Today, just as I was saying goodbye to a neighbor who had stopped over for coffee, Tommy walked up to me with his hand out. The kid is forever handing me crumbs, fuzzies, stray hairs, leftover food, all day long so I didn't even pause. I put out my hand and accepted his delivery.
It was a poop turd.
Yep.
I knew right away. Thank goodness my neighbor has kids and was not overly grossed out by my newest present. I hope this is not the beginning of a new phase.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
And the Oscar Goes to...
Behr's "Observatory" by Home Depot in an eggshell finish. I showed up at the paint store, but couldn't buy a color I knew Tom hated. So I ditched Starless Night and hunted the racks for a slightly lighter shade with a hint of gray. Observatory fit the bill. Here they are side by side:
I bought a gallon instead of a sample (crazy, I know) and headed home, along with 5 potential samples for our bedroom. I started painting while I waited for Direct T.V. to show in the FOUR hour window they gave me. Guess who never made it and called 30 minutes after the window had ended?
Bye, Bye Coral Bells-
Hello, Observatory!
I didn't get nearly as much painted as I had hoped, but I do love it. I am hoping two coats will cover the red, but it is pretty bright, even under the blue. No more living room pictures until we are done and moved in.
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| Top: Starless Night , Bottom: Observatory |
Bye, Bye Coral Bells-
Hello, Observatory!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Perfect Color
I'm a pretty good painter by now. After deciding I would rather have a new dining room set than pay out some serious cash for a painter, yours truly will be painting the formal living room and two bedrooms. Now begins the task of wiping down EVERY surface in the house to remove the sanding residue.
First, I detoured to the kitchen yesterday where I scrubbed every cabinet, inside and out. By far, my least favorite room in the house. Cleaning the cupboards was like shining up a piece of poop. Pointless. Gotta love my microwave, which appears to be working. Just wind it like a clock and on it goes.
Today, I wiped down the entire living room. Up went two samples: Behr's Starless Night, and Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik. Tom of course liked Indigo Batik better, and I preferred Starless Night. We later decided Indigo Batik would be great for P's room, but Tom still wasn't sold on Starless night.
Here is a website with a dining room painted in Starless Night: http://www.tenjuneblog.com/2011/01/im-blue-da-ba-dee-da-ba-da.html
Feeling it was a bit too dark, Tom asked for something with a little gray to it. I found some images of Sherwin Williams Homberg Gray (see picture below) on this website: http://themoesfamilyintexas.blogspot.com/2011/07/big-revealthe-dining-room.html. Could this be it?? Great, right?
Off I went to Sherwin Williams. The guy there loved me considering I came in 15 minutes before they closed Sunday. I got my sample of Homberg Gray, returned home, then headed back to the new house at 8:30 to slap on the newest color so Tom could see it on his way into work Monday. Did I love it?
Definitely hard to say when painted on a sea of red in a dark room, but I think I like it. Can't say it looked exactly like the photo above. Tom is weary. Here's how the samples look in the real world of my living room:
From Top to Bottom: Sherwin Williams Homberg Gray, Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik, and Behr's Starless Night (this was taken at 9:00pm with a halogen light as the only lighting)
I am more confused now than I was yesterday. Maybe the daylight will help sway me.
First, I detoured to the kitchen yesterday where I scrubbed every cabinet, inside and out. By far, my least favorite room in the house. Cleaning the cupboards was like shining up a piece of poop. Pointless. Gotta love my microwave, which appears to be working. Just wind it like a clock and on it goes.
Today, I wiped down the entire living room. Up went two samples: Behr's Starless Night, and Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik. Tom of course liked Indigo Batik better, and I preferred Starless Night. We later decided Indigo Batik would be great for P's room, but Tom still wasn't sold on Starless night.
Here is a website with a dining room painted in Starless Night: http://www.tenjuneblog.com/2011/01/im-blue-da-ba-dee-da-ba-da.html
Feeling it was a bit too dark, Tom asked for something with a little gray to it. I found some images of Sherwin Williams Homberg Gray (see picture below) on this website: http://themoesfamilyintexas.blogspot.com/2011/07/big-revealthe-dining-room.html. Could this be it?? Great, right?
Off I went to Sherwin Williams. The guy there loved me considering I came in 15 minutes before they closed Sunday. I got my sample of Homberg Gray, returned home, then headed back to the new house at 8:30 to slap on the newest color so Tom could see it on his way into work Monday. Did I love it?
Definitely hard to say when painted on a sea of red in a dark room, but I think I like it. Can't say it looked exactly like the photo above. Tom is weary. Here's how the samples look in the real world of my living room:
From Top to Bottom: Sherwin Williams Homberg Gray, Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik, and Behr's Starless Night (this was taken at 9:00pm with a halogen light as the only lighting)
I am more confused now than I was yesterday. Maybe the daylight will help sway me.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Bright and Shiny
It is no secret- I love all things bright and shiny. And my new floors are just that:
My goal this weekend was to get the living room and the 3 upstairs bedroom walls I plan to paint wiped down, but I'm not sure how I am going to feel in the morning. No luck on finding someone to do the built-in bookcase I need. I have convinced a contractor working just a few streets up to stop by on Monday and take a look at what I need done.
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| Living room with Minwax Dark walnut Stain |
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| Entryway with Dark Walnut |
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| Dining Room |
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| Upstairs bedroom with the slightly lighter Minwax Provincial stain |
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| Upstairs hallway in Provincial |
My goal this weekend was to get the living room and the 3 upstairs bedroom walls I plan to paint wiped down, but I'm not sure how I am going to feel in the morning. No luck on finding someone to do the built-in bookcase I need. I have convinced a contractor working just a few streets up to stop by on Monday and take a look at what I need done.
36 Wishes
Sunday I turned 36. We went to dinner with my best friend from college and her husband, but the highlight of the day was being presented with my birthday cake, compliments of Chef Patrick. I also received one belated gift- P's cold. I am currently miserable with a packed schedule this weekend.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Floors
The hardwoods have all been stained (I went with Dark Walnut downstairs and on the stairs, and Provincial upstairs) and the floor guys say they will be completely done tomorrow. They did it all in just one week, on schedule (they had told me 1-2 weeks). We discovered a leak behind the fridge during the process, but my brother-in-law, a complete angel, was able to get there the same day and fix it for us. Pictures to come Thursday or Friday.
Now I just need to track down someone to complete a built-in bookcase for us to act as a wall so the boys don't fall into a stairway. The only leads I have gotten are all busy and can't get to it anytime soon. Talked to a contractor today who thought they could squeeze us in.
Tom and I have tentatively settled on a deep, rich blue for the living room to cover the red. I picked up a few samples yesterday to try out this weekend. Not looking forward to wiping down EVERY wall in the house to get rid of the fine layer of floor dust before I even start painting.
And happy birthday to me on Sunday- my husband gave me the thumbs up to order a dining room set so we can actually fill the front room. It will be delivered at the end of this month. The boys gave me a garden landscape book to help in the planning of our new beds and gardens. Tom got me the house (even though it is "our money", I know he would have been to content to stay where we are).
If it wasn't for an up-all-night ear infection for Tommy Friday, and a cold for P Saturday-Monday, it would have been the perfect weekend.
Now I just need to track down someone to complete a built-in bookcase for us to act as a wall so the boys don't fall into a stairway. The only leads I have gotten are all busy and can't get to it anytime soon. Talked to a contractor today who thought they could squeeze us in.
Tom and I have tentatively settled on a deep, rich blue for the living room to cover the red. I picked up a few samples yesterday to try out this weekend. Not looking forward to wiping down EVERY wall in the house to get rid of the fine layer of floor dust before I even start painting.
And happy birthday to me on Sunday- my husband gave me the thumbs up to order a dining room set so we can actually fill the front room. It will be delivered at the end of this month. The boys gave me a garden landscape book to help in the planning of our new beds and gardens. Tom got me the house (even though it is "our money", I know he would have been to content to stay where we are).
If it wasn't for an up-all-night ear infection for Tommy Friday, and a cold for P Saturday-Monday, it would have been the perfect weekend.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Decisions, Decisions
I swung by the new house today around 530 to check Day Two progress on the floors. Here are few photos from Day One:
Now the big decision...which stain? We have very golden floors at our current house that don't look all that different from the sanded photo of the upstairs hall. I really wanted to go darker, although I know every dust bunny will really show. I love rich, deep woods. When the hardwood guys gave me the Minwax sample board, I was drawn to Dark Walnut. Dark walnut was lighter than Ebony, which I think is the blackish stain currently in the living room and library/den (see the first photo). Our floor guy, who has been doing this for a zillion years, said he thought it was going to be darker than what I wanted and recommended Provincial
This is the sampling I found on the living room floors- the far right shade is Provincial. The other two stains are way too light for consideration.
The only light I had was a dinky floor lamp and at almost 6pm, the room was already pretty dark. I think I am going to have to go back in the morning to see what it looks like under natural light., but my gut says trust my first instinct and ask to see the Dark Walnut stain which they did not do. I may still end up with Provincial in the long run. It is a beautiful shade that would match just about anything. I could also clean less. Hmmm, tempting. I almost wonder if the second stain color (on the left) in the first picture was a Provincial stain to start off with. I hate making such permanent decisions! We are going to be living with these floors for the rest of our time in this house. Any suggestions?
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| You can see the need to unite the floors with one common stain. The stairs were a whole different color also. |
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| Front entry with sanding underway |
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| Upstairs hall with sanding completely done. |
Now the big decision...which stain? We have very golden floors at our current house that don't look all that different from the sanded photo of the upstairs hall. I really wanted to go darker, although I know every dust bunny will really show. I love rich, deep woods. When the hardwood guys gave me the Minwax sample board, I was drawn to Dark Walnut. Dark walnut was lighter than Ebony, which I think is the blackish stain currently in the living room and library/den (see the first photo). Our floor guy, who has been doing this for a zillion years, said he thought it was going to be darker than what I wanted and recommended Provincial
This is the sampling I found on the living room floors- the far right shade is Provincial. The other two stains are way too light for consideration.
The only light I had was a dinky floor lamp and at almost 6pm, the room was already pretty dark. I think I am going to have to go back in the morning to see what it looks like under natural light., but my gut says trust my first instinct and ask to see the Dark Walnut stain which they did not do. I may still end up with Provincial in the long run. It is a beautiful shade that would match just about anything. I could also clean less. Hmmm, tempting. I almost wonder if the second stain color (on the left) in the first picture was a Provincial stain to start off with. I hate making such permanent decisions! We are going to be living with these floors for the rest of our time in this house. Any suggestions?
Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I kicked off the holiday by returning at midnight from pulling quarter-round off every baseboard on the first floor of the new house. The floors have all been completely sanded upstairs and the guys are already half-way done sanding the downstairs. Not too shabby for their first day. I think we have settled on a floor stain which we'll test out tomorrow. I wish I had time to finish removing the quarter-round upstairs, but this mama hit her limit tonight.
Today I had my 15 week check-up and everything seems to be going as it should at this stage. After we got P tucked into bed, Tom and I finally told him that I had a baby in my belly. He smiled his sheepish smile and seemed excited. He was rather curious about how the baby was going to come out. He is also fairly certain it is a boy, and has named the baby Oscar. As I left the room, he said, "Don't forget mom, don't lose Oscar". Thank goodness God does tuck our babies neatly inside or I probably would misplace the kid several times in the course of a week.
Today I had my 15 week check-up and everything seems to be going as it should at this stage. After we got P tucked into bed, Tom and I finally told him that I had a baby in my belly. He smiled his sheepish smile and seemed excited. He was rather curious about how the baby was going to come out. He is also fairly certain it is a boy, and has named the baby Oscar. As I left the room, he said, "Don't forget mom, don't lose Oscar". Thank goodness God does tuck our babies neatly inside or I probably would misplace the kid several times in the course of a week.
Monday, February 11, 2013
A New Chapter (Or Two)
As of 4:00 today, Tom and I had the keys to our new home in hand. We headed over to the house after the closing, just the two of us, to walk through the home where the next chapter of our lives will be lived.
Here is what you need to know about Baby #3:
Baby is due the first week of August, but since I have already had two c-sections, this baby will also be delivered via a scheduled c-section at the end of July. I have had a bit more queasiness this round, but not to the point where I have been sick. Lots of exhaustion, but I think most of that can be chalked up to putting a house on the market. Otherwise, this pregnancy is pretty identical to my other two. So yes, I think it is a boy.
Will we find out the sex? Probably. Initially I did not want to find out, but Tom does, and frankly it only works if both mom and dad don't know. That won't happen until March though.
We haven't really told P yet. I mean, we talk about with him in the room, but when I mention that my belly is getting bigger, he just says it is because I am growing. Ahhh. I have a check-up Wednesday, and if everything goes well, we plan on sitting him down and spelling it out for him.
Is that enough news for one blog post?
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| Chapter 1: Lots of late night unpacking and working on a host of new projects |
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| Chapter 2: Lots of late nights up with the baby. I know, I know, I am already 14 weeks and I kept meaning to come up with a really creative way to announce on the blog, but we have just been so busy. |
Here is what you need to know about Baby #3:
Baby is due the first week of August, but since I have already had two c-sections, this baby will also be delivered via a scheduled c-section at the end of July. I have had a bit more queasiness this round, but not to the point where I have been sick. Lots of exhaustion, but I think most of that can be chalked up to putting a house on the market. Otherwise, this pregnancy is pretty identical to my other two. So yes, I think it is a boy.
Will we find out the sex? Probably. Initially I did not want to find out, but Tom does, and frankly it only works if both mom and dad don't know. That won't happen until March though.
We haven't really told P yet. I mean, we talk about with him in the room, but when I mention that my belly is getting bigger, he just says it is because I am growing. Ahhh. I have a check-up Wednesday, and if everything goes well, we plan on sitting him down and spelling it out for him.
Is that enough news for one blog post?
Sunday, February 10, 2013
P's School Valentine's
This year, I saw the cutest idea for a valentine in a parenting magazine (I can't recall which one). I of course headed to my favorite website, Etsy.com, to see if I could find some creative person offering the idea up for sale (I've been a little busy). Found exactly what I needed at PBJandJ's shop, http://www.etsy.com/listing/92157145/printable-valentines-cards-swedish-fish? For $5, you get the digital file and can print away.
To complete the project, here is all you need:
To complete the project, here is all you need:
- White card stock to print on
- Bubble shaped bags from Michael's (about $4 for 100)
- Ribbon to top off the bags once they are filled
- 4 bags of Swedish Fish (3 if you can control yourself and not eat them during the entire project). Yep, turns out I needed4 bags.
- I also added a cute photo of P that I hole punched to each bag since he needs about a foot long piece of paper to write his name.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Going, Going...
Gone! We started showings on Sunday in conjunction with the agent's open house, the house hit online Tuesday afternoon, and as of this evening, we have a signed contract for our home! I have heard great things about the new buyers, a young married couple, and I think they will love living here as much as we have. I have had some bouts of sadness when I think about leaving this house and our neighbors, but God clearly has a new plan for us. Tom pointed out this evening that this will be P's fourth residence in his 3 1/2 years. Yikes. That is a lot of packing and unpacking.
So overly thankful that this exhausting period is coming to an end so we can begin the exhausting period of making our new house feel like home. I just scheduled the floor re-finisher to begin on the hardwoods Wednesday morning, and we will get some painting estimates before we even start to think about moving things over.
Thanks to everyone who has heard me whine and complain, and offered us shelter during the multitude of showings.
(Boy, have the kids been great about the whole thing)
So overly thankful that this exhausting period is coming to an end so we can begin the exhausting period of making our new house feel like home. I just scheduled the floor re-finisher to begin on the hardwoods Wednesday morning, and we will get some painting estimates before we even start to think about moving things over.
Thanks to everyone who has heard me whine and complain, and offered us shelter during the multitude of showings.
(Boy, have the kids been great about the whole thing)
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Grand Central Station
That's right, after officially hitting the market yesterday afternoon, our house has been getting a ton of traffic. Feeling very optimistic about things right now. I also feel like we have hardly been home since yesterday to accommodate all the showings. Thanks goodness for gracious neighbors who have taken us in, and the fact that Baba's house is just around the corner. The For Sale sign was put in place in the yard this morning, so there is no going back.
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Meticulously Maintained House
Exactly how long can I keep up with the nearly perfect state of my house? About as long as you keep can keep a labrador out of the water once you get to the beach (for those who have never had or known a lab, it isn't long). We haven't gotten any feedback from our showing yesterday, but we already have another showing lined up for tomorrow evening. Tomorrow at some point our house should hit the MLS and finally be online. There is a mini-open house scheduled for Thursday. Sell house, sell.
The housing situation has consumed us all. Cleaning and little projects are all we do. I am not a very fun mom right now and I know I am short with the kids more than they deserve. Our closing is one week from today!
The housing situation has consumed us all. Cleaning and little projects are all we do. I am not a very fun mom right now and I know I am short with the kids more than they deserve. Our closing is one week from today!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Saturday
Snow is starting to gently fall this Saturday morning. Tom and Patrick are off to Home Depot for a few supplies and should also return with a Valentine's Card Holder (today's kid's craft). I just vacuumed bugs out of every window sill in the house. Exciting, huh? Although are house won't be listed until this coming Thursday, we actually had an agent request a showing for their client this Sunday, as in tomorrow. Yikes. It will be a day of scrubbing off all signs of the kids from doors, windows and appliances. All painting here is officially DONE. A few more bins of stuff will be moved out of the house in one final attempt to de-clutter.
In other words, I think we have the house looking pretty good. Okay, the toilet is no longer in the front yard. We thought that gave the wrong first impression.
In other words, I think we have the house looking pretty good. Okay, the toilet is no longer in the front yard. We thought that gave the wrong first impression.
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