Blessing #226 - Brandon Turns Eight

Brandon, 

You're eight!!!! Can you believe it? Sure you can! You've been talking about it for months, but as much as you reminded me I always feel surprised when your birthday rolls around. 

Eight. 

How in the world can you be eight?  

It feels like I just recovered from you having colic your first six months, and now you're eight.  

This year has been such a big year for you.  You've grown so much physically and mentally.  You just seem to be becoming a young man.  

One of my favorite conversations we had this year was about tattoos. You love tattoos.  Soon after you turned seven, you got an airbrush tattoo, and refused to wash your arm.  I'm not kidding.  For a week, you stuck your arm out of the shower curtain every time you took a shower.  You were committed to this tattoo!

One day, you had about five temporary tattoos on, and you started talking about getting a real tattoo when you were older.  

Now, I know you well enough to know that if I say, "NO YOU WON'T!" that later, you absolutely will, and besides I don't really mind tattoos. I might even get my own in a few years (shh don't tell Poppy). I did say tell you that a tattoo is permanent. You want to wait until you are older and know you want something on you for forever. 

You thought for a second, "I love Star Wars." 

I replied, "Yes, but you used to love hunting and tractors and what if you had gotten a tattoo of that?"

You didn't argue, but thought for a second and asked, "Does a tattoo hurt?"

I answered, "Remember when you got your flu shot? Well, every dot of color in a tattoo is like getting a shot."

After hearing that, you said in a very grow up voice, "Well, I need to strike that from my life list." 

I couldn't help but laugh and then asked you what else was on your life list. I think you mentioned getting married to your "girlfriend" first. That was just one of many funny conversations we had.  From the time you were a toddler, talking to you has felt like talking to a very small old man.  You are just so sensible and quick witted.   

We've also had many fun moments together this year.  Out of all the moments from your seventh year, my favorite moment happened when we were visiting Mimi and Poppy in Georgia. While we were down there, you learned to ride a bike! Soon after learning, you and I would ride around the subdivision together. 

Riding bicycles with you was a full circle moment for me.  Many of my happiest childhood memories were on a bike riding through that subdivision. To ride those same roads and to make brand new memories there with you was a really big, meaningful moment for me. 

One day, we were riding bikes with your cousins from Alabama.  Being your mom, I could tell you were frustrated that they were faster than you, but c'mon! You had only been riding bikes for a week! Give yourself some slack!  

Anyway, I could tell you were frustrated, but you decided to play it off.  As you peddled to the back of the pack to me, you told your cousins, "Y'all go ahead. I'm just going to hang back here.  I just want to spend some time with my Mom."  Seriously!?! Bulling your way out of something is one of your gifts.  You are so good at bulling, I wouldn't be surprised if you become a salesman, a politician....or a conman.  .  

Even though I knew "hanging with my Mom" was just your cover, I didn't mind, and enjoyed the time with you.  As your cousins rode ahead, you and I peddled and talked.  Somewhere in that conversation, you turned to me and said, "I'm really glad I have a mom like you." 

You didn't say, 

"I'm glad I have a mom that can cook all sorts of baked goodies," 

"I'm glad I have a mom that irons my clothes perfectly," 

or "I'm glad I have a mom that keeps an immaculate house."

You just said, "I'm glad I have a mom like you." 

Brandon you just do not know how much your words meant to me.  That was simply the best compliment you could have ever given me.  

You see, earlier in the year, I decided to stop trying to be super mom.  

At the start of the year, I decided to stop feeling bad about the things I wasn't and to celebrate who I was.  I decided to believe that God gave me just the right strengths that you needed in a Mom, and to focus on those strengths. 

Your words that day were validation for me that I was on the right track.  

In the moment, I told you thank you and something kind back. In the moment, I didn't want to embarrass you by crying my eyes out, but I felt like it (and I did later).  

B-man, I'm really glad I have a son like you.

A son who gets obsessed with tractors, hunting, and now Star Wars

A son who loves tattoos

A son who has a stubborn streak and a strong will

A son who has seemingly infinite energy

A son who has a huge heart that sees peoples needs

B, thank you for your words that bike ride. I will remember them forever. 

I love you so much. Thank you for being crazy awesome you, and thank you for letting me come along for the ride.  

I'm really glad I have a son like you, 

Mom

 

Blessing #225 - A Necklace Holder

Hi my name is Stephanie and I am a Real Housewives of Anywhere fan.




I was trying to give you a little time so you could gasp and judge me, but I will give you a bit more.





I know it's deplorable.

I know it's terrible television, but I have already established that my television tastes aren't that high.

In my own life, I cannot stand gossip and drama, but for some reason watching these two faced women flip tables and argue over if someone is lying about having asthma just fascinates me.

Often in a typical Real Housewives episode, a housewife will be in her closet getting ready, picking out clothes, and recapping the day's drama with her husband.

As I watch these scenes, I really struggle with envy.

Am I envious over the designer clothes, purses, and shoes.

No! C'mon I'm a Goodwill queen!

When I watch these scenes, I drool over the closet organization. It's so pretty, neat, and organized!!!!

Will I ever have a Real Housewives giant organized closet? No, probably not, but I can make my closet pretty, neat, and organized.

I wish I had a before picture to put right here, but I don't have one.  When I started the closet makeoever, I just planned on purging my closet, but then one thing led to another, my ADDD kicked in, and the next thing I knew I was painting everything pink!

Because I purge regularly, I didn't expect to purge my closet much, but this time I decided to only keep clothes that I wear often. When I purge, I normally ask, "Have I worn this in the past year," but this time I asked, "Have I worn this more than five times in the past year?"

As all the bags piled up, I couldn't believe the difference, but I loved my stream lined closet.

In addition to my closet, I have a dresser of clothes, but with this purge, I cleaned out the dresser and put every item of clothing in the closet.

My closet looked so much better with fewer clothes in it, but the closet was a boring space and that's when I knew I needed to make it over.

In my normal state, I am a messy person just ask my mom. I have learned though if I make something pretty, I will keep it clean.  It seems crazy to make a space pretty where the door stays closed all the time, but I knew if my closet was pretty, I would keep it clean.  No one will ever see it but me, but isn't that enough? I am worth a pretty closet!!!

I decided to start with the top of the closet and all that wasted space.  The walls in the closet are plaster so I knew a shelf would be too much weight on the crumbly walls.  If the space couldn't be functional, it might as well be pretty.

A sign with my favorite word would be perfect for the space, and a few hooks made it an awesome necklace holder.

Before, my necklaces just laid around the room or shoved inside a box. Now, I love that I can see all my necklace options now as I pick out my outfit.

I hung all my belts on the hooks that were already in the closet.  Just ignore the magnetic circle things.  I am taking them down.

Originally, I put my earrings in those containers, but I need to see the earrings more.  I think I am just taking the containers down and trying something different.

I tried the circles on the side, but I don't like that either because I need symmetry. If you have any ideas or see any pins to help please send them my way.(Here is my pinterest. )

I'm already working on the bottom of the closet, and I will show that later.  For now though, here is my progress.

No, my closet is not Real Housewives worthy yet, but it is much better than before.

This sign organizes my necklaces, but also serves as a good reminder every morning of my favorite word and my life's goal.
 

Blessing #224 - The Comeback

What?

Could it be?

Yes! A new post!

I know. I know. It's been a while.

The reason for the big interruption is simple. There was no big drama, no juicy gossip, but just a major case of writer's block. Major.

So many times, I sat down to write a post and  just stared at the screen. Finally, I decided rather than beating myself up for the block, I just needed to take a break.

But, I'm back now!

Just in case you were wondering what I've been up to here are a few things I did on my blogging break.....

1. After months and months of not knowing what I wanted to do in my living room, I had a major break through and almost "finished" the whole room!

2. After sitting on a love seat for over a year, we finally found a couch that we both liked!

That's the love seat, and not the new couch.  We were able to negotiate and get the price down dramatically.  We used the money from selling our chesterfield couch and some money I had saved up to make it a great buy.

The salesman tried to get us to buy the matching love seat and tables.  He said, "A lot of times people come back to get the matching set, and it's gone." Shad and I both laughed and explained that nothing in our house matched and that's the way we like it.

Six months later, we still love the couch.  It's a miracle we found a couch Shad and I both like, and it only took us two years! (This post was inspired by our couch hunting adventures)


3. At Easter, I went in to get a hair trim, and got a bad hair cut instead.  Then I decided the only way to fix my hair was to cut it short.  The meltdown was major.

It made this meltdown look like a little tantrum.

How bad was it?

Well, the next week I sent my friend a "thank you for answering all my crazy hair texts" card.

I'm not joking.

I told you with Treat you can make a card for anything.

 4. In April, Shad and I started getting really focused (yes, gazelle intense if you are a Dave Ramsey nerd) and paying down on the debt from Collin's accident and all the testing I had done when I was sick.

Paying down medical debt stinks.

With car debt, you may have a car to show for all your efforts.

With credit card debt, you may have a few accessories or something for your house to keep you company as you pay down your debt.

With some medical debt, you may have a nip or tuck or maybe a face that looks constantly surprised.

With my medical debt, all I got was a crummy allergy and an inhaler!!!

Note to self: That would make an awesome tshirt.

Maybe some day I will write about the whole experience, but for now Shad and I are really growing through it all, working as a team, and learning a lot about each other.



5. Remember how I was trying to lose 50 pounds before my 30th birthday? Well I didn't.

Wah Wah Wah Wahhhh.

However, I did lose the 50 pounds before my 32nd birthday. Yay! It's amazing what not being able to eat an entire food group can do.

I realize the customary thing to do right here would be to post a before and after picture, but I'm not.

When I turned 30, I realized I had spent an entire decade feeling bad about myself and my struggle with my weight. I just didn't want to do that any more.  Maybe one day I will have the right words to say about it all, but right now I just don't have them.  What I can say is that I was awesome before and I am still awesome 50 pounds lighter...........and humble too.



6. This year, I knew my birthday would be scaled back so we could continue to pay on the medical debt.  After having a small pity party, I decided to give for my birthday.

I passed out "shine" signs to different people in my life, and it was hands down the best birthday ever.  I will definitely have to write more about it later.

7. In June, our good friends moved to another state.

 I am so happy for them and this brand new, amazing opportunity that the Lord has provided for them and their family.

Did that sound believable?

Good. That was my "I'm a mature adult" answer.

Sometimes though, I'm not so mature and a lot selfish and just want to say, "This stinks!"



8.  In July, we took our annual big trip south.  We all spent a week at my Mamaw's, and then the boys and I went to GA for a couple weeks.

The whole trip was so refreshing and fun, but my week at Mamaw's was really special.  One morning, my Mamaw and I went to Bojangle's and ate breakfast.  I really need to write about it.

Note to self: Bojangle's post title ideas...."Country Ham with a Side of Love", "Tuesdays with Mamaw", "And I Said What About Breakfast At Bojangles."


Well, I think that's about everything from my break.

Hey look! I wrote a whole post! Woohoo! Take that writer's block.

I'm glad to be back.

Oh! And in case I have never said it, thanks for reading my ramblings and being patient with me.  I hope you had a great summer too.  

Blessing #223 - The Reading Nook Bench

Friday, I shared how we are making over the boys rooms for the Christmas present.

What?

It's January and we are still working on their Christmas present?

I know. I know.

Anyway, we live in a house that is about 150 years old.  It's beautiful.  It's quaint, and sometimes it's a little crazy.

The boys rooms are side by side.  You have to walk through Collin's room to get to Brandon's room.  There's no actual door between their rooms, but a little landing.

This picture isn't really a before pic.  This picture was after I had cleaned out the area and painted it.

Originally, we had a cheap book shelf on that tall wall, but that didn't work at all so I boxed up the important books and gave the shelf to Goodwill.

Parenting Lesson Learned: Never put a bookshelf with precious keepsake memory books in a room alone with two little wild men.

The landing is kind of awkward.  Let me show you the other wall you can't see in the previous picture.

Yep, two doors on the same wall. Nope, they don't match. Yes, the one door is so high off the ground my entire dust pan can fit under it.  Like I said, 150 year old houses can be crazy, but isn't that one latchy door nob on the right just gorgeous!?!

Because the space was so awkward, I really didn't know if I was even going to do anything with it, but one day, B was talking to Shad about his hopes for the new room and said, "Dad, I would really like a place to read."

When Shad told me that, I said, "Wait! That's all I need to know!"

See, I am not only a math nerd, but I am also a book nerd.  I love, looooove, LoOoOoOoVe books, and I always have.

When I was in the sixth grade, I had a notebook where I kept record of all the books I read and I wrote little reviews of each book.  I still remember that I read 65 books that year.

What?

No, I was not very popular in middle school. Why do you ask?

Yes, I love books.  If Brandon showed the slightest interest in reading, I was going to run with that.

I asked my friend if she saw any ideas of book nooks on Pinterest to send them my way.  She then suggested me, "What about a crib mattress?"

I really didn't think it would fit, but the crib mattress was in the attic so I had to try.

Do you see it? No, not the dirt on the mattress. It fits. The mattress fits perfectly!!! I couldn't believe it! My friend that suggested it was my new hero!!!

I knew I would like to get the mattress off the ground, but I really didn't want to spend much money for a base.  Also, I needed a base that was movable if I needed to get into that door. When I told Shad about it, he suggested I use some plastic crates he had saved for me at his work.

I laid the crates out and realized it would take two rows of three crates, but fortunately, we had enough!

The crates were nice, but I really wanted them to be the same color so my good friend spray paint saved the day!

A while ago, my mother-in-law gave me a few cans of orange spray paint when it didn't work for a project.  Orange was a perfect splash of color for the book nook...especially free orange!

YaY! I found an awesome gray chevron crib sheet from Target for $15, and the pillow is from our living room that graduated to this space.

The blanket is a teal blanket from TJ Maxx for $15.

The crates are attached to each other with zip ties.  The crate base probably isn't strong enough to support two adults, but for two little boys, the crates work.

B was so thrilled with the bench! When we loaded the books into the crates, B said, "I am putting my fiction books in this crate, and my non-fiction books in the other crate."

I don't think I've even been prouder.  I almost said, "Yeah! Great idea! Do you want to use the dewey decimal system or the library of congress system?" I reigned in my nerdiness though and just gave him a big kiss.

As thrilled as I was with the crates, I knew it needed one more step.

A pop of polka dot fabric! I wanted a pin dot, but Hobby Lobby didn't have it. This big dot works though.

The fabric was about $4.  The orange pillow is a pillow cover from Hobby Lobby that I used a 40% off coupon to make it about $4 or $5. Again, I used another pillow from our living room that was getting a little old to fill the pillow cover.

Suddenly, what was an awkward, wasted space, is now my new favorite space in the whole house!

The view out the window is gorgeous! I really wanted to space to feel magical like a special little hang out just for the boys.

I am just loving this bench and reading nook!

And so are the boys!

All the pictures of the bench perfectly styled are pretty, but I love this picture most of all.

This is how, I've been finding the bench every morning piled with B's sleeping bag, stuffed animals, dinosaur book, and a flash light. B has been falling asleep there every night, and I couldn't be happier.

If you are keeping track, the total spent on this bench was...

crib sheet $15
blanket $15
fabric $4
foam core board (to put fabric on) $3
pillow cover $5
TOTAL $42

The Reading Nook is not done yet.  I still have to dress the walls, and I might do something fun with the ceiling.

I just love that a wasted, awkward space is being filled with many supplies I already had to make something magical!

Blessing #222 - B's Dresser

This year for Christmas, we decided to give the boys a room makeover. Their rooms were struggling majorly, and they were both really excited for it.

For the past three weeks since we got back from Georgia, Shad and I have been working in their rooms.  I can't wait to share several projects, but first I will start with Brandon's dresser.

Here's what we started with....

It's a mid-century modern $5 yard sale find! I'm terrible about taking before pictures so Shad snapped this picture for me right before he sanded the drawers.

When we asked Brandon's opinion for his room, he wanted camouflage and hunters. At first, I was really not excited about that style.  I wanted a bold orange and navy combination, however it wasn't my room so camouflage it was.

Shad and I brainstormed for the room, and decided to do rustic camouflage.  When I showed Shad East Coast Creative's Anthropology Knock Off Ordinal Dresser, he loved it, and we decided to try that on B's dresser.

First I painted the shell with black chalk board paint.  I really wasn't sure how this dresser was going to turn out, and the chalkboard paint would give me a solid black look or a different look when it was primed with chalk.

Shad sanded the drawers and I stained them with weathered oak stain.  Weathered oak was gray but not too gray.

I painted the numbers, and finished the drawers with polyurethane.  The hardware was problematic and we debated over what kind of hardware to use for a couple days.  Finally, we found a knob that we both really liked.

Here's the finished product!

This picture is more true to the actual color of the drawers, and I had to put the decoy we got B for Christmas on there!

Until I painted the numbers, I was really unsure about how this dresser was going to look.  I'm so pleased with how my knock off of East Coast Creative's knockoff  looks! It's just perfect for the rustic look we are going for in B's room.

Blessing #221 - Christmas Home Tour 2013

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! I just love Christmas! I am the designate Christmas Nut in our family! Every family needs a Christmas Nut.

This Christmas, we are going to be in Georgia, and although I've been so excited for Christmas, I just didn't have decorating motivation.  Last Thursday though, I decorated up some mantles.  I decided to just use what I had and go with it.

Here are a few Christmas scenes from our house.

Originally, my Christmas pyrex display was pink flamingo, green, and white, but it became this hodge podgy mix of pieces....AND I LOVE IT!

Normally, I have some chalkboard art in my pantry, but this year with my apron collection, I decided to close the door and add a little tree.

This shelf isn't perfect, but my motto for decorating this Christmas was, "Close enough!" I had to have one of my favorite Buddy the Elf quotes somewhere in my house!

This fall, I found a lot of wooden ornaments, Shad and I both loved them and I love how they are showing up in our Christmas displays.

The nativity is one of my favorites.

In the dining room, I didn't plan on decorating this mantle, but I had some gold sticks, a gold sign, and my nativity. They looked surprising good together.  The green on the bucket kind of messes with your eyes, but I just didn't feel like painting it....Close Enough!

My most favorite addition to our decorations is in the dining room.  Shad and I have been looking for ceramic Christmas trees at yard sales for as long as we've been yard saling. Then one magical day in an over 50 community yard sale...we found three!

Both Shad and I remember our Grandmothers having one of these.  I just love that we have them in our house!

OH! When I bought the white one in the middle, the guy told me, "I used to sell those trees door to door at Christmas time. They were made my prisoners at a local prison, and I worked there."

I just looked at him, "Are you telling me the tree was made by prisoners? That just makes me love it more!!!"

We still have our eyes out for more trees to add to our collection.

On our dining room table, we put a pink poinsettia that our landlord gave us.

In our hallway, I also put another one in an old mop bucket.

On our tree, I changed out the mesh and ribbon.  When we put it up the middle lights were out.  I didn't have time to fix it, and really wanted to get the tree up so....Close Enough! This is our tree before we put all our special ornaments on it.

For our mantle, I planned on doing the same mantle from last year, but then I really wanted to show off my wooden ornaments.

I went nuts when I saw how they looked in the Dr. Pepper crate. I love it!

Here is a full view of our fire place.  We put a little heater in there just to knock off the chill sometimes.  (We can't light a fire in the fire place)

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my house.  You can find last years tour here. 

I'm sharing this post with A Thoughtful Place.