Life Does Go On After Christmas

I set a goal for myself that I wanted to get another post up on this here blog by the end of January.  And here we are with just three hours to go and I am achieving said goal.

Clearly, I strive for greatness.

Most who know me in real life know that I call January "let down month."  It truly does stink.  If I had to rank the months from favorite to least favorite, January wouldn't even make the cut.  All the festivities are over, school is back in session, and while I once claimed I like love winter, I've come to realize I simply don't.  What I do love is the fall/winter season right up until real life resumes the day after Christmas break. And then?  Well, winter might as well be done.  Which is truly discouraging, since according to that thing we call an almanac, says that we have about another 10-11 weeks of winter left.

Hmph.  

Now, if we actually got a little snow, that could certainly change my perspective, but the weather here has been very, very mild and I don't see any snow in our near future.  Not that I am a meteorologist or anything.

So, here are just a few highlights from the last time I posted.....

As I mentioned awhile back, my awesome dad has been working on the top part of our "built-in" desk.  I'm getting SO excited.....it's getting so much closer to being done!

♥

At Peanut's school, we have to put in volunteer hours for each student enrolled.  Because I have a two year old and a hard working husband that works crazy hours, I didn't feel comfortable committing to things/activities at school with never knowing what the Hub's schedule would be and not knowing if I would have someone to watch the boy.  So.  I signed up to help with a fruit platter once a month for the weekly staff meetings.  It was something I could do completely from home and I could just drop off in the office.  (Side note:  I was totally hoping for the muffins portion {so much cheaper!}, but they only had need for the fruit platter, which I guess is how God wanted me to bless them, so there you have it!)

Well, despite all my ranting and raving about the month of January, ironically, out of the three fruit platters I did (September, October, and January--November and December aren't done because of the holidays), January ended up being both the prettiest and best tasting month!

♥

On New Year's Eve, I was reading the little brother's devotion to him before bed and it talked about being thankful for all the blessings from the past year.  I asked him what he was thankful for this year. I kid you not, he looked at me and whispered, "Money in my piggy bank."

ALEX P. KEATON.

I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried.

 ♥

We've had quite a few nice days in these last few weeks and so the kids were actually able to play outside.  The Peanut was all into her chalk drawings and the little brother was semi-interested in the chalk.  What he really liked was the small piece of bubble wrap I gave him to play with that was from a package I received that afternoon.  Yes, I know you aren't supposed to give small children pieces of plastic to play with.  #momfail


Peanut also got to have fun at her school's Family Fun Night this past Friday night.  She got to eat pizza, an ice cream sandwich, popcorn, and I even threw caution to the wind and let her get an orange soda instead of water.  Plus, she got to play in three bounce houses, get a balloon flower from the balloon animal artist, play the Plinko booth, shoot in a basketball shot competition, and walk in a cupcake walk.


Obviously, she was miserable the whole time.

♥

Daddy converted the little brother's crib and now he has a "big boy" bed.  He was just a little bit excited. He shows everyone who will watch how he can climb in and out "all by my-sef."  It's pretty cute.

Except when the 6 am wake up call comes running into our room.  #thatsnotcute

♥

My aunt and uncle got the Peanut a Lego set for Christmas.  WOW.  Had I known how enthralled she would be by them, I would have got her the set myself.  We did get her a very small set as soon as she was old enough (2.5-3 years ago?) and all she did with it was use the many pieces to "cook" with in her kitchen.  You know, sauteed Lego with a wine reduction?  I was less than impressed, because I knew the pieces were all going to wind up missing.  Anyhow, fast forward several years later and she hasn't stopped playing with it since Christmas.  Plus, she had some leftover birthday money and we let her buy another set off of Amazon.  Hours upon hours of entertainment, people!

And last but not least, I was getting all stressed about getting her Valentines done.  I was thinking they had to be done this week, but I guess I could use a calendar, because I actually had about two weeks to get them done.  Peanut filled out all the Valentines and I made the little pencil arrows to go with.  Thank you, Pinterest.  Once again.  Because we all know a Valentine is just a Valentine....unless we Pinterest it, right?  Yes, I realize I am part of the problem.

Our Mudroom that Isn't A Mudroom

When we moved back to Hometown nearly three (!!!) years ago, there were two projects I really wanted done.  This of course, was in addition to the cleaning, painting, and new carpet that needed to be installed prior to us even moving back in.  Ahem. 

The first item I really wanted was a "built in" computer desk in our family room area.  We have a three bedroom house and with the little brother on the way, we would no longer have a dedicated "office/computer room" and there was this perfect little alcove in our family room that would allow ample space for a nice big computer desk with plenty of room for the computer, printers, and all the computer/office related stuff.  My awesome parents got most of the desk done a little over a year and a half ago and it's just as gorgeous as I pictured in my head.  And rumor now has it they are starting on the top portion (shelving above the desk, complete with trim and cove molding) very soon.  As I said, the desk portion turned out beautifully and it has been more than functional for our every day needs, so please know I am not complaining at all! 

The second thing I wanted was a mudroom.  Don't we all, right?  Well, with our current house, the gorgeous mud "rooms" that you can find very easily on Google or Pinterest are pretty labor intensive if you plan to do it yourself.  Which we did/do.  (And we all know by now, that I use the term "we" very, very loosely, right?)  Plus, there are several other things we want to do with this tiny little space (put in a pocket door for the laundry room, which will involve moving TWO light switches to the other side of the door, not to mention ripping out all the drywall to install/reframe for the pocket door) and those things just aren't in the cards right now, with being both short on time and money.  So in the interest of making this space functional for our comings and goings, having it be somewhat temporary, and still aesthetically appealing and cost effective, the Hubs made this for me as my Christmas gift. 

This is our main entry point through our home.  We rarely, if ever, use our front door.  We go in and out through our garage door that is located in our laundry room.  The laundry room has space for a utility sink and in the sink alcove we have a clothes rack above the sink that we used at one point to hang clothes that needed to air dry, etc.  It was a nice little space for that.  Plus, the sink was there and we used it for stain treating clothes, cleaning muddy boots, and all those other things you use utility sinks for.  But somehow over the last year and a half, that rack has become a coat rack for us all and with that, we didn't really have easy access to our sink anymore, because coats were always hanging in the way.  Plus, when we were in a hurry (are you ever not as parents of littles?) taking all those coats down always knocked down the spray bottles on the sinks edge, so that was always fun.  Or not.

So now I have a nice little coat rack thanks to my mom's design (she did the same thing a few months back in their laundry room at their house) and Hubs hard work.  And as with the desk, rumor has it from Hubs that he would like to get the bench built in time for my birthday this spring!

That would be awfully nice, my dear.  Awfully, awfully nice. 




 

Dress Up for the Little Brother

When the Peanut turned two, my mom made a very impressive dress up box for the Peanut's birthday present. So this past June (ahem), when the little brother turned two, my mom required herself to follow suit in making him his very own dress box. Never mind the fact that the Peanut didn't really start using her dress up box (aside from the gaudy jewelry!) until about 18 months later--when she was about 3 1/2.

I told my mom as much when she was frantically trying to get his dress up box done just before his birthday, "Mom, Peanut didn't use the dress up stuff until she was nearly 4.  You've got some time...."  Her response should have been expected.  "Peanut got hers when she turned two.  He will get his when he turns two."

Well, okay then.  

Just as Peanut's dress up box was fit for a girl, his is just as masculine as her's is girly.  My mom stained his in a nice dark finish, very much like the finish on his furniture she refinished for him when I was pregnant with him.  She was going for a treasure chest look--which worked out well for this mama.  We ended up using the chest for the treasure hunt at the Peanut's pirate party in September!

And in the end, I guess the surprise is on me. I didn't account for the older sibling factor.  Peanut is there to show him the ropes in the art of all things dress up and make-believe.  She takes her role as teacher very seriously.  And he takes his role as apprentice even more seriously.  He can "fight a fire" like nobody's business.  He hammers away on things with the force of a grown man and he can give a patient "a shot" without a thought to their pain.

Yes, he definitely needs to work on his bedside manner, but he is all boy.  Indeed.


 

Another One Checked Off

Way back last summer, I posted some pictures after we were finally getting settled back into our home.  As I mentioned, there were lots of things that weren't quite finished, but they were definitely more than livable. 

Our computer desk was more than functional, but since we no longer had an "office" because of our bouncing baby boy, I wanted a computer desk that looked more like a built in--so it didn't look like an after thought.  You know, it was intended to be there all along.  Thanks, Pinterest.  

Anyhow, because I have some pretty awesome parents, they obliged and they made my ideas a reality.  My mom suggested we find an old wood desk on craigslist and take it apart and make it the custom desk I wanted.  Buying wood filing cabinets?  Expensive.  Building wood filing cabinets?  Way cheaper, but much more involved and requires a TON of time and effort.  So used it was. 

I don't have a before photo of what the wood desk looked like prior to the disassemblement.  Yes, I know, BLOGGER FAIL. However, to give you an idea, it was a dark wood roll top desk with filing cabinets on either side and a pencil drawer in the middle. 

I did think to take a before picture of the desk we were using prior.  It was basically two old metal filing cabinets (that I ended up selling on craigslist for $25 after we were done with them--can I just say I LOVE craigslist?) with a wood desk top across the top of the cabinets.  And it served it's purpose as a computer desk for me {eventually us} for 14 years. 

Anyhow, back to the custom built desk.  My parents used the wood filing cabinets from the craigslist desk and scrapped the rest.  My dad built the custom CPU cabinet on the left and the pencil drawer in the middle.  He added the false back so all those pesky cords were nice and hidden and my mom painted it bright white to match all the molding in the house.  She also played quality control.  Let's just say she has an eye for um, shortcuts, shall we say.

Oh, and for the record, I was totally cool with having a nice painted wood top of the desk, but my mom loves to go above and beyond.  It's her spiritual gift.  ;)  And I mean that in the most loving way.  Good enough is just good enough.  The end result should be fabulous. 

And the desk?  So it was.

My Christmas gift from my parents was finishing up the desk, complete with slab granite desk top.  They got the granite for cheap.  In fact, I think my mom said the custom cutting {rolled edge, computer cord hole in the back, etc.} was actually more than the granite itself!

And just this last week, Hubs finally got around to hanging all the cords in the back, so they weren't laying on the floor behind the false back.  Little Brother was a big help too, of course. 

Looks mighty fabulous, don't you think? 

Oh, and that very cool chair that just adds a ton of texture and visual interest? 

$10 at the Goodwill Dumpster.  

Tangled Birthday Party!

We have one more week of four and then our girl will be five.  Five.  I can't hardly believe it.  We had her party a week early this year (fantasy football draft complications--I know) and it's already over.  Now this next weekend, it will be just a quiet little gathering at home as we celebrate the day of her birth.  I can't believe we are already half way to ten.  A third of the way to fifteen, a quarter of the.....anyhow, you get the idea.  It's just amazing how time flies so fast. 

My mom took her to Disney on Ice last year and the Rapunzel braid was her choice souvenir.  Peanut was handed down the Tangled crown from her cousin, so score in both those departments. And funny enough, she didn't even wear either during the party.  Too busy having too much fun. 

I'm thinking this photo of Little Brother is gold for adolescence black mail. 

These senior picture poses......totally all on Peanut.  It's her new pose whenever the opportunity arises.  It makes me smile.

But, back to the party.  It was such fun!  I kind of totally convinced Peanut of the Tangled theme this year.  Okay, there was no arm twisting or anything illegal, but let's just say I totally talked up the fact that if we did a Tangled birthday party, we could light off sky lanterns.  And there was absolutely NO convincing needed after that.

And our girl loves Tangled.  She knows the songs by heart (except when she fills in the words with her own 'cause she can't remember) and she was deciding which boy at her party she would demand convince to play Eugene--AKA Flynn Rider--you know, so they could dance at the end.  Ahem.

That's our girl.  Because dancing =  getting married.

We did a nacho bar (complete with drippy, yummy, no real food whatsoever nacho cheese) and my wonderful mama made her always amazing fruit platter.  We had the standard cupcakes and ice cream and then because we were waiting for it to get dark for the lanterns, we also had a campfire at the end.  And no campfire is complete without s'mores.   So s'mores it was to close out the evening.

And lest you think I came up with all this stuff on my own, as I've said before, I can copy the heck off of someone elses ideas.  Thanks to Pinterest, there are no shortage of ideas.  Period.

Most of this stuff was very inexpensive thanks to the dollar store and Joanne's coupons and sales.  The cupcakes I made myself, the sign was from an old fence piece my parents had and paint I already had on hand, and the rest was just card stock, yarn, and a little creativity on the computer. 

Oh, and of course the sky lanterns.  They were a little pricey with the shipping (but quite honestly they really aren't terribly expensive in the grand scheme of things--I am just flat out cheap).  However, we do say NO a lot to our girl, just because we have such tight finances (we don't even have smart phones, people).  So when birthdays roll around, we do tend to indulge her a little.  And our Peanut is none the wiser--although she is a smart cookie and I am sure she will fully understand shortly.  But that is another post for another day. 

The sky lanterns worked just like they were supposed to.  Although we didn't let them go as they are designed to.  We tied them off with string, which the instructions say DO NOT DO.  Although we had a pretty wide open area to light them off in, my parent's neighbors have some big tall fir trees in the distance and we just felt it was way too much of a liability to let these lighted lanterns off on their own.  So that made the process a little more difficult than we anticipated and Hubs likened it to flying a flaming kite.  So that's fun.  I thanked Hubs more than once that evening for making my hair brained {Pinterest} ideas come to life.  I am always doing that.....coming up with some grand scheme and expecting my husband to figure out how to make it work.  Although my mom is the same way, so I know I come by it quite naturally.  And what's a girl with great ideas supposed to do? And we have to keep our husbands on their toes, yes? 

It was a great, fun day.  I got a little teary as we said goodbye to my mom and dad that evening.  Happy tears.....very much happy tears.   I am We are just so blessed.   We are so happy to be just minutes away from my parents and to have such a wonderful extended family and friends that are there for us.  I am so glad that Peanut and Little Brother have that, because you simply can't put a price on it.

Life is about relationships.  And you have to make the most of them. 

Next Up:  She starts her last year of preschool this Friday, where Miss Independent will become even more independent.

But I don't even know if that's possible.  



 

4 Months and a Pinterest Success!

I can't believe my sweet little boy is 4 months old today!  Where have these last three and half months gone?!?!  He is still nursing like a champ.  I don't know exactly how much he weighs at this point (his check up is next Tuesday), but I am guessing he is around 20 pounds.  He was just over 17 at his last appointment and that was about 5 weeks ago, so that is my best guestimate of where he is at currently.  He has started rolling over (front to back) and his index and middle fingers are his favorite to munch on.  Both hands.  At once.  Cutest little chubby fisted boy if I ever did say so myself! 

And my girl....she has become quite the writer.  When she started school early last month, asking her to write her name brought on melt downs of gargantuan proportions.  Now?  No big deal--like she's been doing it for years. 

I found the artwork idea on Pinterest.  Where else, right?  With our Peanut in school now, I knew I wanted to get that done as soon as possible.  And who am I kidding?  Have Hubs do it as soon as possible.  And the best part about it?--aside from the fact that I LOVE LOVE LOVE it? 

It was free. 

Had the frames, had the paint--just took some time to actually get it done.  But I am so glad I Hubs did it. 

But it was my idea.  ;)

My Mom is Awesome

When we announced "we" were pregnant last fall, I asked my mom to be on the lookout for some furniture for the baby's room.  She is a thrift shop junkie and has made turning trash into treasure an art form.

I do mean that in the utmost complimentary way.  Because I am not that talented. But I trust my mom completely because she has vision like you couldn't believe and she, well, to put it simply....

she ROCKS. 

Now, when I made this request to her, knowing we were going to be moving home and living with them for several months, she told me she would definitely be on the look out for some furniture, but she probably wasn't going to get anything just yet, because we had about another 8 months to find some stuff and she didn't want to deal with storing it. 

Fair enough. 

She called me about two weeks later and said she had found two dressers and a desk for a total of $30 and brought them home. 

Now, what was that about not wanting to store them?   I totally get it though.....in terms of getting second hand things, you have to strike while the iron is hot.  And she did. 

We still have to find a replacement handle on this one, but other than that, it looks amazing.  And it's a great height for a changing table.  At least for Hubs and I.  He's definitely tall and I am on the taller side as well, so it's perfect for the both of us. 

Well, I saved the best for last.  Because you think the changing table turned out good? 

Take a look at this transformation:

My aunt, who went shopping with my mom for these treasures, told me just this last weekend, that she simply did not see it.  She is a visionary as well, but she thought this piece was hopeless.  It was missing it's back and was scratched and dented to heck.  Plus, the finish needed to be completely redone.  My mom was intending to paint this piece, but after sanding it down and removing all the finish, she realized that the wood was actually really nice {we think it's cherry}.

Knobs refinished courtesy of  RustOleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. 

Amazing don't you think? 

Don't ya'all wish you had a mom like mine?


  

Nesting

Hubs had yesterday as one of his days off this week.  Which I just thought was amusing.....maybe his boss doesn't know that most babies aren't actually born on the "due date?"  No, I am sure he does, but I just thought it was funny regardless. 

Anyhow, Hubs spent the better part of yesterday trying to get our garage organized.

Remember this?  This was our garage about a month ago...

Well, he's mighty proud that he's got the mess down to this and we actually fit Manders (What? You don't name your vehicles?!?!??!)  in the garage once again!
 


And oh, yeah......I am just tickled as well! 

Is it possible that Daddies can feel the urge to nest too? 



 

Another Fun Day

We had another fun day today. 

Somehow, my hubby was blessed again (and even more so than just getting off early on Mother's Day) and he didn't have to work today.

We started the morning off with church and then we came home and Hubs mowed our lawn.  Although I wanted to head over to my parents sooner than later, the lawn was in much need of some TLC.  With moving and trying to get settled, the yard has been the last thing on our Hub's list, because indoor projects have been the top priority.  

In years past, I have tried to host Mother's Day/Father's Day celebrations, but this year, my Mom was such a blessing and offered to host a big family get together at their home instead.  It was so nice of my Mom (and Dad of course!)--I have been wearing myself out with trying to get settled and my cankles have taken on record breaking size.  It was very nice to make just one dish and not have to worry about hosting a lovely get together for everyone.  Bless their hearts--we had a wonderful, relaxing (read: I even took a nap on the lounge chair outside!) day!

I even got a chance to make these for both Hubs and my Dad.  I was really pleased at how they turned out. 

 A very fun, fairly inexpensive way to treat those special men in your life!  

I am feeling rather ambitious and I may even get up some other posts later this week!   That is of course, unless our little man decides to make his appearance.  So stay tuned.....