Story Time with LO

Here's another little glimpse of my girl's hardcore reading prowess. I continue to be amazed at her mad skills. It's so hard to believe she'll be FIVE next month! She learns and improves so much with each story time every night! It's been a while since I've seen her choose a board book, especially this one, but she did a great job of reading and learning as she went through the book.

Hubs popped in to say good-night to my girl so I didn't get a chance to record her reading the entire story, so I've included a little synopsis of the book below the video for those of you with inquiring minds. ;)



Tree #1: Became the manger where Baby Jesus spent His first night on earth.
Tree #2: Became the fishing boat Jesus was on when He calmed the sea.
Tree #3: Became the cross.

Such a powerful story for children -- and adults, too! A definite must for every home library!

Today's To Do List

• Take the kids to see Madagascar 3

• Bake cinnamon rolls a la Pioneer Woman for our Bible Study group to enjoy Sunday morning

• Deliver homemade chocolate chip cookies to a dear friend

• Date night with hubs, including dinner and the theatre! 

What are YOU up to today?

The Big Reveal

Well, folks, almost 3 weeks after we started our backsplash, I'm finally ready to share the big reveal. There were lots of distractions over the past few weeks that kept us from focusing on getting this done, but believe you me: I am ECSTATIC to FINALLY have my kitchen back!

I don't have time to get into serious detail about the process of getting this done, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. :)

YAY for being DONE!!!

What's in My Amazon Shopping Cart??

One of my favorite food bloggers wrote a post today about what's in her Amazon shopping cart. I found it quite interesting to see what other foodies/moms/humans are pining for and decided to share a glimpse into my Amazon shopping cart (and/or Wish List) with you!

Here we go!

#1: Homes Styles Bordeaux Bakers Rack ($323.71) - This gorgeous bakers rack is the future home of my cookbook collection, a small lamp and maybe a little ivy plant of some sort, not to mention my tiny collection of "fancy glasses" and the wine bottles I use for cooking (not drinking). I'll stash some placemats and fabric napkins in those drawers, too. I have the perfect kitchen wall selected and have recently hung a family photo there so as to not stare at a blank wall that is screaming "Insert Bakers Rack Here!" every time I look at it. Patience, my dear self!

#2: Blumotion Hinge Adapter - 25 Pack ($77.49) - When we built the house, we didn't have the option to make any upgrades to the kitchen cabinets we selected. One of my must-haves (okay, so maybe "nice-to-haves") is these handy adapters that close your cabinet doors for you. ((Wow. I sound lazy.)) They just make it to where you can close the door and it won't ever slam -- it just closes with a soft, gentle close. Who wouldn't want such a thing?! And if we're being technical, we actually have 27 kitchen cabinets, but I'm thinking I can get by with this handy 25 pack. I rarely use the cabinets above the fridge anyway.

#3: Graviti Electric Salt & Pepper Mills ($39.95) - "Adding fresh-ground sea salt or pepper to food can be as effortless as a flip of the wrist. Invert these battery-operated mills over food, and their blades begin to whirl. Turn them upright, and the mechanisms shut off."

Such a fancy description (courtesy of Williams-Sonoma), but you get the gist. Me likey. And the fact that each one requires six (6) AAA batteries? Sort of astounding, huh?

#4: Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Hand Mixer with Storage Case ($71.33) - I don't always have the time nor the need to bust out my Kitchen-Aid for heavy-duty baking, so it'd be nice to have a high-power hand-held that I can rely on. I love how cute this one is (priorities, right?) and the ingenious storage case is a bonus, too! And of course we can all agree Cuisinart is a quality brand when it comes to kitchen appliances.

#5: All-Clad 3-Piece Canister Storage Set ($100.93) - Okay, I have to confess -- these kickin' canisters are no longer in my shopping cart. They're in a UPS box being Amazon Primed straight up to my door, arriving on Friday. I've been eyeing these for quite some time, and I finally decided to give in and pay a premium for pretty storage for my flour, sugar and brown sugar. I'd like to consider a second set for powdered sugar, chocolate chips and cocoa, but I don't think I could get hubs on board with that idea. I can't wait to see these beauties sitting on my kitchen counter! Now I'm thinking I ought to search for a set of All-Clad pots & pans to match!

#6: Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving ($19.77) - I think the crazy-long title says it all, right? If my passion involves a lot of baking (and sampling, of course!), it just makes sense to find "healthier" dessert recipes to try out. I'm a big fan of Nick Malgieri's work (his Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from this book are TASTY!) so I'm sure this cookbook would be a valuable addition to my collection.

#7: They're Real! Mascara ($22.00) - I'm always on the hunt for an amazing mascara, and this is one I have yet to try. The reviews are pretty mixed -- some say it's the best while others claim it's no better than some random drugstore brands. I'd like to see for myself!

For those of you who made it this far, let me just say that I am desperate to share some pics of our kitchen backsplash!! However, we just (finally) grouted it a few days ago, which means we just now (yesterday) caulked it and we still need to seal the grout and replace the outlet covers. Until those tiny little remaining tasks are complete, I'm not ready to share the big reveal. Just know that it is in fact GORGEOUS. And I do love it dearly. And I'm beyond stoked to share it with you!

Another Backsplash Update

Could someone please tell me what crazy pills I was under the influence of when I thought I would actually be posting completed backsplash photos on Monday!? What was I possibly thinking?! As I mentioned in my update yesterday, we made some progress over the weekend but we in no way came close to finishing the project. And unfortunately, yesterday passed us by without much progress. So today I took out the spacers and removed the spots of mastic (tile glue) from the tiles so {fingers crossed} it will be ready for grout tonight! The tough thing is that I had to work last night, I work tonight and again Friday night, so as you might imagine it's pretty difficult for hubs to do anything productive with the two littles requiring constant attention/supervision.

((sigh))

So I'm guessing our big reveal is still a few days away. I'm so sorry for the delay, but I will tell you it's looking amazing and I am so in love with it!! I can't wait to show it off! :)

Backsplash Update

Good Monday morning! I hope everyone had a lovely, restful weekend! I wish I could say that we did, but we were busy working on our backsplash!!! WOOT!

We got a late start on Saturday (can you say 2PM!?) due to morning obligations, and it was a VERY slow start (had to make sure everything was perfect, of course!). But once we got into a rhythm (hubs cutting tiles and me installing them), things started to move along pretty quickly. We worked for about 4 hours, then took the kids out for dinner (since my kitchen was in shambles).

Sunday morning we went to church, where LO performed in her first-ever children's musical. The kids led worship and then did a few songs on their own. How cute is she??

After lunch we let the kids play outside for a bit. Don't ya love hubs' homemade water park? The kids sure did!

Once nap time rolled around, it was time to get back to work! We resumed our teamwork approach of hubs cutting tiles and me installing them. Things seemed to move a bit slower Sunday afternoon -- possibly due to the fact that we were working with smaller sections of tiles (and it didn't help that I broke one, too!). We took a quick dinner break with the kids and didn't finish up with the tiling until after dark. We were able to get all of the tile installed, with the exception of the quarter round pieces to finish up the edges.

I'm really loving the look of our backsplash, but I'm gonna wait until I can do a complete "Before/After" post to show you the finished product. We still have to install the quarter round, grout the tile (hopefully today), and caulk the countertop and under cabinet seams and reinstall the outlet plates before we can call it done. I can't wait to share the big reveal with you guys once my beautiful backsplash is complete!!! :)

Closing Time!

It's closing time! We're closing on our old house today. It's hard to believe in this market that we were able to get an offer about 2 weeks after we listed our home, which we accepted. Once all the inspections were done and the (thankfully) minimal fixes were completed, the big day was scheduled... and the big day is HERE!

I'm so grateful we were able to sell so quickly. And rightfully so! Our old home was in immaculate condition. My husband is so OCD about stuff there's just no way he would've let anything in that house fall apart. ;) The new owner of our home has a wonderful place that I'm sure will be so very special to her! It saw me through singlehood, marriage and the birth of two children... we've got a lot of memories there and it's definitely sentimental to officially let go of it for good.

As such, I took the kids by there yesterday to get some final pictures of the house. Here are a few from our iPhone photo shoot. ;)

The tiny little deck that hubs built.

My big kids!

Hug like you mean it!

Don't hurt your brother! LOL!

Goodbye, sweet home.

On a totally related note, is it weird that I've left a card and housewarming gift inside the house for the new owner? I'm thinking it's not weird, but I did get some funny looks from hubs when I explained what I was doing. I know at the end of the day it's just a financial transaction, but I can't help but attach some emotion to it, too.

Eager Anticipation

I am beyond excited for this Saturday.

Why, you ask?

This Saturday is {FINALLY} BACKSPLASH DAY!!!

It's the day I've been waiting for since before we moved into our new home... The day we install the gorgeous 24x8 porcelain tile backsplash I selected! I feel like I've waited for this day my whole life!!! Haha!

Sample kitchen with Porcellana tile in Cachemire by Casa dolce casa 

These oversized stacked porcelain tiles will be the perfect compliment to my GE Cafe' series range and microwave. They will accent my granite countertops effortlessly and will just plain make me grin with giddiness each time I walk into MY kitchen. Wooooot!!!

Assuming the installation goes well, I'll post some hopefully {AMAZING} pictures on Monday!

SO!
EXCITED!!

Mother's Day Tea Party

What a wonderful blessing it was for me to spend my morning at LO's school for her class Mother's Day Tea Party. The tiny tables and chairs were decorated so special, and the kids served their mommies a dainty breakfast snack and tea. They even cleared our plates for us! So sweet!

One of the things I loved most was a paper titled, "My Mom." The kids all answered questions about their mommies and the teacher filled it in for them. Take a look at mine below... LO almost nailed my age, and was quite generous with both my height and weight! I love that "My Mom's favorite food is..." spaghetti with meatballs and stuff. Haha! Her answer to the TV program question cracked me up, and I love her explanation of my "free time." Looks like I need to have a little chat with her that I'm sad when she doesn't listen, but that doesn't mean I'm mad at her. Such a sweet treasure this is!

The kids all drew pictures of their moms, too. I got to guess which one was LO's, and I could tell right off the bat. She tends to draw big heads on her people. Haha! I'm really digging the coat of many colors she's got me in!

Another sweet keepsake was a little Mother's Day flower in the cutest little pot! She drew flowers, birds, butterflies and a sun. It's beautiful!

It wouldn't be a Mother's Day program without some singing! LO's class sang several songs, but this one was by far my favorite! Enjoy! :)



Posted from my beloved iPhone

Cardiology Appointment

I am so very blessed to share that this sweet boy of mine had a GREAT cardiology appointment today!


He handled his saturation check, four-limb pressures and echo like a champ!!


The best part is that we're not due back for another SIX MONTHS!!!

Yay, Chase!!!

He was right at 30 lbs. and his surgeon wants him at 33 lbs. for his final scheduled surgery, the Fontan, so we're looking at 2013 at the earliest! Unless things change, of course, and we know with super awesome heart kiddos that is always a possibility. But for now, I will continue to be so overwhelmingly grateful for the great report and continue to love the crap out of this kid! He is beyond amazing and I am unimaginably blessed to be his mama!!!


Posted from my beloved iPhone

Unbearable Cuteness!

Have you ever seen anything as unbearably cute as this!?

It's LO's t-ball pic and I love it! I can hardly stand how grown up this kid is. She'll be 5 in two months. Where has the time gone!?

Checking In...

Well hello! Sorry it's been a bit since my last post. Blame all the wall cleaning following the great poo incident of 2012! Haha! In my sweet boy's defense, I would like to share that later that afternoon, my little guy crawled up next to me on the couch and took a little nap with me. It was fantastic!!! I can't even count on one finger how many times that's happened since my boy got so big. It was like he was silently saying, "I'm sorry for smearing poo all over my walls, window and blinds, Mommy!" Such a sweetheart.

As you might imagine, we've been staying pretty busy around here. We had a fun trip to the zoo last week with LO's class. Of course I took some pics of my little crazies...

Another thing keeping us busy is t-ball! LO loves playing and is actually pretty good! She definitely has some athlete in her! Here are some more pics...

It's safe to say that we're STILL settling into the house and there are STILL a zillion things to do. We did make a trip to IKEA last week to pick up a few things, mostly for the play area. I nabbed that funky rug and a great kids' table with stools. We also got a nifty bookcase for the office and a few other little things. I can't say enough how overwhelming this process is! We are so very blessed to have a new home, but goodness! It sure does require a lot of time and energy (and money!) to get it "just right." It's a work in progress and I have no doubt it'll take quite awhile before we finish all the projects on our list.

Oh! Have I mentioned that we received an offer on our old house? It was on the market for less than 2 weeks and we accepted the first offer we got! We're in the process of dealing with little fixes n' stuff following the inspection, but I'm hopeful we'll have this thing sold by the end of May. Woot!!! :)

The One with the Poo

WARNING: This post is about poo. Continue at your own discretion.

---

Chase came into our bedroom and woke me up around 4:30 AM this morning. I took him back to his room, tucked him back into bed, turned his lullaby music back on, and went back to bed.

He then came back into our room around 7:00 AM, and I told him to go read books in the play area until Mommy got up.

He played in the play area for about 15 minutes before he proceeded to go into his sister's room to wake her up.

Lovely.

So I sent them both downstairs to watch PBS until I came down to make breakfast. One brief siesta later, and I was making my way downstairs to start the day. I made some pancakes for the kids, enjoyed my bagel and then started cleaning up a bit.

About 30 minutes later, I told LO to get dressed and headed into Chase's room to grab his clothes for the day. I was NOT expecting to be greeted by the following scene:

((this is totally grody to the max... consider yourself warned!))

You can't see just how smeared on this mess was all over the window and blinds. Just imagine it, shall you?

Oh.Em.Gee.

Poo. Everywhere. On the walls. In the carpet. On his bedding. All over the window. On the blinds -- slats, bottom rail and even the strings.

Are you kidding me!?

((gag))

After the initial shock wore off, I called hubs upstairs to survey the damage. He was as shocked as I was!

The worst part of this whole mess? It.Was.Old.Poo. As in, it had to have happened not long after he went to bed last night. It was dried on, caked on, crunchy nasty poo.

Eeeew.

As you can imagine, it hasn't been the easiest task to remove dried on poo from walls, carpets and blinds.

What a wonderful way to start your morning, no?

Play Area Fun

Things are slowly starting to settle down now that we've been in our new home for about a month. I won't lie - there are still quite a few boxes waiting to be unpacked or schlepped up to the attic. But for the most part, we're in!!!

The kitchen is pretty much finished with the one (MAJOR) exception of my gorgeous porcelain tile backsplash which has yet to be installed ((sad face)). But the drawer pulls are on, the mini-pendant lights are in, and the cabinets are all organized. It's such a wonderful experience cooking in that kitchen of mine. I cannot tell you how much I feel like I'm working as a line cook in an upscale restaurant somewhere! Some amazing things have come off that gas stovetop and out of that electric oven (and even the nifty warming drawer!). I love love love it!

All of the bedrooms are "settled" in, which basically means they are functional. Kids' closets have lower shelving so they can reach their shirts, they have beds and dressers in there, but ZERO decor. It's totally okay. I'm not worried about their rooms. I know we'll get there... eventually. Just not a big priority to me since they are functional and honestly, the kids really don't care.

The office is a major mess. It's kind of become dumping ground for all the tools, materials, etc. we've been using for various projects around the house. I like that I can just close the door and pretend that particular roomful of chaos doesn't exist (although secretly I know deep down that it does). Again, not a priority.

There's one room that I've decided to tackle next mostly out of necessity. The kids need a play space and a home for all of their toys, and I'm tired of seeing all the boxes upstairs in the loft/play area, so that's next on the list.

I started out by picking up 3 of these ClosetMaid Cubeicals for toy storage. Oh, and just for the record, that IS in fact how ClosetMaid spells "cubecials." It's really annoying to me, and I needed to point it out in case anyone thought I was misspelling it... ;)

We already had several fabric bins (although they don't really match anything in particular) so I started taking toys out of boxes and placing them in the bins.

It was around that time that I realized I really don't have a vision for the play area.

One of the three walls will don the white cubeicals, but what about the other walls? And what about a color scheme? A theme? Anything??

I got nuthin'.

So I hit IKEA's website today to do a little searching for some inspiration. I found this rug, which I think I totally love (although hubs doesn't care for it):

I love that it has a bunch of bright colors so I wouldn't be forced into a color scheme of only one or two colors that would tie my hands a bit when it comes to selecting other pieces for the room. Is it fun and vibrant? Or just weird or annoying? Thoughts, please...

While surfing IKEA, I also found these cute curtains:

Again, I love the bright colors! And I think I could really run with the "pennant" theme by creating some stringed fabric pennants for wall decor like "PLAY" or "FUN" -- ya know? Something cute, but not too crazy.

I'm still searching for more inspiration, but I know I'd like a rug, some curtains for the two windows, a small kids table for games/crafts and a fun/funky floor lamp for a little reading area with bean bags. I'd also like to put up chair rail and paint some chalkboard or whiteboard paint somewhere in there. I'm thinking about taking the kids on a road trip to our nearest IKEA (only 2 hours away!) later this week to pick up some stuff. I'll try to remember to take some "Before" and "After" pics to share with you guys (assuming somebody still reads this ol' blog...). :)