Memories!!

So I just have to express my excitement from today.  I took my oldest to the library to get his own library card and some books.  While he was trying to find his favorite book, which happens to be Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I found some of my favorite books growing up.  The Babysitter's Club!  Yes, you read that right....and now I am showing my age :D.  I almost brought some home to read, but I didn't.  Only because I'm in the middle of reading a book from one of my favorite authors, Sandra Brown.  Now, I can't promise that when we go back that I won't get one of the books I haven't read.  I think I ended up stopping at #40.  So I guess it's time for me to catch up hehe.  Man, I forgot how much I loved going to the library!  That might be my new hangout this summer.

Son's Room Remodel Take 1

Hello everyone!  Ever since we moved back down south, we have been extremely busy.  Our new home is a manufactured home that only needs some cosmetic work (yay!!!).  We have put in a new garden, gone through some things so we could have a yard sale, planned for remodels, and now we are doing just that.  We started with our son's room and it has been fun :D!  Now of course, some of you who have manufactured homes know how beautiful those walls are...you know, the ones with the strips.  Thankfully, my hubby is very handy.  He took them down so we could mud the walls.  Now.....we are completely new to all of this so it is definitely a "learn as you go" process.

This of course was the start and as you can see, the walls were so beautiful...I almost didn't want to cover them up (ahem).  One thing I we didn't do, but should have, was prepped everything.  I'll admit it.  I was so gung-ho about starting this project, that I didn't want to take the extra time to fill in gaps in the trim or caulk.  Now, thankfully this room has the old trim that came with the house.  Later on, not much later, we are going to replace it with real trim.  So when that happens, I will take my time and do it right.  Back to the room.  After a lot of sanding and wiping, we finally got the paint up.  It took two coats (this was paint and primer).

See! Isn't it pretty??  This isn't the final picture, but that was the wall with two coats.  I think the hardest thing for me during this process was waiting to put anything up.  I hate cure time!  But anyway, I digress.  It took us about a week and a half to get the room painted; trim and all.  And then it took a little bit longer for me to get the closet finished.  Which by the way, I STRONGLY suggest you work on the closet first!  It was hot and dark when we painted it, however it got done.   
Here's another "work in progress" picture of the closet.

 We plan on expanding the opening down the road.  The closet itself is a really good size, but the doorway isn't.  Before we started painting, we decided the closets needed to lose their doors.  And oh my goodness did it help!  IF we decide to put doors back on, we will be looking for some alternatives.  But until then, no door is fine with me!

We had been eying this lamp for months!!  I finally got a pretty good deal and went for it.  And I'm not sorry!

So there it is for now.  Next we're going to work on this cool toy storage thing I found on Shanty 2 Chic! I'm so excited.  Because ALL of his toys will be able to fit in there, and he has A LOT!! Of course before we moved the first time, his toys were divided between households, mine and my parent's.  Then when we moved, all of those toys came with us.  So he has tons!  And soon, he'll have some storage :D!! I will be putting more pictures up again, just not sure how soon. You know how that goes :)!

So, until next time!  God Bless!!




Paint color: Walls - Behr - Oat Cake
                    Trim - Behr  - Weathered Sandstone
Closet: Hubby Diy
Lamp: PB Teen

Back at it....kind of

Back in December we found out we were going to have a baby!! Yay!!!  And then a few months later we found out we're having a GIRL!!!!!  So of course I got to rub it in my husband's face...I'm so glad he loves me :D.  I wasted no time in trying to find the "perfect" theme for our soon to be girl.  Sadly, everything I liked turned out to be expensive or it just wasn't my taste.  So, I started thinking of what I could do.  I was stumped for a while until one of my trips to Michael's.  I decided to make a name plaque!  Of course before making this decision, I had done some research on Etsy and Pinterest.  Some weren't my taste and some were very close. So once at Michael's, I thought I would try something of my own.  I bought some wooden letters and this thing below (not sure what it's called).

I don't have a picture of the letters before I painted them, sorry.  But I loved the pink and green idea.  However, the pink just wasn't bold enough for me.  So I mixed some colors and voilà! 

I loved how the letters stood out more.  My plan to hang it up was to find some ribbon and secure it on the back.  But the more I looked at it, it seemed as if something was missing.  Unfortunately, I put it up for a while.  Fast forward to a few months later, while visiting my mom, we went to Hobby Lobby.  I was looking for ideas to spruce up her name plaque.  We, well I, waddled over to the scrapbook selection and my son, of all people picked out some paper.  And inspiration hit me!  I bought the paper he picked out, a picture frame and a little something else to go with this new idea.  It was time to go home and put it all together! 

This was just too cute, I couldn't pass it up!  I didn't go for the princess theme, but I had plans to spray paint it turquoise later on. 

My son did a great job picking out paper for his soon to be sister!

With paper and a picture frame, her new name plaque was reborn!  And the best thing was, it only took about a half hour to put together!!  

So without further ado, here is the final product!

To make the letters stay, I used Elmer's Glue. It's still sticking to this day

As I said before, I was going to spray paint the carriage a turquoise color, but her room is going to be a soft turquoise.  My mom and I put it up against one of the walls that is done, and the pink stood out even more than against the wall in this picture.  Therefore, it's staying bright pink!  

I can't wait to finish her room...but that won't happen until after she's born.  Because...drum roll please....we're moving soon!  Many would be freaked out about this, but I'm loving the adventure!  Well, now that I'm done with as much as I can do with her room, I'm onto the next project.  Making a name plaque for my son using Star Wars fabric.  Once I get that done, I will be sure to post that on here too!  

Until next time! Happy crafting :D!!

Pregnancy at it's finest

Well hello everyone, long time no see!  In the recent months, I have not only moved back around my hometown, but I have gotten married, found and lost a job, and now I am almost 4 months pregnant.  Yup! That's right!!! I'm pregnant with my second child; husband's first.  And while we know what we're having....I'm not going to reveal it just yet :D.  But instead, I want to talk to you first time fathers.  If you happen to stumble across my blog, please please PLEASE read this.

I urge you to read articles and the book "What to Expect When Expecting".  It will not only help you understand what pregnancy does to the female body, but it will help you connect with your significant other.
So, let's start this bad boy off by talking about cravings.  They happen all of the time!  The food may be in the house, it may be at a restaurant, store, what have you.  But expect them to happen.  If your wife/girlfriend mentions what may sound good, offer to go get it for her.  DO NOT WAIT TO BE ASKED.  Not saying she won't ask. However if she doesn't, please just go get it.  This will squash a lot of the fighting.  Now, I was nice when I had my cravings.  I didn't wake my husband up in the middle of the night and ask him to go to the store for me.  Mainly because he had to get up early for work the next day, and I wanted to be considerate.  Yet with my experience this time, my husband would not go to the store unless I actually asked, even if he knew I wanted something specific to eat.  Do not do this!

 It is EXTREMELY important to realize that your wife/girlfriend is not being lazy.  And yes, being that tired is normal.  Even the doctor will tell you.  As long as all of her levels are on the right track, there is nothing to worry about.  Unfortunately this has been a sore spot for the both of us.  When I was pregnant with my first child, I was a single mom and I had to work.  I had no choice.  All I had at the time were my parents since I had moved away.  So staying home when I felt sick to my stomach, or had been up all night because I couldn't get comfortable wasn't an option.  I had no one to lean on.  I do now, so my thought process has changed and so have my circumstances.  However, that hasn't stopped me from wanting to do work around the house and outside of the home.  So with that being said, if she was a hard worker before pregnancy, trust me, she will be a hard worker after she's gotten over the fatigue.  Give her time!!!   Which leads me to this.  If she is extremely tired....do not under any circumstance ask her what she got done around the house, or say you feel she's been lazy.  Those are fighting words!!  I promise you!  This is where the book comes in handy.  The baby literally wipes us out.  Not only do we have morning sickness (sometimes we throw up, other times we just have the nausea), but we have a baby who is growing and feeding off of us.  The placenta is growing...and..ya...just read the book :)!  It's just enough for us to go to the bathroom some days.

Ah...cleaning the house.  Men...you helped make the baby, you need to help with the chores, and possibly take over for the time being.  That means, clean the house.  Don't just half-ass it.  She doesn't have the energy.  Imagine if you will, that you are 500lbs, trying to go up the stairs.  You get up maybe half-way but then, your heart beats so fast, and you're out of breath and all you want to do is sit down.  Suddenly, you get dizzy and are afraid you're going to fall down the stairs or worse, pass out.  That's how it is for most of us in our first trimester.  We can start to do something, but about 2-5 minutes into the chore, we can hardly breathe.  Be patient, that too will pass.  So back to cleaning.  Let's think about this for a moment. How exactly did you keep the house clean before we moved in with you?  Did you let the dog hair pile up in the crevices of your home to where it stank so much...and THEN you finally cleaned it up?  Or did you clean up the house after you came home from work, or even on the weekends?  JUST DO IT!  Don't let everything pile up and then get mad because we haven't helped.  If there's laundry, wash, dry, and FOLD the laundry.  If there are dishes in the sink, clean them.  If the floors need vacuuming...and the bathroom.  OH MY GOODNESS the bathroom!!!!  Do not let the germ-infested room become more germy all because you're trying to prove a point.  Clean the damn thing!  Listen, we know you work hard and you're tired.  However, just because you have a woman living with you now, that doesn't give you full reign on selectively forgetting  how to pick up a mop, a bucket, wash cloth or sponge, and clean the house.  You become the "maid" until she is able to get back on her feet and take over the house dutites.  That is, if that is the arrangement you two have.  Either way, work with her, not against her.  She is already having a tough time with her hormones going up and down like the Screaming Eagle at Six Flags, or one of those twisty roller coasters.  And it's not something that can be turned off.  Oh no...it's constant.  One minute she's fine, the next she's biting your head off, to crying.  It can't be helped, it can't be stopped, but it can be diminished.  Is it fair for you men?  Hell to the no!  Do you want to bitch slap us??  Oh I'm sure you do.  But just remember, you helped with the baby making process :).  BUT!!! Don't despair.  If you start off by helping because you know she just can't do it right now, the hormones may not rage as much.  If they do take over....then I don't know what to tell you, except good luck.  That hasn't been my experience where the hormones took over no matter what, yet every pregnancy is different.  But take my word for it.  If I'd had that kind of support from the beginning, my reactions to things would have been completely different.

Last pointer.  Do special things for her.  Bring a flower or two home for your honey.  If she's too tired to go somewhere, don't pressure her.  But if she's not too tired, take her someplace special.  Of course this should be done whether she's pregnant or not, but now is the best time to show her some extra appreciation.  Men, you gotta step up your game.  And to those who already do this....I applaud you!!!  Keep up the good work.  But men who have no clue what they're getting themselves into, trust me on this.  I do promise that things will get better.  Especially when you're holding your new bundle of joy.  Everything you fought about, worried about, stressed about during the pregnancy will melt away as you're holding your new baby.  Just remember.  Be patient :).  This will most definitely work out and fall back into place.


* Please note that I am not a professional at all.  I am only speaking from my own experience.  I welcome any comments or questions you may have.  Thank you for reading!

Time to get real

At 195, I have decided it's time to do something about my weight.  Growing up I always had meat on my bones.  But I mistook it for being fat.  Therefore I never enjoyed who I really was.  I was always afraid of how others saw me.  Now years later, I am still in that same fear.  Worried that someone won’t want me because of my size.  And with the media, how can I not be self-conscious?  Being a busy mom, college student, and a part time worker, it is hard for me to take some time out and do what I need to do.  I love to exercise and I love to work out.  But the time just isn’t there it seems.  I tried out Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks, but that seemed to hurt me more than help me.  By that I mean I was constantly getting on the scale and obsessed with the points, whereas before I wasn’t.  I would only get on the scale the first thing in the morning, but that was it.  With Weight Watchers, it was more like three times a day.  And when I say obsessed, I was worried of using all of my points before the day was over, so I wouldn't eat much of anything.  Having a prior history with anorexia, I knew that was not a healthy way to look at things.  I feared that eventually my disease would come back, so I knew I had to quit the program.  Once I did, a weight was finally lifted. My eating has never been the culprit of my weight gain.  It has always been the lack of movement.  I’m not saying my eating is perfect, but I do not have a problem with portion size or over-eating.  It’s simply the exercise part.  Now if I had the money to hire a personal trainer, then I’d be golden!  Alas, that is not the case.  So as a pledge to myself, I have made small short term goals that will have long-term results.  

Goal 1:  Get back to the gym.

Even if I only get there once a week, that is progress.  Just doing nothing won’t help me, it will only hurt me.  There have been many times I have told myself reasons not to go, or that I could do it or something else later.  But once later got here I was always too tired or just didn't feel like it. 

Goal 2: Stay off the computer. 

This is a horrible, horrible, horrible habit of mine.  When my son is outside playing or if we go to my mom's house, all I want to do is relax, watch tv, and get on the computer.  I don’t want to be bothered to do anything.  It’s been a long day and/or week and shoot I deserve it, right?  Well instead of getting on the computer, I can be doing some exercise DVDs, clean, or even cook.  There is something I can be doing that doesn’t require me to be on the couch.  8:30 pm is his bed time and the time when I should be sitting on the couch in preparation of going to bed.  Which leads me to my next goal…

Goal 3: Go to bed early.

I have a horrible habit of going to bed around 11 pm or midnight.  Not exactly the best time to get some shut eye for a busy person like me; especially since I have to get up at either 5 or 6 am.  

Goal 4:  Drink more water

Another bad habit I have.  I will admit, I have a huge sweet tooth and I don’t always want to drink water.  I like my juices and kool-aid…scratch that…LOVE them.  But I also remember when I was drinking a lot of water, I felt more energized.  Time to go back to that.

Goal 5: Play with my child more.

This goes along with Goal 2.  I know I’m not the only guilty one of this (not pointing any fingers!).  So I feel okay with admitting this.  He has asked me to play with him less and less.  Mainly because I have been too tired and suggested he do something else.  The way I see it if I keep this up, one day it’s going to bite me in the behind.  The song The Cats in the Cradle comes to mind.  

So those are the first of my goals.  I’m sure many are saying “How simple, why couldn’t you just do that already?”.  I’ll tell you why.  I haven’t been ready.  I could give you every single reason why I wasn’t ready, but I’m not going to.  The point is, I am ready now and I want to change, now.  That is the most important lesson.  Anyone can say they want to do something and say how they are going to do it.  But nothing will be set in motion if they aren’t ready to make the change happen.  

There you have it.  My time of realness :).  I am now going to enjoy the rest of my busy week.  I hope you enjoy yours.

Great Things

I decided this week to do something I have never done before.  I joined Weight Watchers.  I will admit, when I went to the meeting it felt odd.  So many were talking about their struggles with eating (hence the program).  Naturally I felt a bit out of place; mainly because my biggest problem isn't eating...it's getting myself off the couch or chair to do some exercise.  However, after talking to the woman who leads the group it started to feel as if I needed to be there.  Accountability is the key word for me.  If I know I have to weigh myself every week, that will push me to do what I need to do to get healthy again.  So day one on W.W. wasn't so bad.  Once I was able to sit down and really take a look at the website and recipes, it started to get easier.  Well, it has to since I'm planning on doing this for the long haul.  Tomorrow is mine and my son's day for the Rec Center, which he has been talking about all week.  That's another thing I have to get ready for...that boy loves to run. I think what I will do is post before and after pictures each month....I think.  Not sure I've become that brave just yet.  But I will keep everyone updated on my progress. As they told me this week, this is the last time you will ever see that number (on the scale).  I'm excited, scared, and some other emotions I can't quite pinpoint.  But either way, I'm realizing I can't do everything on my own *yes better late than never to figure this out*.  Alright, time for bed.  Goodnight fellow bloggers.  Until next time!

    I promise I am still alive :D.  This weekend my son and I spent some time at the gym.  He may only be six, but this boy loves to work out!  We went on the track at my school's gym and all he wanted to do was run.  Let me tell you...that was the most intense ten minutes of my life!  But it was good.  I called him my little personal trainer :).  So we're going to do that every Saturday, which means I can't skip out on my workouts during the week.  My body will thank me for it.  

      Also this weekend, I spent time making my first salt scrub and bath salts.  It was so rewarding to make something from scratch...as it always is.  But then when I came across another sugar scrub recipe, a woman said to stay away from food coloring when making your scrubs.  Her link can be found here.  Of course I was bummed at first because I used coloring in both things I had just made.  Yet when I did some more research, I realized how right she was.  So I started looking at alternatives which I found here.  I haven't tried these yet since I just started making the scrubs yesterday.  But! I do plan to try these in the near future.  So now I'm not so bummed about starting over.  At least I'll know what is going into the products I make (and I'll be able to pronounce them!). 

  As someone who was very content with what the stores offered, I'm becoming more repulsed by what is in our foods, body care products, etc.  I never thought I would be "that" person who was concerned about what the ingredients contain.  But the more I research the more determined I am to start making just about everything from scratch.  I promise I won't become someone who preaches about what one should or shouldn't do.  I will, however, post some links from time to time just so others can have information (if they want it).  I know first hand how difficult it is to get out of the comfort zone, especially if that is what you grew up with*.   So I don't fault anyone who isn't aware or decides to keep doing what they are doing. 

  Alright, enough blogging for now and back to my homework...my actual school work.  Have a great Sunday!

*Update and correction:  As children we had homemade foods.  But as we got older and busier with our lives, we all became more accustomed to the store-bought foods :).