Happy 8th Anniversary

My, my, I AM an old married woman.  Today James and I celebrate 8 crazy years of marriage.  Where has the time gone?!?  For those of you who don't know our story, I'll give a brief synopsis.

James went to Sterling College along with my sister.  A month after they graduated, he and a mutual friend of my sister were attending a wedding in KC.  They needed a place to crash so they stayed at my parents' house.  I had just finished my freshmen year at Baker University and was a little excited when my dad called my cell phone to tell me that 2 college guys were going to stay at our house.  I thought that MAYBE they would be cute.  At the time, I was working a full-time and a part-time job while taking a college Microbiology class at night.  Needless to say, I was BUSY.  I had to be at work at 5am that Saturday morning so I quietly got ready and then peeked in the living room to see what these guys looked like (they fell asleep with the lights on).  I noticed James right away...well, mostly just heard him right away.  His snore was OBNOXIOUSLY loud.  Once I got past the noise, I tried to see what he looked like.  But I couldn't get a good look because he was covered with dark hair.  At the time, he had crazy, unruly hair on his head, a go-tee, a white undershirt with hair popping out and hairy arms.  I honestly couldn't tell what he looked like underneath all that hair.  And so I went off to work.

I only worked 1/2 a day so I came home around the time he was waking up.  We easily fell into conversation that lasted until he left for the wedding.  When he returned, we continued to talk and talk and talk.  Long story short, we quickly realized that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and so a year from the day when we first met was our wedding day.

We have definitely filled the last 8 years with fun, fights, laughter ... many, many memories.  Here are some of the highlights:

  *Traveled to Russia for Spring Break 2004
  *Bought our first home (a major fixer upper) Dec 2004
  *I graduated with my BSN and passed nursing boards May 2005
  *Welcomed Malachi into the world January 2006
  *Welcomed Isaiah into the world January 2007
  *Traveled to NYC to celebrate our 5 year anniversary June 2008 
  *Welcomed Samara into the world September 2008
  *James went to school full-time while working full-time. I worked full-time and
       took care of the kiddos September 2009-May 2010.
  *Celebrated James leaving his 20's with a trip to Estes Park July 2010
  *I became a stay at home mom September 2010
  *Finished the fixer-upper house May 2011
  *James continues to apply to med schools
  *(and somewhere in there, James developed a huge bald spot on the back of his head so he now shaves all of his hair off...of course, he blames me for that!)

While our life together has been hectic, we continue to love and learn about each other.  Happy Anniversary, Jamesy-Wamesy...Love ya!!!

Playing "Pretend"

The normal conversation Samara has while playing "pretend" with her doll house (while using pirates, horses, and Buzz Lightyear instead of dolls)

Guy #1: "Hi, I a bad guy. What's your name?"

Guy #2: "I a good guy and I need to go potty. You help me?"

Guy #1: "I put you in jail!"

Guy#2:  "NO, not put me in jail."

Buzz:  "To efinity and beyond!!!"  (while scooping up Guy #2 and saving him from
             the jail)

Happy Father's Day!

What an honor it is to be a parent.  God hand-picked these little ones especially for us. What a privilege and sometimes an overwhelming task of raising these young ones so they can grow up and become who God created them to be. 

I was richly blessed with an amazing set of parents.  They always did what they could to support my dreams.  I remember being Daddy's little "sunshine girl".  I followed him wherever he would let me.  He was a wonderful provider for our family and spent his evenings playing with his girls.

James is a wonderful dad, as well.  When he gets home from work, he will tickle, wrestle, and chase the kiddos. He understands the needs of boys and so he will nicely let me know if I am being too strict because I simply don't understand the necessity of daily rough-housing.  If I've had a rough day with them, he will take them outside or watch them while I escape for a little while.

So, on this day, as we celebrate Dad's, I leave you this song...

   

Dream Living Room

I thought I would share my vision for how I would like to decorate our living room at our "unknown" new house.  As with Samara's room, a lot will depend on the size and shape of the room, but in the perfect world, this is what it would be.  I consider the "living room" as the room on the main level that is used for entertaining.  It's not the place where the kiddos would lounge around and watch TV (they could lounge and read a book, though!)  Ideally, it would have a fireplace, but I COULD survive if it didn't ;-) 

Throughout the main living areas of the "new house", I want to paint it a neutral light/medium gray.  I don't want it to be dark, but to be comfortable and homey.  The living room would be painted this color, too.

My vision for this room is Modern, Minimal, with some Vintage Fun.  I want it to be a place where anyone can come and just relax, but also a place with some character.

I would want to buy a new couch for this room. I like how this couch has the clean lines that I love and plenty of room for people to sit.  I like the color, too.

These chairs are currently listed on Craigslist for $85 for both.  If I knew how much room our "new house" had, I would swipe these suckers up. But, I have resolved that I will not buy until we have a contract on a new house.  I am confident that I will find exactly what I am supposed to have at that time.  ANYWAY, back to the idea: 

While the orange definitely is Vintage, it's not exactly what I had in mind.  I would reupholster these chairs in "Solid Wheat" color shown above.  I love the golden color and the lines.  Since a new couch and reupholstered chairs are costly, I want a neutral palate of furniture so that the room could be easily altered, if desired, by switching out accessories instead of big ticket items. 

One of the accessories that I love is a mid-modern coffee table.  The clean lines and simplicity of the piece is what attracts me the most to it.  Although the natural wood is pretty, I want to incorporate color into the room and this piece would be perfect for that.  I haven't quite decided what colors I would use.  Of course, I love red, but lately, I've been really liking the vintage green as well.  Oh well, I'll have time to decide and get opinions!  So here is a coffee table that I love so you can get an idea of what I'm thinking:

Here is a picture of a side table that I like as well. I would paint it to match the coffee table.

These Vintage lamps would add an element of fun.  I would use drum shades...possibly black ones.

For throw pillows/possible color schemes, I like these fabrics (I like the green or the red, not together, though!):

A round pillow like below is a must!

On the coffee table/side table/mantel/or possibly some floating shelves on the wall, I would want to incorporate a few pieces of depression glass in the appropriate  color scheme. I like the design of this:

 I hope you aren't on design/color/print overload.  I know I threw a lot out there, but I can see it in my mind and it looks perfect!

Likes/Dislikes

Below is a List of Samara's Favorite Things Right Now:

"Dino-horse"  =  The Pink Dinosaur She Made at T-Rex with Grammie and Papa

"My Sofi"  =  Cousin Sofia...She is Constantly Wanting to Know Where She Is

"Mermaid Dress"  =  Little Mermaid Sleeping Gown

"Beast"  =  Beauty and the Beast Movie She Received for Christmas

"Pop-sics"  =  Popsicles

"Cereal/Milk"  = Favorite Breakfast

"Pink Blankie"  = The Famous Blanket Our Neighbors Gave Her

"Show-wee"  = Shower/Bath

Things Samara Does Not Like:

Naps/Bedtime  =  Still Puts Up a Daily Fight

Root Beer

Hair to be Fixed

A Clean Bedroom = Must Immediately Destroy It

Sleeping in Her Bed...She Prefers the Floor

Keeping the Same Outfit on All Day  = Increase in Laundry for Mommy

The P-A-R-K

A conversation from yesterday afternoon went something like this...

Me: "James, are you still going to take the kids to the P-A-R-K?"
James:  "Kids, do you want to go to the park?"
Isaiah:  "No, I want to go to the place Mommy just said, the P-A-K"
Malachi: "Yeah, let's go to the P-A-R and then we can go to the park"

Second Chances

Last night James hung out with 2 college friends.  I decided the kiddos and I should have a camp out in our living room.  A little before dinner, I told them the plan.  All 3 were thrilled.

For the past few days, Malachi has been struggling with talking back and arguing with me when told to do something.  Yesterday was no different.  I told him that he was not allowed to have any more bad choices or the camp out would be taken away from him and he would spend the evening in his room.  Right after discussing this with him, he chose to argue with me over something minuscule.  I had to break the bad news that he just lost the camp out.  Huge tears filled his eyes and I could tell that his heart was broken.  My heart was broken, too.  I had wanted this evening to be fun for everyone.  He pulled himself together and forged ahead making just plain awesome choices during dinner and right after dinner.  When it was time for him to go upstairs, he didn't complain; he started to quietly make his way to his room. 

Before he made it to his room, I stopped him.  I told him how proud I was of his recent choices and so I was giving him a second chance for the camp out.  He was warned that even a little bad choice would not be tolerated.  His face overflowed with pure joy. 

For the camp out, the kiddos brought down their sleeping bags and pillows.  I closed the blinds and turned the lights out.  We huddled together and had fun watching a movie.  Throughout the entire movie, Malachi leaned against my arm and kissed my hand and thanked me over and over again for giving him a second chance.  He also kept telling me how much he loved me.  He never got close to making a bad choice.

It made me think about how many times God gives us second chances...do we capitalize on them like Malachi did or do we disregard what has been given to us?

Shabby Chic

As I wait for our house to sell, I can't help but think about how I want to decorate at the new place.  I thought I would share some of my ideas with you.  Since our house was under construction while the kiddos were newborns/infants, we never had a completed nursery.  Therefore, I never fully decorated it.  Until about 6 months ago, the room we used as the nursery also served as the guest room.  While Samara's room is cute how it is now, I have a vision for her new room.

Of course, my plans will hinge on the technicalities of size, shape, etc of her new room, but this is what I'm thinking:  SHABBY CHIC.  By that, I mean I would like to incorporate comfy fabrics, florals, ginghams, but also have a smidgen of elegance.

The walls I want to paint a very pale pink.  But, I want an accent wall with pink and cream wide strips. 

Since the dresser she uses now actually goes with the guest bedroom set, I want to find an old, CHEAP dresser and "shabby chic it up".  I'm thinking about using a light teal color for the dresser, bed and an old mirror that I will be on the look out for.  Below is the color I'm thinking about and the type of mirror I'm looking for.

For lighting, I'm kinda digging this type of chandelier.  Depending on the color of the flowers, condition of the piece and how it looks in the room, I may paint it all one color and give it the distressed look (lots of variables, I know!)

 For the bedding, I want it to incorporate different patterns, but have the colors of the accessories throughout the room in it as well.  Something along this line (maybe with a little less pattern!):

 And finally, for some decorations. This wall hanging would be adorable with the letter "S".  These blocks I could get Samara's name spelled out.  I thought it would look darling on a shelf.

I want this room to be a place for her to celebrate being a girl.  To find rest and refuge from the chaotic world of brothers.

Now my challenge is to find the items to go in this dream room!

Play Dates Rock

A dear friend just moved into an amazing home. She invited the kiddos, me and 2 other mutual friends along with their kiddos for a play date.  It was such a nice break from reality!  The grown-ups drank coffee while the kiddos (11 total, I believe) played.  Four hours later we came home.  A great way to spend a Thursday!!!!

Samara's Necky

To correspond with Samara's fashion line of the layered look, she has now branched out to create accessories.  She has 6 pieces of pink ribbon around her neck.  She keeps asking us to look at her "necky" (necklace)

Glorious Start to the Week

This morning has been perfect (so far!).  Because of our insanely hectic weekend, everyone slept in. Samara woke up a little before 8.  When I took George out to potty, she wanted to come out with me.  It was the ideal Summer morning...not too hot.  After the dog did his thing, I put him inside and then Samara and I swung on the porch swing.  We talked about our pretty painted nails, our "cute" house, and her desire to climb trees when she gets to be a "big gurl".  At one point, she laid her head on her pink blankie because she needed a rest.

After awhile, she walked to our "For Sale" sign in the yard.  We played peek-a-boo a few times.  Oh and did I mention her attire?  This girl is ALL about layering her clothes.  She had on her flannel Little Mermaid pants, her Princess nightgown and the matching flannel Mermaid shirt over the nightgown.  Quite the sight!  (At least, it wasn't her usual 2 pairs of pants, 3 dresses and a few shirts)

Who knows how the rest of the week will pan out, but this morning I did soak up this precious moment.

Oh Isaiah

Yesterday we had another wedding to attend.  One of James' cousins was getting married in Kansas City.  At the reception, Isaiah had a few memorable moments.  There was a strobe light sitting on a table close to our dining table. Periodically, Isaiah would walk by it and stick his bottom to the side so he could look at the lights on his rear.  Then he went about his own business. 

Later on, an adult cousin of James came up to tell me about a funny run-in with Isaiah.  This cousin went to the men's room; there was a tall urinal and a short urinal.  The tall one was occupied so he used the short urinal.  All of a sudden, he hears someone say, "Hey, you're using the wrong one!"  The cousin turned around to find little Isaiah.  I can just envision Isaiah's animated facial expressions during this encounter.

That boy is quite the character!

Yummy Dinner

My body must feel that it is Summer time.  I have had major cravings for some BBQ.  When I say craving, I mean, "keep-you-up-at-night-with-your-mouth-watering" craving.  I have never attempted to make BBQ because I've been blessed with my dad and brother-in-law, Matt, having the ability to make out-of- this-world BBQ. Since I didn't know when I would be able to partake of their cooking, I decided that I would attempt to make something BBQ-y to curb my craving.

Armed with my crock pot, I set out on my first adventure.  I found a recipe online that received a 5/5 stars rating so I thought that might be a good start.  Because it was a new recipe, I couldn't bring myself to spend so much money on a piece of brisket.  Instead, I made it with boneless, skinless, chicken breasts which costs less than 1/2 of the price of the beef.  (James and I have discovered that it has been probably close to a year since we have bought beef...we've been substituting beef with turkey or chicken.  Now I'm a beef kind of girl but I can honestly say that I really haven't missed it.)  There was a spice that I was out of and didn't feel like going back to the store so I just substituted.

The kiddos can be a little picky when it comes to new recipes, but they devoured the chicken and I have to say, I scarfed down my 2 sandwiches as well.  I splurged a little and bought onion buns.  I LOVE me some onion buns (I think I'm the only one in the house that does...yay, more for me!)  Ahh, this craving has now been taken care.  Maybe my next craving should be chocolate cheesecake ;-)

Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket (or chicken)
5 1/2 lb meat
1 3/4 C BBQ sauce (any kind)
2 T brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder (didn't have...used creole seasoning)
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Combine ingredients and coat meat with it.  Marinate overnight.  Place in crockpot and cook on low for 9-10 hours.
Enjoy!