not typical yet, even in the other "green" paints like the one Sherman Williams makes - which is what I usually use (their Duration Home or Harmony line).
AFter the kids went down Steve and I opened up one side of the garage doors (oh those things ar dirty! ick! new ones are on the list for sure....someday) and started pulling out and distributing boxes. Ok. I mostly directed him :) but I did carry in a few light things. We managed to get the other piece of the desk we needed (working towards getting this computer out of my bedroom!) and the coffee table - woohoo! We celebrated afterwards by putting our feet up on it and starting a movie while enjoying some leftover chocolate cake :) (we hosted a surprise party for a friend here last night).
Leslie is coming over again tomorrow morning. I hope to get some work done here in the master and in the hall linen closet. Sometime this weekend or next week Steve and his friend will do the quarter-round in Caleb and Jaynas room and the closet doors so we can get them moved in - finally. That will help the space issue in here a lot. We thankfully do have a lot of attic space for baby clothes, chrsitmas stuff, etc. Its jsut a matter of sorting and getting it to the right place right now.
I have to give a major praise to the Lord for His mercy - the kids really have handled all this so well. Jaynas naps have been great, even in a very light room with towels push-pinned to the windows LOL (waiting on an order of roman shades I got for an awesome deal on jcpenneys.com) She is sleeping fine at night and the boys are too. He is good! This would definitely be much harder if they werent adjusting well but they are doing great!
well thats enough blabbing. I have to lay down before I undo everything my chiropractor fixed for me this morning :) night!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Monday - 1 week!
Today was a busy day. Jayna and I slept in because she was up for several hours last night for some reason. She was mostly quiet but then she'd touch my face and say slowly and sweetly "mama" and Id wake up, roll over, tell her to go to bed - repeat 1000 times LOL. So we started our day later than planned but we got going quickly and headed to Lumber Liquidators.
We had gone over and over which kind of floor to put in Caleb's room. I wanted it to be as healthy as possible as far as glues, additives, etc. but we didnt want to put in an $800 floor in a kids room either (and cant afford to). In the end we ended up with laminate after all. With his allergy to dust mites its still much, much healthier than carpet is for him. Carpet emits toxins/fumes too just like laminate does (glues, chemical treatments on the carpet, etc). And actually the guy at the store said that laminate has lower VOC emissions than engineered or even real wood because they all use glue and sealants that contain formaldehyde, etc. The best option would be floating cork board buat $3.50/sqft versus the $0.78 we paid it wasnt a hard choice from a financial standpoint LOL. The guys installed it today and its looks awesome! We will let it expand and outgas for a week, door closed, air cleaner running, etc. then move Caleb and Jayna in next weekend :) Getting their furniture in there will free up a lot of room in the garage and kitchen area too so that will be great. They'll also install the mirrored sliding closet doors then too. So exciting! :)
We finally got our big tv sold on craigslist. The girl came to get it today - it didnt fit in her car. What an ordeal. Steve and his friend (who is such a servant) drove it all the way to Dallas for her after working all day on the floor. Just crazy. They are still not home.
I finished priming the kitchen (Except for a few small corner details), behind the stove and fridge so now I just have to pick a color. Budget-wise we have decided we need to leave the concrete floor in the kitchen as-is but once we paint the walls I think I will feel much more "nested" than I do now. Its coming together. Im taking picts as we go but just dont have it set up yet to share them.
My goal this coming week is to get the front room and kitchen painted and keep unpacking and getting rid of what we dont need. We got rid of so much already (Goodwill and the dump) but we still need to simplify more to fit here without clutter. Oh how I hate clutter - hate it, hate it, hate it. No clutter allowed. :)
oh and I hung the drapes today on the big window in the front room - so pretty. Im loving how the front room is coming together. I dont want to get too caught up in all these things so Im looking for the balance between making it home (in the most economical way possible) but not making it our focus here. We are here to follow God's will for our lives, to reach out to our community, etc. I dont want to be totally focused on just what the house looks like. So this is a definitely a time of searching and growing too. Its good. He is good :) All the time!
p.s. something else I like about this house - the rooms have dimmers on the lights. always wanted those LOL.
We had gone over and over which kind of floor to put in Caleb's room. I wanted it to be as healthy as possible as far as glues, additives, etc. but we didnt want to put in an $800 floor in a kids room either (and cant afford to). In the end we ended up with laminate after all. With his allergy to dust mites its still much, much healthier than carpet is for him. Carpet emits toxins/fumes too just like laminate does (glues, chemical treatments on the carpet, etc). And actually the guy at the store said that laminate has lower VOC emissions than engineered or even real wood because they all use glue and sealants that contain formaldehyde, etc. The best option would be floating cork board buat $3.50/sqft versus the $0.78 we paid it wasnt a hard choice from a financial standpoint LOL. The guys installed it today and its looks awesome! We will let it expand and outgas for a week, door closed, air cleaner running, etc. then move Caleb and Jayna in next weekend :) Getting their furniture in there will free up a lot of room in the garage and kitchen area too so that will be great. They'll also install the mirrored sliding closet doors then too. So exciting! :)
We finally got our big tv sold on craigslist. The girl came to get it today - it didnt fit in her car. What an ordeal. Steve and his friend (who is such a servant) drove it all the way to Dallas for her after working all day on the floor. Just crazy. They are still not home.
I finished priming the kitchen (Except for a few small corner details), behind the stove and fridge so now I just have to pick a color. Budget-wise we have decided we need to leave the concrete floor in the kitchen as-is but once we paint the walls I think I will feel much more "nested" than I do now. Its coming together. Im taking picts as we go but just dont have it set up yet to share them.
My goal this coming week is to get the front room and kitchen painted and keep unpacking and getting rid of what we dont need. We got rid of so much already (Goodwill and the dump) but we still need to simplify more to fit here without clutter. Oh how I hate clutter - hate it, hate it, hate it. No clutter allowed. :)
oh and I hung the drapes today on the big window in the front room - so pretty. Im loving how the front room is coming together. I dont want to get too caught up in all these things so Im looking for the balance between making it home (in the most economical way possible) but not making it our focus here. We are here to follow God's will for our lives, to reach out to our community, etc. I dont want to be totally focused on just what the house looks like. So this is a definitely a time of searching and growing too. Its good. He is good :) All the time!
p.s. something else I like about this house - the rooms have dimmers on the lights. always wanted those LOL.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sunday
Today was kind of a day off from working in the house. We went to church which was awesome and then came home for lunch/rest. After that we drove to a friends house - she is a professional photographer and did maternity and family picts for us!!! Im so excited to see them - in about a week I will hopefully have some to share. She is very talented (www.fotoimpressions.net)
Since so many things have gone wrong I thought Id share some things Im really loving about this new house :)
- its ONE story. no stairs! hooray! :)
- the sprayer on the sink is awesome. its not so pretty but it has some awesome pressure. it makes this dishwashing-hater happy to blast things off
- its one story.
- I love the kitchen and eating area. Its so big
- i love having one living area. our other house was so big and spread out. This is much more "homey"
- its one story
- I love watching the dogs freak out over birds and squirrels in the tree
- the swingset in the back. the boys love it.
- its one story
- the street is so quiet and pretty.
- neighbors are much more friendly
- its one story
- being close to the boy's room means they get away with much less!
- SO close to everything. so much more convenient
- did I mention its one story?
:)
Rachel
Since so many things have gone wrong I thought Id share some things Im really loving about this new house :)
- its ONE story. no stairs! hooray! :)
- the sprayer on the sink is awesome. its not so pretty but it has some awesome pressure. it makes this dishwashing-hater happy to blast things off
- its one story.
- I love the kitchen and eating area. Its so big
- i love having one living area. our other house was so big and spread out. This is much more "homey"
- its one story
- I love watching the dogs freak out over birds and squirrels in the tree
- the swingset in the back. the boys love it.
- its one story
- the street is so quiet and pretty.
- neighbors are much more friendly
- its one story
- being close to the boy's room means they get away with much less!
- SO close to everything. so much more convenient
- did I mention its one story?
:)
Rachel
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Day 6 (Sat)
Its fun to have a blog to just blab on :) Steve is at work (he works a second job on Sat nights cleaning a church) so its quiet and boring. We havent hooked our digital box up for the tv so we dont even have any basic channels....which Im actually enjoying.
We also have gone microwave-free. There is no built-in one here like there was at our old house. Since Ive read many things about health concerns regarding what microwaves do to our food, we've decided to just do without. So far its been no big deal!
I was exhausted today. I kept dozing off. I seriously felt like I was drugged. Thankfully the kids just played and played and I got some rest. I could still hear them but my eyes were closed :) it was really nice.
Steve got some soaker hoses and put those around the house to water the foundation. I dont get it but apparently its something you do here in Texas LOL. The boys played outside while he worked. Noah found a "rock" and when he went to throw it (what else would you do with a rock after all?) it crushed in his hand....it was a rotten robin's egg. Totally nasty but of course he thought it was really cool and talked all night about how his hand still smelled (even after I made him wash them again and again!)
Jayna and I ran to Jcpenneys to exchanged the sheers I bought yesterday. This time I got the right color :) now if we can just find the drill bits we can keep the rod up on the wall! :) We also picked up some clothes for our photo shoot tomorrow - my friend and prof. photographers is doing some maternity/family shots and Im *SO* excited :) Hopefully I dont look like the beached whale that I feel like.
I got some more priming done in the kitchen and all thats left is behind the stove and fridge. Then its time to pick a color and get painting! I am totally freaking out that I am due in a month - painting will help me feel like Ive nested. My focus is on the kitchen since thats where the birth tub will be set up. I want it to feel like "us" and not be full of boxes.....although that second one may be hard. We are missing some important thing so will spend next week trying to unpack whatever we can (missing the iron, the hair clippers for the boys, my shoes, etc.)
I feel like we got a little done today but Im glad I got some rest too. Tomorrow will be a busy day with church, the photo shoot, buying flooring for Caleb/Jaynas room and putting together the boys beds! :)
night ya'll,
Rach
We also have gone microwave-free. There is no built-in one here like there was at our old house. Since Ive read many things about health concerns regarding what microwaves do to our food, we've decided to just do without. So far its been no big deal!
I was exhausted today. I kept dozing off. I seriously felt like I was drugged. Thankfully the kids just played and played and I got some rest. I could still hear them but my eyes were closed :) it was really nice.
Steve got some soaker hoses and put those around the house to water the foundation. I dont get it but apparently its something you do here in Texas LOL. The boys played outside while he worked. Noah found a "rock" and when he went to throw it (what else would you do with a rock after all?) it crushed in his hand....it was a rotten robin's egg. Totally nasty but of course he thought it was really cool and talked all night about how his hand still smelled (even after I made him wash them again and again!)
Jayna and I ran to Jcpenneys to exchanged the sheers I bought yesterday. This time I got the right color :) now if we can just find the drill bits we can keep the rod up on the wall! :) We also picked up some clothes for our photo shoot tomorrow - my friend and prof. photographers is doing some maternity/family shots and Im *SO* excited :) Hopefully I dont look like the beached whale that I feel like.
I got some more priming done in the kitchen and all thats left is behind the stove and fridge. Then its time to pick a color and get painting! I am totally freaking out that I am due in a month - painting will help me feel like Ive nested. My focus is on the kitchen since thats where the birth tub will be set up. I want it to feel like "us" and not be full of boxes.....although that second one may be hard. We are missing some important thing so will spend next week trying to unpack whatever we can (missing the iron, the hair clippers for the boys, my shoes, etc.)
I feel like we got a little done today but Im glad I got some rest too. Tomorrow will be a busy day with church, the photo shoot, buying flooring for Caleb/Jaynas room and putting together the boys beds! :)
night ya'll,
Rach
Friday, July 11, 2008
Day 5 (Friday)
It was another busy day today. My feet ache. Thats when I know I did too much and down some water with lemon juice to help with the swelling :)
I went to the chiropractor today. Abram was way over to the left this morning which he never is so I was worried I was really out of alignment and I was overdue for an adjustment anyways. Sure enough, 5 mins after leaving he was back on the right side where he should be! Then the kids and I ran errands - Tues morning (got pillows and curtain rods) and to JCPenneys (curtains/sheers for our huge front window).
The boys played in the sprinklers all afternoon because one of our trees out back is showing signs of really hurting for water. They found a fire ant mound and Noah waged "war"......his feet didnt fare so well . He never even cried or came and got me - I just noticed how red and swollen they were when he came in. Nutty kid. Caleb got a few too. They are some tough soldiers. A bath was in order after that though!
And.....drumroll.....Steve got the new dishwasher installed! This was no easy feat and I am *So* proud of him. He had to rewire something and install a plug and put a plug on the new one, etc. etc. He did it and nothing blew up - good day :)
I went to the chiropractor today. Abram was way over to the left this morning which he never is so I was worried I was really out of alignment and I was overdue for an adjustment anyways. Sure enough, 5 mins after leaving he was back on the right side where he should be! Then the kids and I ran errands - Tues morning (got pillows and curtain rods) and to JCPenneys (curtains/sheers for our huge front window).
The boys played in the sprinklers all afternoon because one of our trees out back is showing signs of really hurting for water. They found a fire ant mound and Noah waged "war"......his feet didnt fare so well . He never even cried or came and got me - I just noticed how red and swollen they were when he came in. Nutty kid. Caleb got a few too. They are some tough soldiers. A bath was in order after that though!
And.....drumroll.....Steve got the new dishwasher installed! This was no easy feat and I am *So* proud of him. He had to rewire something and install a plug and put a plug on the new one, etc. etc. He did it and nothing blew up - good day :)
Day 4 (thurs)
Still no picts to share. The computer is set up on the far side of the bed in the master bedroom, right by Jaynas toddler bed. Its hooked to power in the bathroom and wires run under the bed to the phone jack on the other side LOL. So far we can only find 3 phone jacks (we have dsl) - one in here, one in Caleb/Jaynas room and one in this weird place in the kitchen. BUT we also need a grounded (3-prong) outlet and we were shocked to find that all the main outlets in the house are 2-prong! There are some grounded (GFC or whatever - the kind with the button to reset it) in the kitchen, master bath and one in the garage......so Steve has some electrical work to do before we can put the computer in a reasonable place :) once that is done then Ill be able to hook up my camera (through our printer). So when Im typing Im sitting on my bed :)
The dogs are doing great. Bella currently has some poor animal trapped in one of the huge trees in the backyard - she is a happy dog :) but Im sure the squirrel (my guess) is a little stressed out :)
I did more unpacking, mainly of clothes and the kitchen. I also picked up some "green" primer by Sherman Williams called Harmony that is zero-VOC and I am just itching to get some of that on my kitchen walls :)
Still no dishwasher but Steve promises it will be done tonight (had electrical issues there too so Steve had to do some rewiring - isnt my hubby so handy?!) :) The disposal is on the same breaker so Im actually wanting that back on more than the dishwasher.
Got my car back yesterday! $500 later its running nicely again. Steve gave them the story about his pregnant wife and just moving and having no car and they were so sweet as to bring it to me LOL :) yay! So we can have fun running errands now....and everything is SO much closer that I have to worry way less about gas :)
Pulled up the carpet in caleb/jaynas room and it has old, nasty peeling linoleum so we are living in 2 bedrooms until we can get some flooring....Im aiming for bamboo or cork for health's sake (the US has very low standards for the toxicity of laminate flooring and it can be very toxic as far as leaching chemicals). We'll check out Lumber liquidators soon.
Baby Abram seems to be doing well......still very active thankfully and growing well LOL :)
the boys just got up so we need to get going on our day.......going to try and get in with the chiropractor before Im sorry for waiting too long and look for a good deal on a sink faucet so we can hopefully get some cold water coming through ;) (first thing I did was get a PUR filter though! clean water is SO important! we'll get a carbon or reverse-osmosis eventually.....)
have a great day!
The dogs are doing great. Bella currently has some poor animal trapped in one of the huge trees in the backyard - she is a happy dog :) but Im sure the squirrel (my guess) is a little stressed out :)
I did more unpacking, mainly of clothes and the kitchen. I also picked up some "green" primer by Sherman Williams called Harmony that is zero-VOC and I am just itching to get some of that on my kitchen walls :)
Still no dishwasher but Steve promises it will be done tonight (had electrical issues there too so Steve had to do some rewiring - isnt my hubby so handy?!) :) The disposal is on the same breaker so Im actually wanting that back on more than the dishwasher.
Got my car back yesterday! $500 later its running nicely again. Steve gave them the story about his pregnant wife and just moving and having no car and they were so sweet as to bring it to me LOL :) yay! So we can have fun running errands now....and everything is SO much closer that I have to worry way less about gas :)
Pulled up the carpet in caleb/jaynas room and it has old, nasty peeling linoleum so we are living in 2 bedrooms until we can get some flooring....Im aiming for bamboo or cork for health's sake (the US has very low standards for the toxicity of laminate flooring and it can be very toxic as far as leaching chemicals). We'll check out Lumber liquidators soon.
Baby Abram seems to be doing well......still very active thankfully and growing well LOL :)
the boys just got up so we need to get going on our day.......going to try and get in with the chiropractor before Im sorry for waiting too long and look for a good deal on a sink faucet so we can hopefully get some cold water coming through ;) (first thing I did was get a PUR filter though! clean water is SO important! we'll get a carbon or reverse-osmosis eventually.....)
have a great day!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Day 3
Praise God - the A/C is fixed!!! it is now 10 degrees cooler in here and this pregnant lady is very, very thankful for that! Apparently a transformer blew but thanks to the home warranty all is good again.
The morning I left, alone, with the kids, to sign papers (Mon) my car started shaking badly and the engine light started flashing - it was SO scary to drive on the freeway like that. We kept driving it 2 days before we looked in the manual....turns out a flashing engine light is a VERY bad thing. oops! So we had to take it in today...it will be $450 and I wont get my car back until Friday. Why do cars break down at the WORST possible time?!?! So some other things will have to wait because of that expense but such is life........
Today Steve installed a pretty, shiny white new mail box, a new front porch light, hooked up my washing machine and is working on installing the new dishwasher tonight. My sweet, sweet friend Leslie came today and cleaned for SIX hours - all my shelves, cabinets, counters, etc. We used good 'ole vinegar for most of it so we know everything is disinfected and in a healthy way :. It will take some time for it to feel like home but today was a huge leap in the right direction. We unpacked some dishes, some pantry items, pans, etc. and I cooked our first meal in our new home (on my new stove!) tonight....eggs and hashbrowns. Nothing exciting but anything is better than eating out again!!! (and the poor kids are so sick of cereal and sandwhiches!)
We ripped up the carpet in Calebs room and found some horrendous, half-torn-out linoleum.....so Im REALLY glad I didnt order the Soycrete concrete stain already. We decided to leave the rest of the carpet for now since we have no idea whats under it and cant afford the do all new flooring right now(we want a eco/allergy-friendly option like bamboo or tile) . We are considering tile for the kitchen area to cover the yucky concrete in there (turns out its painted not stained) just because its cheap and easy. But first we have to get all the boxes and furniture out :) Thankfully the carpet is still pretty new and very clean so it will be fine for awhile (carpets an issue in general because of our asthma/allergies).
so ..... we've been busy :) its fun to have lots of projects, I just try not to remember Ill have a newborn in about a month! eek!!!!! :) we'll do what we can to make it home and take the rest from there.
I havent taken any picts but I will before I start priming. Turns out Sherman Williams makes a healthy "green", low-VOC primer so Ill be picking up some of that as soon as I have a car again!
Oh and we have met some of our neighbors - a young engaged couple lives on our right and they are very sweet and our sellers agent and his wife life to the left. She brought over their numbers and some cookies the first day we were here - that southern hospitality really made our day :) We look forward to getting to know all of them! Our street is so quiet and sweet - we feel closer to people here which is a good thing.
alright. long enough. the computer is hooked up in my room and Im sitting on Jaynas bed (long story) so I need to shut it down and get her to bed :)
more updates to come......
Rachel
The morning I left, alone, with the kids, to sign papers (Mon) my car started shaking badly and the engine light started flashing - it was SO scary to drive on the freeway like that. We kept driving it 2 days before we looked in the manual....turns out a flashing engine light is a VERY bad thing. oops! So we had to take it in today...it will be $450 and I wont get my car back until Friday. Why do cars break down at the WORST possible time?!?! So some other things will have to wait because of that expense but such is life........
Today Steve installed a pretty, shiny white new mail box, a new front porch light, hooked up my washing machine and is working on installing the new dishwasher tonight. My sweet, sweet friend Leslie came today and cleaned for SIX hours - all my shelves, cabinets, counters, etc. We used good 'ole vinegar for most of it so we know everything is disinfected and in a healthy way :. It will take some time for it to feel like home but today was a huge leap in the right direction. We unpacked some dishes, some pantry items, pans, etc. and I cooked our first meal in our new home (on my new stove!) tonight....eggs and hashbrowns. Nothing exciting but anything is better than eating out again!!! (and the poor kids are so sick of cereal and sandwhiches!)
We ripped up the carpet in Calebs room and found some horrendous, half-torn-out linoleum.....so Im REALLY glad I didnt order the Soycrete concrete stain already. We decided to leave the rest of the carpet for now since we have no idea whats under it and cant afford the do all new flooring right now(we want a eco/allergy-friendly option like bamboo or tile) . We are considering tile for the kitchen area to cover the yucky concrete in there (turns out its painted not stained) just because its cheap and easy. But first we have to get all the boxes and furniture out :) Thankfully the carpet is still pretty new and very clean so it will be fine for awhile (carpets an issue in general because of our asthma/allergies).
so ..... we've been busy :) its fun to have lots of projects, I just try not to remember Ill have a newborn in about a month! eek!!!!! :) we'll do what we can to make it home and take the rest from there.
I havent taken any picts but I will before I start priming. Turns out Sherman Williams makes a healthy "green", low-VOC primer so Ill be picking up some of that as soon as I have a car again!
Oh and we have met some of our neighbors - a young engaged couple lives on our right and they are very sweet and our sellers agent and his wife life to the left. She brought over their numbers and some cookies the first day we were here - that southern hospitality really made our day :) We look forward to getting to know all of them! Our street is so quiet and sweet - we feel closer to people here which is a good thing.
alright. long enough. the computer is hooked up in my room and Im sitting on Jaynas bed (long story) so I need to shut it down and get her to bed :)
more updates to come......
Rachel
We are here!
Well we made it through moving day - there was nothing easy about it but we did make it :) Ill leave it at that for now - because I dont want to be ungrateful for something that I know is the Lord's will. But maybe after the AC is fixed and its not 85 in here Ill be in a good enough mood to tell you all about it in a funny way :)
Happy 2nd bday (yesterday) to our sweet baby girl. She is doing her part at being 2 - she got a baby stroller from Nana though so she didnt seem to notice the lack of any kind of celebration/singing/cake/etc :)
Happy 2nd bday (yesterday) to our sweet baby girl. She is doing her part at being 2 - she got a baby stroller from Nana though so she didnt seem to notice the lack of any kind of celebration/singing/cake/etc :)
Friday, July 4, 2008
taxes
I FOUND OUR 2007 TAXES!!! PRAISE THE LORD - WE ARENT GOING TO JAIL!!! :) ......well if they like what I have to send them, we arent going to jail :)
It was *literally* the last thing to go through in this ENTIRE house. Every cabinet in every bathroom, in the kitchen, our nightstands, every closet in every bedroom......EVERYTHING had been sorted through except this ONE box. I apparently boxed up some extra things from our desk (where I could have sworn those taxes would be!!!!) and put them in our closet. Too bad I didnt remember that :)
I havent even looked in the envelope yet but hopefully everything we need is there. Im so, so, so thankful!!!!
now......since we are 95% packed up.....where did I put those IRS instructions on how to reply to their "examination"....hmmmmmmm......... :)
It was *literally* the last thing to go through in this ENTIRE house. Every cabinet in every bathroom, in the kitchen, our nightstands, every closet in every bedroom......EVERYTHING had been sorted through except this ONE box. I apparently boxed up some extra things from our desk (where I could have sworn those taxes would be!!!!) and put them in our closet. Too bad I didnt remember that :)
I havent even looked in the envelope yet but hopefully everything we need is there. Im so, so, so thankful!!!!
now......since we are 95% packed up.....where did I put those IRS instructions on how to reply to their "examination"....hmmmmmmm......... :)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Moving in 3 days!!!
Its been a week since I posted - a very busy week. We have accomplished a lot and we are down to all the little things. I HATE all the little stuff - the junk you have to weed through, the pieces you find to sets of toys that are already packed, random things that dont fit into a nice category, etc. Just the thought of it gives me anxiety LOL.
My closet is half-done and the garage is nearly done as well. We are close. Steve is now off for several days (5 I think) so we'll be working hard the next two days to get all the details finalized.
We've sold several things we wanted to (couch, fridge, etc) that dont fit into our new house. It feels so good to downsize. At first it was really easy as far as the clothes and toys, dishes, etc. Its gotten harder as Ive gotten more and more tired. But we are excited to live more simply - to have less to take care of and be closer to the kids so they can get in less trouble at naptime and bedtime :)
Im 34 weeks pregnant today. I made it this far without any major issues and I am so thankful. Im having some pretty bad sciatica issues all of the sudden (hmmm wonder why?!) but Ive found a wonderful, wonderful chiropractor that I started seeing today. I love her already (she is coming in on Sat morning of a holiday weekend to adjust me and gave me a hug when I left - love her!) . Im trying to do what I can but still be very gentle to my body....easier said than done!
The kids are doing great through all of this. They played for hours in the empty boxes today and are generally well-entertained (thank you Lord!) We are hoping they all adjust quickly at the new place.
This will be my last post for awhile since we will go offline tomorrow or Saturday. Ill definitely be back to share all the details of the move and the improvements we hope to make on the new house! :)
Pray for us Sun as the guys pack the Uhual and Mon as we hang out all day with it, waiting to close on the house.
Oh and HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET JAYNA (on Tues July 8th) :)
My closet is half-done and the garage is nearly done as well. We are close. Steve is now off for several days (5 I think) so we'll be working hard the next two days to get all the details finalized.
We've sold several things we wanted to (couch, fridge, etc) that dont fit into our new house. It feels so good to downsize. At first it was really easy as far as the clothes and toys, dishes, etc. Its gotten harder as Ive gotten more and more tired. But we are excited to live more simply - to have less to take care of and be closer to the kids so they can get in less trouble at naptime and bedtime :)
Im 34 weeks pregnant today. I made it this far without any major issues and I am so thankful. Im having some pretty bad sciatica issues all of the sudden (hmmm wonder why?!) but Ive found a wonderful, wonderful chiropractor that I started seeing today. I love her already (she is coming in on Sat morning of a holiday weekend to adjust me and gave me a hug when I left - love her!) . Im trying to do what I can but still be very gentle to my body....easier said than done!
The kids are doing great through all of this. They played for hours in the empty boxes today and are generally well-entertained (thank you Lord!) We are hoping they all adjust quickly at the new place.
This will be my last post for awhile since we will go offline tomorrow or Saturday. Ill definitely be back to share all the details of the move and the improvements we hope to make on the new house! :)
Pray for us Sun as the guys pack the Uhual and Mon as we hang out all day with it, waiting to close on the house.
Oh and HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET JAYNA (on Tues July 8th) :)
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