A Girl's Room

 

As soon as we go and buy our princess a mattress, I will begin the decorating process in her room.
I already have a few things. We did buy her a bed. It is fabulously shabby pink. Not what I had in mind but couldn't resist when I saw it and the price. We actually bought a pair of them as they were on craigslist and very affordable and we didn't know whether or not the new baby was a boy or girl. Obviously we will not be needing the second but I have contemplated using it as a guest bed for when she has friends over.However, her room is very small so I will have to see how much room is in there once we actually get the bed set up.

I also have some really adorable pictures that I have been wanting to hang her wall. Plus a couple of embroidery patterns that I hope to use and frame. I also have her bedding, well, most of it. and I found a couple of tutorials on some pillows I would like to make.

I know what I want in my head but I have trouble actually getting it into real life. So I looked online and got some ideas.


I found this on Country Living. It's beautiful and has the old fashioned/shabby/white look I love.
But our bedrooms don't have wood floors, they have a very light carpet so I am thinking that it may be too white for our house. Plus we don't have the architecture, hers is a simple square room.



This is also from Country Living. I love this room. I really like the wall hangings in the background. And it is similar colors to avril's room. The doll on the bed adds a lot to this room in my mind.


Another white room. With wood floor. What strikes me about this room is the bedding. I love the bedding. Almost exactly what I am envisioning.



A cute, inexpensive wall decoration. Vintage sewing pattern envelopes in frames. Love it.




Love the baskets. And love the simplicity of the shelves.



I am drawn to buntings for some reason. Really like the heart one draped on the bed. Only I am thinking linen and vintage lace instead of gingham. Also like the baskets under the bed idea. Great way to separate and store toys/shoes/etc. And the horse pull toy is something I would love for my boys' room.But that post is for another day. Like two or three years from now!




One of the pillows I plan on making.

The other is an embroidered one. I can't get a picture.

I also want to embroider a canvas with a Scripture on it to hang on the wall.
Sort of like this one: http://jonesdesigncompany.com/create/embroidered-wallhanging-tutorial/

I also really like the idea of putting an armoir in her room for more storage.
Sort of like one of these:




That's all I have time for right now. I have a few other ideas but I am not sure what will work and what won't. I will be sure to post before and after pictures whatever I decide to do.

Ten on Tuesday

1) We are in potty-training boot camp this week. I told Avril she no longer gets to wear diapers except at nap and bedtime. So far we have had one pee accident and three poopy under wears. ugh. I think it's safe to say she pretty much has the peeing thing down but we have a ways to go on the other. It's going to be scary going places for a while. I will need to remember multiple changes of clothes and her pee-mats for the car seat and other people's furniture. The plus side is that she hates going in her underwear. It is very traumatic for her each time. I think this will ultimately be to our advantage. The biggest downside: she has been taking her diaper off and peeing all over her bed at bedtime. I think this may be resolved when we finally get her a mattress and get her out of the crib. Then she can come tell me when she has to go instead of trying to take care of it herself.

2) I have finally started on the major cleaning/organizing project that is my house. We had Jay's sister and her 3 boys for a week so it sort of got postponed. But yesterday I got the bathroom done. Yay! Honestly it was one of the easiest rooms as I have kept it fairly organized so all that was needed was a good thorough cleaning. Today is the living room. It should be relatively easy as well. The real work will be when I start decorating.

3) Jay and I have a thing. We argue over whether or not the words I say are real words. He tells me quite often that I am making up a word and follows it with, "What does that even mean?"
Last night I was was saying something about the Holy Spirit niggling at my conscience for an attitude I was having about something. I was telling Jay that I was being quite effective at ignoring it but then it started to really niggle at me last night. I was informed that the word I was looking for was "nagging".
So I Googled it.

niggle/niggling
verb: cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety

HA!

Another word that has been the source of much debate is; wooler.
I use it when I say things like, "Don't wooler around so much. Sit still."
Jay insists that I mean wallow or waller.
So I Googled it.

wooler
noun: a domestic animal raised for its wool

Oops.

So: Heidi-1
      Jason-1

4) I have been working on putting together my photo-a-day book from 2011 so I can have it printed. Man it's a lot of work. I am going to do this year's as I post on the blog. It is much easier. As long as I remember how much work it is to do a whole year all together I shouldn't lose my motivation. =)

5) The church ladies are starting another Bible study in February. I am really excited about it. It will be different as it is in the evening instead of in the morning. I really enjoy the morning studies as they help me through my day but it will be nice to leave the kids with Jay for the evening one.
I know that I focus much more on my Lord when I have a regular Bible study. They have a work book so it keeps me accountable during the week as well.

6) This pregnancy has been the easiest on me so far. And I am loving it. I don't feel as crabby this time around and that is a huge improvement over the others. I am starting to feel it in my back and hips but other than that I feel great. The weight gain is never fun for me simply because I really struggle with getting weight off. Jay is becoming convinced I have an imbalance or something. After seeing the blood specialist a couple of weeks ago I stopped taking my iodine supplement. She was convinced I was most likely getting too much. It may have helped some.

7) Lunch is getting harder for me with time. Non-dairy lunches are hard. Plus we don't buy very many prepackaged snacks so then it's even more difficult. Breakfast is also becoming monotonous to my children. We don't buy much cereal and no pop tarts or pastries so they often get oatmeal or toast. One of my goals this week is to look into some new lunch & breakfast ideas and then go grocery shopping! We need some produce, we go through fruits & veggies like water around here & like I said, we don't buy a lot of canned/prepackaged stuff. I am open to suggestions.

8) Another goal I have is to start getting dressed every day. Normally I look the same when Jay gets home from work as I did when I rolled out of bed in the morning. Sweats, no makeup, hair messy or thrown back, stained t-shirt. You know, the "mom" look. Well, I don't care for it. I feel icky and ugly and I seem to accomplish much less when I don't "get ready" for my day. It also makes impromptu trips to the post office or town a lot more difficult and I get things sprung on me with my husband's work schedule. For example, "Honey, I am not gonna make it to the DMV to get that such-&-so registered. Can you go do it for me?" I get this call at 3:54 pm and the DMV is closed by 5:00. And I have to make myself presentable, get the kids in their coats & boots, load them in the car, run to UPS to grab the paperwork, and get back to the DMV before 5:00. All in the middle of trying to cook dinner. Suffice it to say, it's much easier if I am ready for the day. I can just load up and go. It's that or find some really killer looking sweatpants and a mask.

9) Jay bought a new snowmobile last week. he took it out both days this weekend. I think he likes it. I am excited for him as he has not be able to go yet this season but it is definitely bittersweet for me. I get to see my husband enjoy himself instead of working non-stop but I lose him on weekends as well as during the week. There are times that I wish his hobbies didn't have to keep him away from us all the time. There are times when I wish that he didn't have to work 10-12 hour days 5 days a week and then come home and plow & shovel and do vehicle maintenance. I am very grateful for the life we have. I just wish the days were six hours longer!

10) We still haven't chosen a name for our littlest guy. In fact, we haven't really talked about it. Jay doesn't feel the need to name him until he's born. I do. None of the names strike me as the "right" name. So I have been praying about it. I guess he will have a name eventually. It is still 15 weeks until my due date so there is time.

Names

I have been asked a lot about names for our newest little guy. I know what I would choose but my sweet hubby seems to act as a brick wall when it comes to naming our children. If I had my way completely, with no opposition, his name would be:

Emery Leighton

But my husband has made it very clear that he will never have a son named Emery. And since I do not plan on having a son with anyone else I guess I have to let it go.

Names we would both consider are:

Rhett
Langley
Leighton
Maddox
Corbin
Roarke
Titus

Jay's favorites are Rhett and Corbin. Rhett means ardent. Which is translated to : hot; fiery; passionate. The idea of naming my child something with that meaning feels like I am shooting myself in the foot and begging for a difficult baby.

Corbin means: a gift devoted to God. Ahhhh, that's more like it.

My favorites off the list are probably Leighton and Maddox. Neither one has a spectacular meaning. Leighton is something to do with the farmer that lives at the end of a long meadow. And Maddox is of a similar nature.

Jay says that he would probably choose Corbin out of all of the names but that would mean I could not have my favorite which is Leighton. Corbin Leighton just sounds retarded.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

I asked today, "If I give up the name Leighton for Corbin, can I have Emery for his middle name?"

To which he said, "Oh man, I don't know."

To which I said, " I think it's the only way I can give up Leighton. Plus Corbin means: a gift devoted to God. And Emery means: industrious leader. So he would have pretty killer meaning to his name."

He answered, "That's true. I guess I could live with that."

I almost squealed. Until he said, "Don't go announcing it. It hasn't been decided."

I told him that I realize it's not set in stone but that when people ask I am going to tell them what we're thinking. He said that was fine.

So we're thinking: Corbin Emery. And as a side note, it hasn't been decided. *wink*


To whom it may concern:

If we do by chance stick with that name, I would like you all to know that if you are ever tempted, even in the smallest way, for the most minute period of time, to ever, EVER call him Cory...

I am hear to tell you that you must have a death wish.

Understand?

Adam

Seven years old today.

Today is Adam's birthday. Although that makes it significant in and of itself, it also marks the day I became a mother. Adam gets the priveledge of being the child who turned us into parents and that makes today a little different than the other kids' birthdays. It was only seven years and one day ago that I had no idea what it was like to have a baby or be a mommy or see my hubby be a daddy. What was unimaginable then has now become the norm. Normal but never ordinary. Always extraordinary.
Praise God for allowing us to be parents!

A little about Adam as he turns seven:

Adam is completely full of energy. If he has nothing to do he will exert his energy by annoying his siblings.
Adam is cheerful for the most part these days.
Adam loves to eat. Sugar mostly but will accept almost all food.
Adam is funny.
He likes to hear stories and jokes.
He is an amazing reader.
He is amazing at math.
He is still a talker.
He still has a love for all things with engines or motors.
He loves driving around on the 4-wheeler. And he's good at it too.
He has lost two teeth in the last year and 3 more loose ones.
He is starting to use big words like: literally or randomly.
He has a new found love for Legos this year.
Riding his bike is a favorite hobby.
Adam still sleeps with his teddy bear. Although he is fine without it.
He has learned to tell time on any clock.
He has graduated from baths to showers.
He is becoming much more helpful around the house.
He loves getting firewood with Daddy.
He is starting to feel better about doing school. His attitude has improved by leaps and bounds.
He has a tendency to be selfish but is learning to be otherwise.
He enjoys helping in the kitchen.
He is a go-getter like his daddy.
He still has smokey blue eyes.
He still has an impish little grin that tickles my insides.
he still has a light spattering of freckles across his nose that I hope never disappear.
His favorite toys include anything pertaining to Star Wars.
His most loved movie is Cars 2.

For his birthday breakfast he requested cinnamon bread, toasted with butter.
For lunch: chicken nuggets, broccoli, & apples.
For dinner: bean soup & cornbread muffins.

Favorite snack: tortilla chips & salsa
Favorite drink: orange juice
Favorite cookie: molasses
Favorite dinner: bean soup & cornbread
Favorite place to go: Texas Roadhouse
Best Friend: Camden & Kaelon

A few nights ago adam was in the shower while Daddy was helping the other kids brush their teeth. Adam wanted to tell Daddy a joke he made up. It went like this:
"Why did the frog's hands stick together when he prayed?"
"Why, Adam?"
"Because they were sticky."
We laughed so hard. Not because the joke was funny but because it was so un-funny and so obvious. But he thought of it himself and we got quite the chuckle.

Adam,

 I cannot believe that you are getting so big. I wish that I could bottle up these times and keep a part of them for rainy days. But time marches on so steadily and quickly and soon you will be all grown up. Of course those days will bring more happy times and memories for us to share.
 I want you to know you are loved. And that you are so special. If there is one thing in life I pray you will truly grasp, it is the love and gift of our Savior. Nothing compares to knowing Him and loving Him and I want you to experience that yourself. Don't ever forget what we have taught you.
 The second thing I want you to know is that you mean so much to us. We love you in a way that we love few others. And though we love your brothers and sister just as much, you hold a special place because you were our first.

Happy Birthday Taiter!

Love,

Mommy

10 0n Tuesday New Year Style

Well another holiday season and another year behind us. I think everybody tends to look back and reflect on the past year. I know I do anyhow. Even though I reflect, I have pretty much given up on New Year's resolutions. As I have heard so many people say(mostly my hubby), if you have something to change, just change it. Don't wait for a new week, a new month, a new year. And while I think that is very good advice I still can't help but want to start fresh on some things when January 1st rolls around.
So this year I will once again resolve to do things differently. Some things I started doing before the new year began. Others had no choice but to wait. And still others I simply was too lazy to start during the holidays. So here are some things that are going to be different around here.

1) Probably first on the list is devotions. Although I do pray and read my Bible, it has been sporatic at best lately and I strongly desire for this to change. I feel the urge to spend that time with my Savior. And I am purely selfish about it too. I do not want interruptions.

2) Which brings me to number 2. Go to bed earlier and get up earlier. Sleeping in has never been this much of a problem for me before. I want to blame it on the fact that I am pregnant only that it is the fourth time I have been so and this was not such a problem the last three times. My only conclusion is simply that I am in the habit of a midnight bedtime and a 7-7:30 wake up time. I feel behind before I even climb out from between the sheets.

3) Get my daughter fully potty trained. She does really well when I do really well. I think I could have her wetting on the potty 100% within a week. The "other" will take a little more work as she tends to hide when she does this and then come tell me afterward.

4) Next up is the exercise thing. I think it is everybody's new year resolution. Or some form of it anyway. I actually started this about a month ago. I walk for 45 minutes five days a week. I would like to add to this as time goes by. For now I will probably stick to the walking as I am pregnant but after little guy arrives I want to start strength training and running some. I also have started watching my calorie/sugar intake. I have no desire to have another 10-pound plus baby. So I guess my goal would be to continue doing this and add to it throughout the year.

5) I also resolve to stop talking about it! This may actually be more important to me than doing it. I hear my kids say things sometimes that make me very ashamed over my obseesion with my size. Time to stop talking and start doing.

6) Plan ahead. I have been working on this for some time now. I am very slowly making progress. It's a time saver and more than that, it's a stress reducer.

7) Do more on my photo-a-day blog this year than last year. And remember to upload and date them the day of so I don't forget dates! I have no misled plans of doing it every single day, I've already missed two! Just to do more than last year.

8)  Finally de-clutter my house. This is sort of an annual thing for me. And I never seem to quite complete it. But this is definitely the year because I am going to have to in order to fit this baby into it! I have already determined that the month of January is the month of cleaning and organizing for this family. Other months will be used for finishing the school year and fixing/making things for baby.

9) Decorate my house. We have lived in this house for 4.5 years now and I have done very little decorating. I either can't decide what I want or can't afford what I want. But this year I am going to start. I finally have an idea of what I like and what is practical. I start in Avril's room.

10) Learn to sew. I don't mean clothes. I have seen a baby blanket and some burp cloths that I really want to make for the baby. And the best part, they have a tutorial! So I am going to dive in and try to make them. I also want to make Christmas stockings, dolls, a few other things that have caught my eye. So this is the year. I am going to do it! I will start with the blanket and burp rags.

There they are, my ten resolutions. And if I am honest I have another. That is to enjoy the little things. The things that typically go unnoticed or the things I brush aside because I don't have time. I want to embrace them this year and soak up every one of them. Because I know that some day I will miss the little things I have now. Especially the ones involviing my children.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!