My ankles that is. And here I thought I'd be able to escape that nonsense this time around... no such luck. The last 3 days I've spent around 12-15 hours on my feet... basically sun up to sun down working on the house... we really want to finish all the big stuff before next weekend so that we can have a week or so to really enjoy Christmas once it's all completed... but that means lots of work, little rest, and falling into bed exhausted... only to wake up still exhausted and do it all over again. And why am I typing this at 3 in the afternoon? Because I took Lizzy home to nap, thinking I would nap too - but my brain is too wired thinking of all I should be getting done right now rather than just sleeping. *sigh*
Oh well, just thought I'd share. Sorry I haven't uploaded any pics lately. My belly is certainly huge lately... I *finally* bought a battery charger today, after searching my house 10x's over and still not finding my old one. So as soon as these charge I'll get a picture up... hopefully in the next couple days. Madeline has been rather patient with me lately... I can tell she's getting bigger as she's slowing down on the loop de loops and concentrating more on just shoving her feet between my ribs when she gets uncomfortable. Or maybe it's her way of saying "Hey! Get out of these paint fumes mommy! I'm feeling woozy in here!" Who knows. ;) She has the hiccups right now... lol it feels funny seeing my belly jump every few seconds. haha
Well I suppose I'm going to go try and lay down again... hopefully I can get a few minutes of shut eye before Liz wakes up and we get back to work. :) Anyone want to trade ankles? Mine need to be put on a shelf until they deswell. :P
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Hard At Work.
Well, as if this time of year isn't busy enough... we decided to take on a major move in 3 weeks. So Christmas will be on quite the budget but we're thrilled with the hope of finding a new home that we love. We spent yesterday ripping out carpet and painting. Today I got to go to Lowes and drop a couple hundred bucks on paint, outlet, outlet covers, more paint, more paint supplies, new registers for the AC, curtains, curtain rods (yes I purchased both from Lowes as I just wanted a plain and simple rod and taupe floor length curtain), blinds for the windows, etc. etc. And that's just for the dining room, kitchen and foyer... we haven't even started on the living room or bedrooms yet! Yikes! And we have to go back and pick out our counter tops here pretty soon... It's going to be a crazy time of year but we are truly grateful that this door opened for us. We're trying to enjoy each step and not feel overwhelmed. All the painting has to be done by Tuesday, then the garage get's cleaned out Tuesday afternoon, the pest guys are coming in to spray before we put the new carpet down just as an extra precaution, followed by the Electrician coming by to fix a couple things in the breaker box on Wednesday, then the hard wood floors go in on Thursday, followed by the new carpet on Saturday... *whew* After that we'll need to tile or hardwood the bathroom floors (i still haven't decided what I want in either bath) and then start on the light fixtures and bathroom countertops. Oooh and did I mention the kids bathroom has funky fishy wallpaper? Liz goes in there and just stares at it... *bangshead* all that has to come out some time next week so we can paint as well. In fact... now that I think about it, my BIL is coming over tomorrow to help finish pulling out the rest of the carpet and he hates painting so I may stick him on wallpaper duty if he doesn't mind... hmmmmm... is that mean? LOL I hate taking down wallpaper - my most recent escapades from February have taught me that it's a royal pain in the rear getting in there and scraping away at everything. Well anyways, that's one more thing that has to happen before we move in after Christmas. Our French Garden Doors on the back of the house will be installed the week between Christmas and New Years... gosh it's all so much! I'm going crazy thinking of all these details but I'm super excited as well. I sort of feel bad because Christmas is my favorite time of year. It's almost over and my brain just can't slow down long enough to truly enjoy it right now... I need to fix that. I love my Christmas tree, it sits right beside our nativity so as I type I've got the glow of the tree in the background and a manger scene in my corner vision... nothing beats this time of year. I really need to sit back and enjoy it more and let the house stuff just happen. I'm trying... I really am.
But hopefully by next weekend all this major stuff will be done and then we can settle in to a last week before Christmas to enjoy Elizabeth as this is the first time she's ever really been able to enjoy and understand Christmas.
Speaking of Lizzy... I just have to update... she is so precious to me. The last couple of days she's really started to sing more, her favorite song? Itsy Bitsy Spider! It's so cute to watch her sing all the words... she stumbles over the first few lines but then loves "WASH the SPIDER OUT!" then she'll go on and few more lines but always comes back to "wash the spider out" That's my girl! LOL Another thing that makes me smile is how much she loves prayer time. At night she'll often continue praying after we leave the room... I'll here her in there talking to Jesus "Bwess dweams... bwess mommy and daddy... tank you for minnie... " and on and on... it's heart melting and oh so precious to hear. I just love her sweet voice. Granted there are times when I wish she'd quiet down (most often in the car when I hear "mommy?" What? "Mommy!" What? "MOMMY?!" WHAT ELIZABETH?! "Airplane!" LOL an on and on and on and on and on and on and on.... lol her questions are never ending... and it's so funny if you're not paying 100% attention to her when she speaks she'll tilt my face toward her and say "Look at me!" Cracks us up. lol And to top it all off, she still loves to dance... but she's much less shy than she used to be. Turn on some music and no matter where we are this kid will start dancing all around. It's hilarious to watch, she's actually pretty good! You can tell they work on dancing in preschool as she has great rythym. LOL
Okay, so this is getting really long and I'm getting really sleepy so off I go. But that's my update for now. Lots going on, and not much time to chat or spend online, so my updates take place during nap time or waaaaay after bed time after I've sorted through Lowe's website and decided on what to do the next day on the house. LOL I still have some Christmas shopping to do too, so I better get on it or else I'll be shopping with all the men on Christmas Eve! ;)
But hopefully by next weekend all this major stuff will be done and then we can settle in to a last week before Christmas to enjoy Elizabeth as this is the first time she's ever really been able to enjoy and understand Christmas.
Speaking of Lizzy... I just have to update... she is so precious to me. The last couple of days she's really started to sing more, her favorite song? Itsy Bitsy Spider! It's so cute to watch her sing all the words... she stumbles over the first few lines but then loves "WASH the SPIDER OUT!" then she'll go on and few more lines but always comes back to "wash the spider out" That's my girl! LOL Another thing that makes me smile is how much she loves prayer time. At night she'll often continue praying after we leave the room... I'll here her in there talking to Jesus "Bwess dweams... bwess mommy and daddy... tank you for minnie... " and on and on... it's heart melting and oh so precious to hear. I just love her sweet voice. Granted there are times when I wish she'd quiet down (most often in the car when I hear "mommy?" What? "Mommy!" What? "MOMMY?!" WHAT ELIZABETH?! "Airplane!" LOL an on and on and on and on and on and on and on.... lol her questions are never ending... and it's so funny if you're not paying 100% attention to her when she speaks she'll tilt my face toward her and say "Look at me!" Cracks us up. lol And to top it all off, she still loves to dance... but she's much less shy than she used to be. Turn on some music and no matter where we are this kid will start dancing all around. It's hilarious to watch, she's actually pretty good! You can tell they work on dancing in preschool as she has great rythym. LOL
Okay, so this is getting really long and I'm getting really sleepy so off I go. But that's my update for now. Lots going on, and not much time to chat or spend online, so my updates take place during nap time or waaaaay after bed time after I've sorted through Lowe's website and decided on what to do the next day on the house. LOL I still have some Christmas shopping to do too, so I better get on it or else I'll be shopping with all the men on Christmas Eve! ;)
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
*Jitters*
Well whoever was praying for us... it WORKED! We aimed for the stars last night asking for everything we really wanted (while still being fair) and they agreed! To EVERYTHING! What's more we found out they want to sell it for signifigantly less than we thought they would. They just came right out and said this is what we need to walk away with, so instead of bargaining and all that jazz, if you're okay with XXX price then we're fine with walking away knowing we're selling it a bit under market. *swoon* WOW. They are so easy to work with!!! We sat for 2 hours going over every single detail so that there is no confusion or anything left worrying about... I had broken our Propsal down into 3 parts, and we managed to work through and get exactly what we wanted/needed on every single part. So amazing. God was definately watching over that deal. I prayed before we left - "If this is supposed to be... please let it be obvious." And boy was it ever!
So wow. We're moving. In 3 weeks. Right after Christmas, and we have a TON of work to do. Thankfully not as much as we budgeted as we had planned on them refusing to do a few of the things we mentioned... but nope - they agreed to all of them. So basically it's all the "little" stuff we need to do (new outlets, update GFI switches, replace a couple doors, paint the ENTIRE house including trim and ceilings, lay new/better flooring in bathrooms, kitchen and entry way.) But they're handling the big stuff, replacing the AC unit, putting all new carpet in the whole house (we get to pick what type/color), replacing the back door with french doors (it was an older style and has a badly fixed pane that was ugly), etc. Those are the big ticket items that would be hard for us to budget out - but fortunately they okayed everything with no problem.
Sooooo it'll be a tight Christmas this year. We'll be putting out a lot the next couple weeks (Paint alone is going to be really expensive as we decided to only use Kilz paint b/c it's guarenteed to kill an bacteria, seal off any smoke stains, etc. It's really really thick.... and almost twice as much as the usual brand paint I use at Lowes) But it's worth it to me to move into a house that smells brand new, new paint, floor, etc. It already had new appliances... but eventually we'll want to replace the countertops - they're rather cheap looking. However that can wait for now. We also don't *have* to but want to replace most of the lighting fixtures as they all look rather dated. (Eg: Master bath has hanging globes for lighting... SO not my taste. LOL) But again, it works and that's something we can tackle come January or February while I'm waiting for Madeline to make her entrance and going stir crazy.
The good part to all this painting is that I'm starting to get that whole Nesting thing going on anyways... I was planning on painting the playroom (or as I'm now calling it the playroom/Madeline's room) pink to match Maddy's bedding... and i wanted to repaint this current kitchen (if we were staying) as the color irritates me. (Which I just picked out back in February. *bangshead*) But now I get to start all over and pick out all new colors for everything! But did I? Haaha... nope. I picked out the same saige for the living room although I'm also going to use it in the diningroom and kitchen to make it uniform... pink for both girls rooms... however I think I might go with a different color for the master bedroom. Idk.
Anyway. Bottom line. We got the house - or at least, we all agreed that we got the house - I won't believe it until we have keys in our hands - but nonetheless... it's looking like it's all going to work out. :D And that makes me one happy mama!
So wow. We're moving. In 3 weeks. Right after Christmas, and we have a TON of work to do. Thankfully not as much as we budgeted as we had planned on them refusing to do a few of the things we mentioned... but nope - they agreed to all of them. So basically it's all the "little" stuff we need to do (new outlets, update GFI switches, replace a couple doors, paint the ENTIRE house including trim and ceilings, lay new/better flooring in bathrooms, kitchen and entry way.) But they're handling the big stuff, replacing the AC unit, putting all new carpet in the whole house (we get to pick what type/color), replacing the back door with french doors (it was an older style and has a badly fixed pane that was ugly), etc. Those are the big ticket items that would be hard for us to budget out - but fortunately they okayed everything with no problem.
Sooooo it'll be a tight Christmas this year. We'll be putting out a lot the next couple weeks (Paint alone is going to be really expensive as we decided to only use Kilz paint b/c it's guarenteed to kill an bacteria, seal off any smoke stains, etc. It's really really thick.... and almost twice as much as the usual brand paint I use at Lowes) But it's worth it to me to move into a house that smells brand new, new paint, floor, etc. It already had new appliances... but eventually we'll want to replace the countertops - they're rather cheap looking. However that can wait for now. We also don't *have* to but want to replace most of the lighting fixtures as they all look rather dated. (Eg: Master bath has hanging globes for lighting... SO not my taste. LOL) But again, it works and that's something we can tackle come January or February while I'm waiting for Madeline to make her entrance and going stir crazy.
The good part to all this painting is that I'm starting to get that whole Nesting thing going on anyways... I was planning on painting the playroom (or as I'm now calling it the playroom/Madeline's room) pink to match Maddy's bedding... and i wanted to repaint this current kitchen (if we were staying) as the color irritates me. (Which I just picked out back in February. *bangshead*) But now I get to start all over and pick out all new colors for everything! But did I? Haaha... nope. I picked out the same saige for the living room although I'm also going to use it in the diningroom and kitchen to make it uniform... pink for both girls rooms... however I think I might go with a different color for the master bedroom. Idk.
Anyway. Bottom line. We got the house - or at least, we all agreed that we got the house - I won't believe it until we have keys in our hands - but nonetheless... it's looking like it's all going to work out. :D And that makes me one happy mama!
Monday, December 3, 2007
New House. No Sleep.
Well last night stunk for sleep, somewhat because Madeline must have really taken a growth spurt lately as she has figured out how to put her little foot right between two ribs and PUSH... boy does that hurt! Liz would press against my ribs, but this gal feels like she's bustin them in two! Anyway... adding to that one of our house appointments went REALLY well. In fact... we have another meeting tonight in a couple hours to go over some details, and if it all works out - we'll gain a bathroom, and about 400 square feet, AND it'll be cheaper than where we live now! It has a garage, a huge back yard and backs up to a lake - OMG I'm so excited about this. Please pray that this all works out for us. If this house works out, we'll be able to put up our green houses and "officially" start our tree farm (it's a 3 year process) in the back yard as the house sits on over half an acre. And better yet... we're not moving out to the boonies! We thought the only way we'd be able to afford a half acre and house is to move WAY out, but upon further digging we might have found the perfect solution. Same city, still close to my mom and sis... and only an extra 5 minutes away from Lizzy's preschool! I *love* the layout of the house - the master bath is nice and big and the girls bedrooms are tucked away in the back of the house so that if we entertained, they could go to bed and never hear anyone in the main living area! Did I mention it has a garage? Huge plus for us. And a fireplace... and a two story living room with the old ceiling beams and a drop fan. The kitchen is smaller than our current one, but that doesn't bother me at all... our kitchen is too big for me to keep 100% clean all the time. Drives me nuts actually. LOL
Okay now the downside... it needs to be completely repainted and the garage is full of junk that will be coming with the home - so it'll take us a few weeks to get it up to shape before we can move in. And that's a bit depressing since we just went through that with THIS house... but the foundation issues here have proven to be too big to handle, so we're going to cut our losses and move on. This new house has a perfectly stable foundation (#1 priority at this point) If I wasn't pregnant and Lizzy was a little older we'd tackle the foundation stuff no problem, but it's causing some issues inside the house that none of us can handle right now - and with us getting ready to bring a new baby home in less than 3 months, I want her to come home into a comfortable home and be able to adjust without a major move in her very near future.
I hate to pick Lizzy up and move her again (this will be her 4th home in 2 years!) But it's necessary and we're hoping to be able to stay in this home until we get our land in Florida for phase 2 of the Tree Farm stuff.... which will be at least a couple years - and even then, we found a way that we may be able to handle the Florida farm from Charleston with a little extra work and then just visit several times a year to keep up with it. Which is a win win for everyone. :)
So anyway... if you're the praying sort - I'm asking for it! This house could potentially be a HUGE blessing for us, I'm so hoping it all works out. The couple selling are absolutely precious, we stayed and chatted with them for an hour past our appointment and they seemed to like us to, so I sure hope we can make this work! I'll know more later tonight... but just wanted to share. I couldn't even take a nap today - way too wired. (Although that probably stemmed more from the Mt. Dew I had at lunch as I just wasn't in a water mood.) LOL
I'll update as we know more later. :)
Okay now the downside... it needs to be completely repainted and the garage is full of junk that will be coming with the home - so it'll take us a few weeks to get it up to shape before we can move in. And that's a bit depressing since we just went through that with THIS house... but the foundation issues here have proven to be too big to handle, so we're going to cut our losses and move on. This new house has a perfectly stable foundation (#1 priority at this point) If I wasn't pregnant and Lizzy was a little older we'd tackle the foundation stuff no problem, but it's causing some issues inside the house that none of us can handle right now - and with us getting ready to bring a new baby home in less than 3 months, I want her to come home into a comfortable home and be able to adjust without a major move in her very near future.
I hate to pick Lizzy up and move her again (this will be her 4th home in 2 years!) But it's necessary and we're hoping to be able to stay in this home until we get our land in Florida for phase 2 of the Tree Farm stuff.... which will be at least a couple years - and even then, we found a way that we may be able to handle the Florida farm from Charleston with a little extra work and then just visit several times a year to keep up with it. Which is a win win for everyone. :)
So anyway... if you're the praying sort - I'm asking for it! This house could potentially be a HUGE blessing for us, I'm so hoping it all works out. The couple selling are absolutely precious, we stayed and chatted with them for an hour past our appointment and they seemed to like us to, so I sure hope we can make this work! I'll know more later tonight... but just wanted to share. I couldn't even take a nap today - way too wired. (Although that probably stemmed more from the Mt. Dew I had at lunch as I just wasn't in a water mood.) LOL
I'll update as we know more later. :)
Smiles.
Sometimes Jay is the biggest pain in my butt... and othertimes he's the best friend and lover I could ever hope for. I'm so glad we went through everything last year because it has changed our relationship in ways I could never imagine.
Anyway... I just wanted to have this to look back on... every day he text's me saying he loves me, is thankful for me, and is so glad I'm his... every day. No matter how I feel, he puts up with me... no matter how hormonal I am right now - he'll hug me, smile at me and kiss away my tears.
I'm blessed.
Anyway... I just wanted to have this to look back on... every day he text's me saying he loves me, is thankful for me, and is so glad I'm his... every day. No matter how I feel, he puts up with me... no matter how hormonal I am right now - he'll hug me, smile at me and kiss away my tears.
I'm blessed.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Fun Times!
Well tonight was interesting... after Jay got home and Lizzy woke up we all went downtown and saw the tree lighting! (Well, technically it was already lit since we got there late... but we got to see Marion Square all lit up!) Then we parked at Seth's fire station and met up with Ashley and Emery (Bryan rode with us downtown) and we all headed over to the Mellow Mushroom for super yummy pizza and pretzel bread! :D Chris joined us later and a good time was had by all... we took the long way back and walked through Marion Square where if you look directly at the big tree it'll burn your eyes it's so stinking bright! After that we went back to the fire station (Seth was on duty) and hung out for a bit... I got to see where the guys all bunk upstairs. Crazy how it all works out, but really neat too. I'm glad Jay's not a firefighter... I have all the respect in the world for those guys, but there is just no way I would be comfortable with my husband knowingly putting his life on the line - walking into dangerous situations - every day. *shivers* Those are some brave brave guys. (Although now that I think of it, my husband does risk his neck climbing 60 foot tree's on a daily basis...) LOL But still, something about walking directly into a fire just gives me goose bumps - and these guys do it all the time. Amazing.
Anyway, I'm exhausted but wanted to update. It was a fun night. :)
Anyway, I'm exhausted but wanted to update. It was a fun night. :)
December Already?!
Wow how time is passing! I couldn't believe it today when my little preggo ticker flipped to the 3rd to the last baby! WOW! According to my weekly emails, Madeline (yes for now I'm sticking with Madeline) is about 2 pounds and 14 inches long! Oooh how I can't wait to meet her! I've been feeling really well lately. Hormones are still crazy, but I'm adjusting. We made up our mind that we're going to sell this house and find a new one after the first of the year. The foundation issues are just too big for us to handle, so we'll take a loss and sell it cheap and start over fresh in something nicer. That's the plan anyways... sure hope there's something out there for us! We've got an appointment to go look at a house tomorrow at 3, it's more central to Charleston than where we live now, but it's also about 15 minutes away from mom's house and preschool, where we're merely a few streets away from both right now. We'll see.
Anyway... it's December! And that means picture time! Abbie (Photo's by Abbie) did Lizzy's pictures today. Gosh she was so amazing with her! I was impressed... she got liz to loosen up and smile a lot... and just have some fun. I cannot wait to see the proofs!!! Also, Ashley and Emery came out and Emery had her picture's taken too... Abbie even got a few shots of the girls together, which I'm super excited about. There may be a year between Liz and Emery but I can see them being great friends for a long time. Jay and I just adore Ashley and Seth, we all get along so well. Same (aka twisted) sense of humor, and such. And Liz loves Emery - as long as I'm not carrying Emery... then she get's insanely jealous. Boy does she have a suprise in store. LOL
So I got a new maternity shirt today with my Kohls cash. I was going to do some Christmas shopping for Jay but didn't see anything he'd wear - and I've already finished Lizzy... and my mom and MIL and those are the only other people that I'd buy clothes for... so I just found something for myself! It was a nice little splurge and the shirt is cute - I'll get a pic up soon. I need to go get a new battery charger from Walmart as I seem to have lost mine. (Thus no pictures lately.)
Oh and I think next weekend we're having family pics taken. Should be fun. :D I found a cream sweater at Target today for Liz, and my new shirt is cream as well... Jay has a heathered cream polo that looks good with his jeans so I think we may all wear those, jeans and cream shirts - brown shoes, etc for our family shots. My belly is REALLY pokin out these days. Although, Jacquie (this tiny little gal from small group) is due a week before me... and I will say that she's poking out just a tiny bit more than me. LOL We sat next to each other on the sofa last night and joked about our girls boxin each other through our belly's. ;)
I think we're going downtown tonight to the big tree lighting festival in downtown Charleston. I love going to holiday events... so fun! Jay's working so it'll depend on what time he get's home... Linda just left on a cruise for a week so no sitter for date night as my family is all in Ohio right now. Oh well. lol
Annnnway, I'm chatting now, and I'm super tired so I'm going to go catch a nap while my kiddo is passed out. Just wanted to share a short update... I'll post Lizzy's pics as soon as I get them! :D
Anyway... it's December! And that means picture time! Abbie (Photo's by Abbie) did Lizzy's pictures today. Gosh she was so amazing with her! I was impressed... she got liz to loosen up and smile a lot... and just have some fun. I cannot wait to see the proofs!!! Also, Ashley and Emery came out and Emery had her picture's taken too... Abbie even got a few shots of the girls together, which I'm super excited about. There may be a year between Liz and Emery but I can see them being great friends for a long time. Jay and I just adore Ashley and Seth, we all get along so well. Same (aka twisted) sense of humor, and such. And Liz loves Emery - as long as I'm not carrying Emery... then she get's insanely jealous. Boy does she have a suprise in store. LOL
So I got a new maternity shirt today with my Kohls cash. I was going to do some Christmas shopping for Jay but didn't see anything he'd wear - and I've already finished Lizzy... and my mom and MIL and those are the only other people that I'd buy clothes for... so I just found something for myself! It was a nice little splurge and the shirt is cute - I'll get a pic up soon. I need to go get a new battery charger from Walmart as I seem to have lost mine. (Thus no pictures lately.)
Oh and I think next weekend we're having family pics taken. Should be fun. :D I found a cream sweater at Target today for Liz, and my new shirt is cream as well... Jay has a heathered cream polo that looks good with his jeans so I think we may all wear those, jeans and cream shirts - brown shoes, etc for our family shots. My belly is REALLY pokin out these days. Although, Jacquie (this tiny little gal from small group) is due a week before me... and I will say that she's poking out just a tiny bit more than me. LOL We sat next to each other on the sofa last night and joked about our girls boxin each other through our belly's. ;)
I think we're going downtown tonight to the big tree lighting festival in downtown Charleston. I love going to holiday events... so fun! Jay's working so it'll depend on what time he get's home... Linda just left on a cruise for a week so no sitter for date night as my family is all in Ohio right now. Oh well. lol
Annnnway, I'm chatting now, and I'm super tired so I'm going to go catch a nap while my kiddo is passed out. Just wanted to share a short update... I'll post Lizzy's pics as soon as I get them! :D
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