Blessed Chaos

simplifying

2010-08-31T21:01:00.000-04:00

As we prepare to move I am doing a lot of weeding. Not garden variety weeding, the indoor kind.

All those items in the dark corners of our closets? That I haven't seen since we moved in to this house over three years ago? Those items are going.

The crazy number of dishes I have? Slimming down, majorly.

The clothes in my closet that haven't touched my body in a year. Going.

Supposedly most people only wear 20% of their wardrobe. I fall into that category, so the 80% that I don't wear? Passed on to friends or charities.

The handbags that lined the top shelf of my closet? I'm sticking with 4, one for each season.

Simplifying.

That's what we are doing. Not just with our stuff, but with the way we live.

Our hope is that our smaller space will be more functional.

That we will live a bit more thoughtfully and intentionally.

That we will protect our lives from getting cluttered with stuff both exterior and interior.

For me to do that I need to cut out a few things in my own life.

One of those things is going to be this blog.

I started Blessed Chaos in March of 2007 after we moved from Florida. It was a good way to keep our friends there updated on our family and our church planting adventures.

It became a fun outlet for me. It also became a great way for me to document the life of our family in photo's and stories for posterity. I mean, my oldest is nearly 8 and he still doesn't have a baby album! This has been my virtual family album. Much more to my liking than creating a photo album.

It also connected me to a number of moms-of-kids-with-Ds blogs and for a time I really needed that. I was still processing various aspects of having a child with Down syndrome for years after Bean was born. It was good to have a platform to write about that, to tell Bean's story, to advocate for Bean and other's with Down syndrome.

As time marched on I just didn't have as much to say about Ds anymore. Ds is a part of our lives and while it's a big deal. It's also not a big deal. Bean is Bean.

And eventually, this blog gave me a place to start sharing some of my home ideas, updates, projects, and to connect with so many wonderful DIY bloggers out there.

For a while this blog was having a major identity crisis as my life and interests were changing and developing.

After Green Seed Creations was born last July I have tried to maintain this blog and take it back to it's original purpose of documenting and writing about our family.

I think, however, that in simplifying my life, it is time to end this blog. Or at least take an indefinite break.

I have been a bit half hearted in developing Green Seed Creations. Partly because it's just been a crazy summer and now we're moving, the kids will be going through new adjustments, etc.

But. . . It is something I want to give more attention toward. And with our impending move next week to a radically different home than we live in now, it just seems like a good time to stop writing here at blessed chaos.

I am looking forward to documenting the changes we make to our Quinby Cottage as we make them. It is going to be slow and steady and require a good bit of creativity to make our new, smaller space work for our family of five. And as I do that, I hope to slowly develop my business.

So, for now, it's goodbye from Blessed Chaos. I am not going to delete the blog. I can be fickle and may want to pick it back up one day. So, it'll be here and I may pop in from time to time to give an occasional update but nothing regular will be going on.

If you want to follow the renovation of our new place and see how things are developing business wise then please follow me over at Green Seed Creations.

I'd really love to have you there!

Remembering. . .

2010-08-30T18:45:00.001-04:00

It feels like yesterday in many ways. The smells, the sounds, the people, the activity, I remember it all very clearly.

I woke up at 4.30am, after a very sleepless night at the Ronald McDonald House, to shower and prepare for a long and uncertain day. We had to have Bean to pre-op by 5.30 am. It was a big day for him.

The night before, after having dinner with friends from Gainesville who came to be with us, I was sitting in their hotel room with Bean. My friend, Kim, and I were loving on him when he offered the sweetest smile. It was his first. It was as if, after five months of struggling to stay alive, he knew what was coming and was excited.

When I woke, that smile was the first thing I thought about and it kept me going all day.

My little Bean had been in heart failure since the day he was born (two months premature) and hadn’t had the energy to smile. His smile the previous night was a sneak peak of what I could expect post-op and it gave me confidence that morning. It was a day I had been dreading yet I woke up ready for it. Partly because I just wanted it behind us and partly because I knew Bean was finally going to be able to take a deep breath without turning blue, eat without sweating, begin the big business of growing and learning and laughing. I could hardly wait.

But first we had to get through August 31, 2005. It was a long day and I remember almost every detail. I remember Bean’s whimpers as they stuck him repeatedly trying to find veins in his dehydrated little body. I remember wishing I could feed him. I remember the moment pastor j and I had to hand him over to the o.r. nurse. I remember every call to the parent waiting room letting us know what was happening. "He’s sedated. . . he’s on bypass. . . he’s opened up. . .patches are on and looking good. . . Dr. Q. is closing. . .he’s off bypass. . . Dr. Q. will be out to see you soon."

the day after surgery, getting his bandages changed

In between all that, much time passed. I remember pacing the halls. I remember where I stood on the outside deck to talk with my parents and give them an update. I’m pretty sure that was the first time all day I broke down. I remember wandering the halls and seeing every t.v. streaming the devastation in New Orlean’s after Hurricane Katrina. It was surreal, to see the devastation a few states away caused by natural disaster and to look around the children’s hospital where so many kid’s were fighting for their own lives because their bodies had betrayed them in one way or another. The realities of a fallen world.

But that day, five years ago, wasn’t about me. It was about my Bean. About his tenacity and his strength. He was 9 pounds and some change at five months old. His cardiologist wanted to get him to a year because kids do better with open heart surgery with a little more weight on them, but Bean had other plans. His little ticker, the size of a walnut, just couldn’t make it that long. And, I’m pretty sure he was just itching to play with his older brother.

That day, as with every day since his birth, Bean taught us about perseverance, hard work, love, patience, acceptance and trust. He came through it all beautifully and, after a few hiccups in picu, woke up ready to eat, play, and explore.

getting ready for home therapy a few months after surgery

Five years later, he works just as hard. He works hard in therapy, in school, and at play. He embraces life and all of us fortunate enough to be in his world. I have watched him impact so many with his warmth, love, and acceptance. What a privilege to be Bean’s mom!

saying goodbye to his teacher of more than two years who had such an impact on him

ready for his first day of kindergarten

And, what a privilege to have access to the kind of medical technology that makes it possible to open up the chest of a 5 month old baby and apply pig skin patches to the holes in his tiny little heart, thereby correcting the flow of blood, and prolonging his life. Amazing!

playing with his brothers in the mountains

*******************

Bean saw his cardiologist last week for an echocardiogram and general check up. We were thrilled to get the news that his heart has healed so perfectly that unless a doctor was looking for those patches she/he would likely not see them. The tissue has grown over the patches so well that even if he experiences some leaks at any point in the future it would be a very different scenario than what we faced five years ago. After Bean took over the appointment by listening to the doctor’s and nurse’s heart with their stethoscope they sent us on our way and told us we didn’t have to return for two years! Two years!

It’s a great feeling!

oh happy day

2010-08-22T21:13:00.001-04:00

last thursday spinner and bean had their last first day of school in our current school district. for three weeks they will be in the same school.

while we are psyched about moving we are a little sad that these two will go back to being in different schools.

they were really excited to go back to school. bean even did his happy dance when pastor j was getting him dressed.

tank was none to happy that his big brothers were off to school and he was not. he doesn't start until sept. 7 but could not give a rip about that right now. all he knows right now is that his brothers get dropped off everyday and he doesn't.

knowing the first day would be a tough one for tank his nonnie had him over for is own special day.

he's trying hard here, folks.

after spinner and wil were dropped and tank was satisfied that he, too, would have a fun day i hit the road.

i love my kids. i also love a day to myself.

i headed north and one hour later pulled in here. . .

i'm pretty sure the heaven's parted and i heard the angels singing.

i had two goals.

1. find a section of butcher block for a kitchen work station i'm making out of an old dresser.

2. find some inspiration from their showroom kitchens and come home with

some space saving items for our kitchen-to-be.

beautiful.

after two hours i had my oak butcher block, kitchen space savers, and some bedding for tank.

mission accomplished!

with a 50 cent hot dog in hand, i hit the road and was home in time to pick up the boys from school and tank from nonnies.

they had a great day.

so did i.

changes

2010-08-17T19:52:00.000-04:00

This is what things are looking like around here lately. There is a good reason, though. We sold our house! It didn't come easy. The selling of our home nor the "finding" of another. The home we have had a contingency contract on all summer. . . the home that I envisioned our family in. . . the home that I had fully decorated in my mind. . . was sold out from under us. It's a complicated story, but in short, we came down on our price drastically in order to sell to a family that couldn't go any higher. We only did this because the seller's of the home we had a contract on agreed to come down enough to make it doable for us. We signed the contract for the sell of our home and the re-negotiated contract for the home we were purchasing. In the tiny little window of time between our signing the contract and it getting to them to sign they received word that they had someone else coming for a second viewing of their house. They decided to hold off on signing the renegotiated contract with us. And, you guessed it, they received another offer. We could have still had the house since we had the first contract on it but it would have been at the original offer. Which we could no longer do because we dropped our own sell price so significantly.

So, what can you do but go out and find another house? And that's exactly what we did. We spent a day with our agent moving from house to house in search of a home for our family. We found one that we all liked and made an offer that afternoon. Our offer was accepted and everything has been smooth sailing since.

We were pretty peeved when the owner's of the other house reneged on their verbal agreement with us. But things tend to work out, don't they? While I was at our new house meeting with the inspector and our agent I was told that the inspection on the other house was pretty bad. Lot's of issues, including structural. I tried hard to refrain from breaking out into a big grin. Not because I was glad they were having to deal with that. But because, wow, we were spared from having to deal with that. Our inspection? Nearly perfect.

It was pretty affirming. It was a great reminder to me that just because there are difficulties, bumps in the road, even detours, it doesn't mean the Lord's not at work. He most definitely is.

Additionally, His work, is broader than just getting out little family settled.

I know, duh!

I am thrilled that the family moving into our home got their dream house. They are a military family, the husband is an army chaplain and just returned from Iraq. They have three children, one with special needs, and the husband is also a cyclist and runner, just like pastor J. Knowing our neighborhood, filled with military families, I know they will love it here. And I am really happy for them!

The Lord's timing is perfect. It's awesome to see how he works things out!

We move in a few weeks so I have a lot to do. The boys start school tomorrow, in this district, but will be changing schools when we move downtown. I am doing some major purging and selling and cleaning out as we are moving into a much, much smaller home.

I am excited about making 1700 sq. ft. functional for our family. It will take some creativity, to be sure. I already have several idea's floating around. If you want to keep up with the how-to's of maximizing a small space I'll be documenting it all over at green seed creations.

Deedah

2010-08-15T22:20:00.000-04:00

Deedah is a 26 minute documentary about siblings. One of them has Down syndrome. One of them does not. Their relationship reminds me of Spinner and Bean. I haven't seen the full documentary but have it ordered.

All three boys sat with me to watch this trailer. Half way through the second viewing Spinner said, "this just makes me smile."

It makes me smile, too.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T15:14:00.000-04:00

summer!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

traveling with boys

Monday Miscellany

2010-07-12T11:11:00.000-04:00

1. The last five months we have had 30 some odd families look at our home. It goes something like this. A phone call from our agent that someone wants to see the house in an hour, sometimes more. Me getting the only workout I fit in these days trying to clean up 2700 sq. ft while simultaneously preventing my three muskateers from undoing my work. Prospective buyers come and go. We receive feedback that is positve. In the end they decide to go with one of the other gazillion homes available in our neighborhood. It's been a blast.

2. I went to Hobby Lobby two weeks ago to pick up some things for Green Seed and, lo and behold, they had Christmas decor out. No, really. It was right next to all the 4th of July decor. I found myself wondering where we would be at Christmas. Will I be decorating our current home? Or the one we have a contract on but cannot move forward with until we sell? Hmmmm. . . I love the unknown.

(the reason it looks like he's standing in a cloud is b/c he was. We had crazy dense fog this morning!)

3. Spinner is attending zoo camp this week. I will be spending the week trying to explain to Tank why he cannot go to zoo camp. Tank is super repititous in his questions and complaints and, despite receiving an answer, repeats his question and/or complaint until he just plain wears out.

4. Everyone in our household has had pink eye at least once over the past three weeks. Three of us have had it twice.

5. We live on a street with primarily older kids. Spinner, already counting the days until he gets his drivers license, refers to these kids as his 'friends' even though he spends very little time with them and doesn't know their names. One of his 'friends' offered him wine, from a gatorade bottle, the other day. They are no longer 'friends.'

6. We think bed bugs may have traveled home with us from our mountain vacation. A real compliment to the ever present pink eye. And such a joy to have more laundry to do.

7. Because my brain has turned to mush I forgot, not once but twice, to take Bean to his scheduled (then rescheduled) eye appointment. Because we only have one pediatric opthamologist in town they take 'no show's' very seriously and said we were being kicked out of their practice. I had to beg, plead, and borrow to get one more chance. His appointment is this Thursday. If I forget this time we will be driving to Charleston for eye appointments.

8. Bean has become the kissing bandit. I anticipate this becoming a problem. Not for us and his favorite teacher but for the random strangers we encounter in public. For some reason they haven't been very receptive to his overtures.

And the beat goes on. . .

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

anticipation

returning the blog for it's rightful purpose

2010-07-05T17:23:00.004-04:00

this blog started out to serve as updates on our family, the boys, and life with a child with down syndrome.

it's been a place to document the fun and funny stuff and the changes in our family, for posterity sake. eventually i started sharing my own interests, namely what i'm doing around the house, what i'm creating for the house, what i'm painting, etc.

those interests have led to the opening of green seed creations. i have created a blog that will be dedicated to that endeavour so that this little place can be given back to the happenings of my family.

they may occasionally overlap, as they do in real life, but i will try to keep them separate.

i had a booth at a craft fair over the weekend. they boys were out for part of it. here's what Spinner and Tank enjoyed.

i was talking to a customer in the booth when tank came running up to me with his war paint on. he growled a big growl and gnashed his teeth. as you can see he has an american flag painted on his face. this confused me. i asked pastor j if tank knew what was on his face. i was told that, yes, he picked out the image himself. tank growled at me again, wanting to be acknowledged, so i said, "whooaaahh! what a scary, um, flag you are!" he got mad at me saying, "no flag. tiger. no flag. tank tiger."

yes, tank, you are a scary, scary tiger. roar!

green seed creations

2010-06-10T19:26:00.002-04:00

i mentioned a couple posts ago that i was thinking about "starting something."

well, that "something" has been started.

Green Seed Creations

after getting accepted to a local juried indie craft fair (meaning a "jury" selects participants based on pictures of their work) i decided to dive right in to the whole small business thing.

i applied for my retail license and now have that in hand. in short, my plan is to take time worn furniture along with dated accessories and give them new life. additionally, i will take salvaged wood and other materials to create new items for home and garden. there will be more on my vision for the business later, along with a new site dedicated specifically to green seed creations!

right now, with my first craft fair coming up july 4, i have to get busy! for my first show i will be sticking with small items. here is a bit of what i have been working on.

the "stuff" piece is a shelf with hooks, in case that isn't clear. :) formally a dated oak piece.

various tray's with a twist

wreath's

rustic, distressed table

one of many signs

lot's of whimsical distressed frames

transformed terracotta pots. top is painted white, the bottom is chalkboard trimmed in braided jute. lots of fun uses for this one!

and here is pastor j's creation. . . my new logo. i'm loving it!

so, if you are in or around columbia come out and see me on july 4 at the village of sandhills for crafty feast!

let the summer begin

2010-06-08T20:59:00.004-04:00

School is out, marking the official start of summer. Although, Spinner argued with me for 10 minutes that technically it is still Spring.

"Right," I said, but it's summer break.

"Well, maybe it shouldn't be called that until June 21 when summer really starts," replied Spinner.

"Mmmm, maybe, but if it's okay with you I am still going to refer to the next few weeks as summer."

"I gueeeess," moaned Spinner as if he was having to make too big a compromise.

And so begins our summer. Methinks it's going to be a long one! To fill our days we created our summer to do list and posted it in the kitchen.

We kicked things off today with a trip to a local spray park.

It's a really fun place with lot's of whimsical trees, shapes and animals all spewing water for kids to dance and frolick in.

Bean had a great time!

Tank, turning a wheel that controls the rate at which water pours from another contraption nearby. He was a little devilish with this one as he watched the other kids react.

Spinner getting dumped on.

A moment of brotherly love. I'll take all I can get.

They had a great time, asking when we could return as soon as we left.

The fun, however, really began later in the evening. After the littles went to bed, exhausted, Spinner went out with Pastor J for a bike ride. Their plan was to go 6 miles. Pastor J running while Spinner rode his bike. I was happy to have approximately one hour to sit in a quiet house and enjoy the sushi I just picked up. Alone.

I had just taken my last bite of sushi when the front door swung open. Standing in the doorway was Spinner, bloody. His entire neck was covered in red and his face was squished in anquish. Pastor J was telling him to try not to scream, knowing that waking up Bean and Tank would only add to the drama. That was a hard request for him to honor.

I took him in the bathroom and for the next 20 minutes worked to clean him up to figure out exactly where his cuts were and how deep they were. While doing so he explained to me through tears and a shakey voice that he was going down a hill toward a wooden bridge and felt so out of control he couldn't think straight and forgot about his brakes. Then. . . he slammed into a wooden crossbeam on the bridge. Poor thing had to get up and ride his bike home.

Here he is all cleaned up.

Right around his adam's apple is the biggest cut. It didn't seem big enough for a suture but was still a bit deep so Papa was called to bring over some butterfly closures and give a second opinion.

Uber prepared, he came with his massive kit and determined that due to the location of the cut, in the fold of his neck, a simple bandaid was all that was needed.

And so begins our summer vacation.

Just living

2010-05-19T19:44:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm fine!

No, I haven't given up blogging.

No, we aren't in the middle of moving. Sigh. . .

Yes, our house is still on the market.

No, I'm not lost in projects.

Yes, school is almost out.

No, I haven't run away from home.

Thanks for the email love and concern. Hope that answers everyone's questions. :)

So, where have I been? What have I been doing, you ask? Well, I don't really know, time has just slipped away from me.

How's that for an answer?

Here's what I've come up with for you:

1. We have had upwards of 35 people view our home so that keeps me on my toes for sure. But, STILL. NO. OFFER! But you know what? It's okay. I'm just not worried about it. The Lord has definitely given me a peace about it. And I gotta tell ya, that is not my normal state of being. Normally I would be worried sick that the house we have a contract on will get snatched out from under us before ours sells. But I'm not. I'm not going to question it or analyze it. I'm just grateful for the peace and increased faith.

2. I stole away to the beach for nearly four whole days with 18 friends for our church's Spring Women's Retreat. A really good time.

3. The boy's are wrapping up school so I have been thinking through summer plans and taking advantage of my last few weeks of free time.

4. I have worked on a few projects. I spruced up three lamps around the house. The jobs involved spray paint, white cotton fabric, and spray adhesive. I love how they turned out - they look very anthro. When I'm feeling less lazy I'll get some pictures for ya.

5. I have also been messing around in the yard and playing with my plants. In an effort to keep some of my fav perennials when we move I have divided and moved some to pots.

6. I have been toying with the idea of opening a small business. Small. Ran the idea by a banker friend last week who works with small business owners to get some feedback. There, I have said it out loud. I'll let ya know more about that later.

7. I have been trying to fit in more exercise. I'm working up to running a couple miles at one time while Pastor J is cycling and running ridiculous amounts.

Next week he is participating in the Assualt on Mt. Mitchell. Doesn't that just sound like so much fun? Not. A few days after that he is competing in the rock2rock run outside of Asheville. In between we are caving up in a cabin with the boys. Taking a break from everything.

So, that's a quick run down. Once we return from our mini vacay I plan to get back in the blogging saddle. And once we move, assuming we do indeed get the house we have a contract on, I look forward to blogging about all the changes that'll be going on to make the new house our home.
I have requested a compound miter saw and nail gun for my birthday so I have big plans! :) Those two items, by the way, will be of great help to me in my small business. hint hint.

Okey Doke! See you in a couple weeks!

Spring Mantel Therapy

2010-04-07T22:42:00.004-04:00

We have had a depressing few days around here.

For about 48 hours things were looking good on the real estate front.

We made an offer on a house.

Someone made an offer on our house.

Negotiations ensued.

The offer we made (which was a good one) was denied. Not countered, denied flat out.

We countered the offer made on our house. They countered back. We countered again. They walked away. We were so close and they walked away.

Now, you know, the moment we made an offer and received an offer I started mentally packing my house and decorating the house-to-be.

I have had a hard time undoing all I accomplished in my mind!

The only cure was to get back to tinkering around here. To refocus my energies.

The object of my attention? The mantel.

It needed some sprucing. A touch of Spring. Some newly painted objects.

First, I took an old shutter that I have had laying around and flipped it so the back faced out. I love the old worn out wood and the natural backdrop it provides.

I grabbed a few old brass candlestick holders. You have all seen them. They are a dime a dozen at any antique/thrift/junk store. I cleaned them up and spray painted them white.

I also took an old vase that was really hideous, black fake crackle with gold trim and some sort of bold floral print, and painted it white. I bought it a few years ago at a discount pottery store. I have no idea what I saw in it. It's been sitting on a shelf in the garage until yesterday when it was saved. I cut branches from some bushes on the side of our house to bring in some greenery.

I also pulled out a few of my blue bottles. The one on the right has some thyme in it, from my garden. The two frames received a light coat of white paint as well, then got a slight sanding to bring the wood through.

I threw some shells around, hung a few plates I picked up on clearance from TJ Maxx many moons ago, and called it done.

Of course, you and I both know it's not done. Just looking at this picture I know I am going to go back and tinker with the right side. It needs a touch of something else. Hmmm . . .

I'm linking up over at the Nester's Mantel Party!

Bean turns five

2010-03-31T12:53:00.000-04:00

Five years ago today I went in to see my perinatologist for what had become a routine look at Bean. We had been doing this little routine for five weeks; non-stress test, 3D ultrasound to check on the size of some unusually large organs, a measure of the blood velocity in his brain to monitor anemia. All of these things, we thought, were related to the antibodies I had developed in my bloodstream that were not being very kind to our little Bean.

Nothing about this pregnancy had been typical. Conception occured on our fourth (and would be last) cycle of fertility treatments, at 27 weeks we determined he was sick due to my antibodies, and on this day five years ago the atypical nature of my pregnancy with Bean continued.

When I went in for that routine visit my doctor reviewed everything with an even more somber contenance than he usually wore and rushed me to labor and delivery. I was 32 weeks along.

Within an hour our boy was with us. You can read all about his birth story here, then here, followed by here and here.

Today, he is five!

Today, he is full of life.

Today, he is one of the boys.

Today, he is a student.

Today, he has defined his interests and horseback riding reigns!

Today, he plays with gusto.

Today, his favorite cake is chocolate!

Today, my Bean is five and he is well loved!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAN!!

blooming and growing

2010-03-25T20:47:00.002-04:00

We are happy to be experiencing the first breaths of Spring around here. With longer days and Bradford Pears in bloom we know, without doubt, that we are about to witness the unveiling of Spring in all it's beauty. We will watch tiny buds turn into leaves on all our favorite trees and perennials burst through the thawing ground with a rainbow of color. We get to add to the rainbow of color with beautiful annuals that will bring us pleasure until Fall's first frost. We get to watch our planted seed peak through the soil to grow tall and proud and fill our home with color and frangrance. I love it all.

I have been getting the house ready for Spring. Bringing flowers in (from the grocer since we have no blooms yet!) to brighten things up.

Giving my favorite little birdie a new slate blue spring dress. Isn't she purty? She came from the dollar store. All sad and chalky white. I sprayed her with my favorite color and added a little dimension to her wings with some mocha craft paint. (The green frame up top, by the way, also from the dollar store. It was a yucky two toned brown before I hit it with some green)

Then I perched her in my grandmother's silver sugar bowl atop some cushy green moss.

But really, this time of year, I take my tinkering from inside to outside (before it gets too hot to tolerate).

These pots are all waiting to be filled with some flowery goodness. Our nurseries are just now stocking up. So while my pots wait, I gave them a little color.

It's a disease I tell ya! If I don't paint at least one thing a day. . . well, my day feels incomplete. Not yet finished. Like something was missing. And if I can't find anything around here to paint? I go to my mom's and paint her stuff. It's true. Just ask her.

The front porch is getting a little love, too. The old shutter I found at a junk place around here, the broom was handmade and was gifted to me by my mom. No, she didn't make the broom but requested it be made from this great little country store a half hour from here. And the pot is from a guy at our now defunct Farmer's Market. Love the patina on it.

Soon, my ferns will be out in their usual spots but for now I am enjoying playing with this space.

Look what I found outside. It's amazing that such tender leaves find their way through the firm winter ground.

This is my Black Eyed Susan. Love the way this stuff spreads.

And lookey lou, lots of Shasta Daisy! I actually thinned this out a ton and spread the glory into several pots so I can take some with me when we move.

Oh, and Cone Flower. Come on out Darling, I'm waiting!

So happy to see some green appearing on my Hydrangea after the winter we had!

And because I am so totally not patient and can't wait for the color to appear. . . I potted a minirose bush that will make the move with us.

It's exciting and daunting to see this sign in our yard! Exciting to begin the process of moving to the area of town where we are ministering. Exciting to have a clean slate, so to speak, to start fresh with decor. Exciting to settle into a neighborhood we hope to call home for many years to come. Exciting to enter this new season of growth.

Guess who else is growing?

Bean. He's about to turn Five! I can't believe it. We will celebrate by doing a few of his favorite things.

Spending the afternoon at Nonnie and Papa's, riding the horses, and eating cake.

Hope, you too, are enjoying the changes in your life!

random thoughts while trying on clothes today

2010-03-08T21:02:00.002-05:00

1. Dressing room light is really unforgiving.

2. A 40 year old should not be trying on babydoll dresses.

3. My knee caps are taking on the appearance of a Shar Pei.

4. All skirts and dresses must cover my knees from this point forward.

5. Wish I hadn't ignored lotion all winter.

6. Cap sleeve shirts are not my friend.

7. My upper arms have taken on the shape of my thighs.

8. I don't think a tan will help this.

9. Can I still call this baby weight?

10. I need to leave this store and go the the gym. Stat.

11. The Old Navy Modelquins freak me out.

quick wreath update

2010-03-02T18:44:00.000-05:00

For those of you that haven't received your wreath yet, thanks for your patience. I haven't forgotten. Had another sick kid home from school today and I am having trouble getting my hands on the size wreath forms I need. Apparently I bought up all that were available. As soon as some new shipments come in to my favorite spots I'll finish them up.

So. . . Susan, Danielle, Liza, and Elizabeth. . . I hope to get yours to you very soon!

Thanks again for supporting the Camacho's!

guest room/office, the neglect is over

2010-03-01T18:11:00.005-05:00

The guest room/office/dumping room has eluded me for some time now. I just haven't wanted to deal with it. But, now, as our house is facing round two on the market I decided it was time to face the music. It was time to make it a bit more inviting. As usual, with no extra funds, and frankly no real desire to spend money decorating a room we hope to leave, I shopped the house.

Here is what the room looked like last time we listed the house. This time last year.

Not a whole lot going on. Unless boring counts. There are no window treatements, no rug, not a lot on the walls, etc. You will notice the dresser over in the far corner. That got a face lift a couple months ago.

Much improved, no? I decided to get her out of the corner, so she could be showcased. You will also notice the bike tire in the far left corner? My husband doesn't know it yet but his beloved bike has found a new home in the garage.

There are a few other pieces in this room that aren't in the picture. A sage green desk, a red bookshelf, and a black bookshelf. Somehow I needed to pull it all together.

The transformation began with accesorizing the dresser.

The lamp received a coat of slate blue Rustoleum spray paint. So did the frame of the Charleston print leaning against the wall. I grabbed a red frame that was already boxed and put in one of my floral prints. And grabbed a few other items from around the house to add some layering on the dresser. To the left, instead of a bike, is a wooded ladder I purchased before Christmas when I went antiquing with my mom and aunts.

The quilt was flipped to the blue/white pin stripe side.

I didn't have a lot in the way of pillows to place on this bed. But I did have a colorful tea towel and some burlap. So I just wrapped some old pillows and pinned them in the back. I know. Real classy.

Don't tell anyone.

Next up, the window. I found a table cloth in my stash that had the exact colors to pull all my random pieces together. But I just had the one table cloth. I decided to do a mistreatment.

See the colors? Aren't they perfect?

I had a handful of upholstery tacks from another project so I pinned my table cloth to the right side of the window to soften the window and pull things together a bit.

I threw a shakey old desk chair in front and layered it with a few odds and ends and put the tall bookshelf in the corner.

And on the wall to he left of the window, over the side of the bed, I put up a frame I spray painted red and threw in some more of my vintage floral prints. Put them up with poster putty.

So, there you have it. All rooms are now staged and ready for a buyer.

Hmmm. . . now that I'm looking at these pictures I think my picture thingy next to the window needs to come down some. Go check out these sites for some great ideas while I go take care of that!

Linking up to Make it for Monday @ Cottage Instincts, Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

farm table gone coastal :: REVISED

2010-02-21T19:20:00.013-05:00

In a few weeks we will be putting our house back on the market.

This means two things.

1. I will be constantly cleaning and picking up behind my boys in an effort to not let things get too out of control so I don't have to run around like a mad woman trying to make the place look presentable before a prospective buyer comes by.

Whew, that was a mouthful.

2. Any big projects on my mental list will be put on hold as I am thinking it's not appealing to have my buffet sitting atop a drop cloth, partially primed, with all manner of paint supplies scattered about. Sigh.

So, when I saw Layla's table, my heart went aflutter and I knew what I had to do. One last painting project.

I wanted to give our farm table a new look.

It's a great table. Super sturdy and can take any and all abuse my boys throw at it. I know some people, Didi, will think painting it was a bad idea. But I was bored by it and really wanted to lighten it up. I'm really drawn to driftwood looks but have been too nervous to attempt it.

Then Layla at the Lettered Cottage did hers. And she gave a great tutorial!

With one exception, I followed her suggestions to the letter.

Here's what I did.

Sanded her down. I had some help with that part.

That's a spider man face painted on Spinner's cheek. He got it at Home Depot, of all places. We went in to pick up a couple things and turns out they were having a festival of sorts. Face painting, popcorn, hula hooping, balloons, music and dancing, and kids workshops. Go figure. So, fun times at Home Depot.

And, of course, being the dangerous work that sanding is Tank insisted on wearing his helmet.

After sanding it down to a nice smooth finish (I did not sand the legs) I applied a coat of poly. Poly first, you say? I wondered the same thing. It's so the color the poly gives it will show through rather than the raw, sanded wood color.

While the poly dried I painted the legs. I mixed some heavy cream Behr paint I had on hand with some white until I got the color I wanted.

After the poly was dry I used a mixture of paint and water (50/50) and put a coat on top. When that dried I dry brushed about 5 coats or so. This is where I veered a bit from Layla. Around the fourth coat of dry brushing I added a touch of mocha glaze to what was on my brush. I was wanting to darken it up just a smidge. Once that was dry I sanded until I got a look I was happy with.

Then I used Deft furniture protector stuff. I know it has an official name but I can't remember it. It's a lacquer rather than a poly. Then I sanded it a little more to remove some of the shine. It is supposed to look like a piece of driftwood, afterall. I'll let you be the judge of whether I achieved that look or not.

I am liking how it turned out. It's a big change. When we move we will go with different wall colors so I am looking foward to pulling together the whole look I have in mind. At some point. In some yet-to-be determined home. For now, I have to get this place cleaned up. The realtor's are coming over to photograph.

I'm linking up to Cottage Instincts, Between Naps on the Porch, Domestically Speaking, Mustard Seed Creations, and Funky Junk Interiors.

Revised :: 2.25.10

Okay, so after living with this table for two days I decided the top wasn't quite right. My desire for a driftwood, rustic look just didn't come through as well. It was nice but not quite enough contrast between the table top and the base.

Pastor J liked it but, being the awesome hubs that he is, was fine with me tweaking it. He's getting used to this and let's me have my fun without too much protest over the disruption of removed furniture and general dismay when I am in the middle of a project while keeping up with the boys.

The table top really started bugging me Tuesday night. I could barely get through the night. It was all I could do to keep myself from getting up at 2am when I woke thinking about how I would achieve the look I wanted. I was so anxious to get it right. After dropping the kids off on Wednesday morning I came home and got to work. Here is what I ended up with.

I'm not sure if the difference comes through very well in the photo. But it is different. Looks more like an old piece of wood dragged out of a trash pile. Which is what I wanted.

I like the contrast between the top and base much better.

Here's what I did.

Totally trial and error.

I sanded it down a bunch. 50 grit, followed by 80 grit, then 120 grit to smooth it out a bit. I didn't sand it clean. It was patchy. With various shades of white still as well as various shades of the original wood showing through. Also did some distressing of my own by using the edge of the sander to give it some real rough looking places. Then I grabbed some stain, Early American tint, and covered it all. I wasn't sure this would give me what I wanted but I was determined to use what I had on hand. I like how it turned out.

I was afraid the stain would make the white that was coming through look dingy but it gave it a nice warm brown look which looks great agains the darker brown of the original wood that received the stain. I also dry brused a little black paint (flat spray paint to be exact, cause that's what I had) around the corners and randomly around the edges.

Once my mom came by to give me a much needed second opinion I applied Deft for a protective finish.

And now, I'm happy with it and can move on with my life.

Left is the final-re-do, right was the first re-do

Spring is knocking on the door. . .

2010-02-20T17:22:00.000-05:00

can someone please let her in?

Thanks!

enjoying the small things

2010-02-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

i discoverd a new blog recently, enjoying the small things.

a well written blog with beautiful photography.

but, really, there are a lot of blogs out there that fit that description.

i think after reading this incredibly moving birth story you will agree that this is a pretty cool family.

wreath update

2010-02-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

In between doing laundry, wiping noses, administering antibiotics, doing laundry, pinning down Tank to torture him with eye drops, doing laundry, checking fevers, and, have I mentioned doing laundry (?), I am working on wreaths.

Our little fundraiser is in high gear and the orders are trickling in. This will be ongoing as the Camacho's continue to raise money for their adoption.

My kitchen table is overwhelmed with wreath making materials. If you want to add your name to the list it's not too late. Just follow the instructions here.

If you have already ordered one I will be contacting you soon.

Wreath Fundraiser and a Cool Family

2010-02-15T14:05:00.002-05:00

Styrofoam, Burlap, Fabric, and Buttons. I'm throwing it all together for a good cause.

Kenny and Meredith Camacho are among the first people we met when we moved to SC to plant a church. Not only have they been an integral and important part of the leadership and decision making of our young church, they have become good friends, great encourager's to us and people we admire.

Kenny is a PhD candidate in English with a specialty in 20th Century American Literature. He is also a part of our church worship team. Meredith teaches special needs kids at the high school level and helps out with our children's ministry. They have a beautiful little girl, Evangeline, who recently turned one. Now they are looking to grow their family.

I'll let Meredith tell you about it, "We're adopting because we want another child. God has been leading us to adoption since before we were married. We've been prayerfully considering adoption for a long time now, and we feel like He's leading us to do this now. Since we've begun this process, we've already seen God working a lot in us and through other people, and that's been really reassuring to us."

As you know, adoption is a costly endeavor. The Camacho's are faithfully pursuing ways to raise support to cover the costs ahead of them and have been encouraged to see the Lord's faitfulness and affirmation along the way.

This is where the wreath comes in. I made this whimsical wreath for my mother as a birthday gift. After I made it, and got to enjoy it in my home for a few days before gifting it to my mom, I started thinking about the possibility of making these as a fundraiser for the Camacho adoption fund.

And so, after talking with Meredith, that's what I'm doing. I wish I could remember where I first saw this wreath so I could give them credit. It was on a home decor blog that I found by clicking from one cool blog to the next. I didn't save it but have remembered it since and decided to put my own spin on it.

We are getting the word out in a few ways but I thought this might be a good place to start. So, for you local yocals that would like to purchase a wreath all you have to do is email me and let me know.( My email is over there to the right in the sidebar) They are $15 and every penny goes toward the Camacho adoption fund. If you live out of town and would like one I think we can arrange that, too. I need to check on shipping cost. We will just take it one order at a time and I will communicate final cost to you through email.

I can't do too much specialization but if there is a certain color you want me to stay away from please let me know. For example, if you just hate orange please tell me and I will avoid all manner of orange. Or if plaid makes you cringe, pass it on.

I already have one order so the cutting and glueing has begun. Now it's your turn.

For $15 you get a decorative, original wreath that can be hung anywhere and, more importantly, a chance to help a loving family bring their child home.

On behalf of the Camacho's, thanks for the support!

leaving things alone

2010-02-12T07:03:00.002-05:00

No. I can't leave things alone.

I'm always tinkering.

Today. . . I'm tinkering with this place, Blessed Chaos.

Well, I meaning my friend Lynn.

When I do the actual tinkering I generally have to ~~beg~~ ask her to undo what I messed up.

My next purchase is going to be HTML for dummies.

Anyway, things are a little out of whack here right now and they may stay that way for the weekend because Pastor J and I are headed to the mountains for an overnight.

Without the kids.

Or schedules.

Toodles. . .

It matters

2010-02-11T20:54:00.005-05:00

The use of the R-word is back in the limelight again.

By now I’m sure everyone has heard about Rahm Emanuel’s use/misuse of the word, followed by Sarah Palin’s rebuke, followed by a sit down with Disability Leader’s to discuss the damage this word causes.

Followed by Rush Limbaugh’s response, who called the meeting between Emanuel and Disability Leaders a "Retard Summit," followed by a letter from Tim Shriver, Chairman of the Special Olympics, appealing to Rush in much the same way he and other’s did to Emanuel.

Too much?

An over reaction?

Political Correctness gone mad?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

In many respects the r-word has gone the way of “moron” and “imbecile” and “idiot,” words that once medically described the cognitively impaired. These words were adopted by popular culture to describe something or someone dumb.

The r-word is definitely used by many in this way. “Oh, I can’t believe I did that. I’m so R,” “You look like a R wearing that!” And so on.

I think much of the time those that use it so cavalierly are not intending to make fun of someone with cognitive delays when it rolls off their tongue.

Or, at least, that’s what I’m told.

But isn’t that what using the word implies?

The word exists because it has been a diagnosis for people like my son for years.

It is associated with people like my son.

When it is thrown out as an insult or used in a pejorative way it’s done so because, in our minds, we associate it with people who have low IQ's.

It is one of the first things we were told after Bean's diagnosis. "Your son will have moderate to severe retardation."

That word.

Retarded.

It's a punch in the gut.

The first time I felt it was sitting in the family room in NICU listening to the doctor describe our precious boy.

The last time I heard it was yesterday as two middle school boys were walking by our house and one called the other a "retard" while acting out the meaning and laughing heartily.

Another punch in the gut as I realized that one day soon Bean will come to understand that he is the subject of the joke.

Still don't get it? Read this.

If you have a few minutes. . .

2010-02-09T15:24:00.002-05:00

please grab a seat and read this. It's written by our friend, Erik, from Four Oaks Community Church in Tallahassee, FL.

Are we on our way to repeating history?

My Awesome Dog: A Short Story by Spinner

2010-02-08T10:20:00.003-05:00

Have you seen my Awesome dog?

Hes a grat dog. I want to tell you all abowt him.

I codint take my eyes off of his hug horns. Becos they were so long. His expresson seemd to say he was very happy. Becose he was smiling like the sun. This fine specimen had 3 eyes. Becose he was an Alien dog!

That is the story about my Awesome dog.

The end.

The Winter Blues are Vintage Gray

2010-02-01T20:57:00.016-05:00

We have been a little puny around here lately. Mild stomach bugs in two of the boys, migraines for me, and general fatigue all around. Maybe winter blues are kicking in.

A sickly household hasn't stopped my project juices from flowing though. Maybe that means I'm obsessed. Lying in bed with my laptop perusing diy blogs while intermittently flipping through Country Living, Southern Living, Real Simple, BHG, Home catalogues. Nah. I'm just committed. Committed to creating surroundings that are comfortable, functional, beautiful, and warm.

Once I got off my duff I worked on a desk that I picked up for Spinner. I found it at His House thrift shop a few weeks ago and it has been waiting patiently for it's makeover. I was so excited to get going that I forgot to take a before picture. Oh well. You will just have to trust me that it was boring. Solid wood with wood block drawer pulls.

I painted the body Vintage Gray by Valspar and left the top natural. It's the same paint I used on Spinner and Bean's twin bed's last year.

Beds I found at a junktique shop. They were maple and really really shiney. Had to get rid of that. I went with the Vintage Gray not because it suits their current room/wall color but because I am thinking ahead. To the day we move. I'm banking on that happening within the next 6-7 months. I have big plans for our new home. No, I don't know where we will live yet. Or what the house will look like. What the space will be like. Or what projects will take priority. But like I said earlier, I have projects in mind. So what if some of them are for a yet to be determined home. My plan is for the boys room to be white board and batten - at least 2/3 of the wall - and I think this color, Vintage Gray, will look great against it.

Anyway, back to this project. I grabbed an old chair to use for his desk. It has been a number of colors, most recently black. I used that to my advantage since I was going to rough it up anyway. I thought the black and white and natural wood would look great coming through the gray.

I love it. And I love legs with lots of imperfections. Who says the prettiest legs are flawless? Not me, no-sir-ee.

Apart from a fresh paint job, some distressing, and glaze, I switched out the wooden block pulls for some brushed nickel pulls I found on clearence at Target. Much improved. Remember, you will just have to take my word for it!

Linking to

Between Naps on the Porch, Metamorphosis Monday
A Soft Place to Land, DIY Day
Domestically Speaking, Power of Paint Party
Mustard Seed Creations, Furniture Feature Friday
Funky Junk Interiors, SNS

looking ahead, way ahead

2010-01-29T13:59:00.003-05:00

Education for Bean is almost constantly on my mind.

Today, a press release from our hometown University put a smile on my face.

We are a long way from the college years but it's so good to see programs like these taking root.

eye candy

2010-01-20T16:56:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite pasttimes is grabbing my laptop, getting comfy on the couch and perusing the many home decor blogs at my finger tips. I'm not talking about professional interior design blogs, those are fun. What I really love are blogs written by all the creative women out there. With such varied styles. Creating a space they love while pinching pennies. Junking and thrifting and making something out of nothing.

Sarah at The Beach Cottage is currently among my favorite home blogs. She's a mom, she's creative, she's frugal and she can make anything look warm, inviting, and cozy. It challenges me to look around my home and find ways to make it beautiful. To make it a space that reflects my family. So, check her out.

Another reason to check her out is that she is giving away an Anthropology gift certificate. Talk about eye candy!! Anthropology. . . man oh man!

If I could, I would outfit myself and my home with everything from that heaven on earth. But. . . I can't. So I won't. But maybe I can win a little slice of goodness.

I so hesitate to tell you about this little giveaway. I mean, I am posting about it for purely selfish reasons. If I blog about it then my name goes in the hat twice! But then, of course, if I tell you that just decreases my chances because then you all will head over and throw your name in the hat. Oh well. Consider it my good deed of the day. :)

Master Bedroom Metamorphosis

2010-01-12T19:42:00.005-05:00

This time last year our master bedroom - the room that is supposed to be soothing, relaxing, a place we love and want to be - looked like this.

It's not the worst thing I've ever seen but it didn't put a smile on my face when I walked in either. And shouldn't one's bedroom do that? (sorry 'bout the spotty picture!)

Our house was on the market at the time so I didn't want to spend any money on it and I couldn't do a whole lot of DIY because, well, when I do it myself I make a real mess!

So, after six months on the market we took down our sign and I painted our dressers apple green. I also flipped our patchwork quilt over, to solid white, and threw a throw (threw a throw? can I say that?) on the end of the bed. I took down the red wagon picture over the bed and hung up some plates I found around the house. Don't have a picture of the whole room. Trust me that it was an improvement over the previous look.

BUT, that was LAST week. Now? It looks like this. You see, I got some new bedding for Christmas and it just didn't work with our apple green dressers. Much as I loved the color it had to go. (I'll find something else to splash it on later) So, I set to work painting the dressers. Again.

The plates are still there and they work even better now. I also jumped on the bandwagon and put up some curtains. Drop Cloth curtains. Picked up two 6x9 drop cloths at Wal Mart for $8 each, threw them in the wash with a healthy dose of fabric softner and voila! I love them.

The paint is Heavy Creme from Behr's paint-and-primer-in-one collection and I had it on hand from my last project. So no extra cost there.

These little frog bookends are fun. Found them on clearence at TJ Maxx for $3. They were gold. Now they are Slate Blue and add a little whimsy to the room.

Along with these candle holders, which were once black, red, and silver. I am pretty sure, before too long, every room in my house will display something spray painted with Rustoleum's Slate Blue. I am loving this color.

So, I'm really digging our new space. And really digging the price. All tolled. . . $29. (Thanks to Santa, aka mom and dad, for the bedding that inspired it all.)

And I vow to never paint this enormous 10 drawer dresser again. At least for another year.

I'm linking up to:

Domestically Speaking for her Power of Paint Party

DIY day at A Soft Place to Land
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Furniture Feature Friday at Mustard Seed Creations

and last but not least. . .

Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors

while it's cold out. . .

2010-01-07T19:15:00.003-05:00

I thought I would get started on some of my projects. I have an ever-growing list of them floating around my brain somewhere between "get laundry done" and "clean the baseboards."

First on tap is a dresser my parents passed along several years back. It's good quality and has served it's purpose well in our guest/office/toss-it-in-there room. I had so many bee's in my bonnet that I nearly forgot to get a before picture. I remembered just as I was about to take out the last drawer. Here she is:

And with three boys running around and really, really cold temps outside I worked rather quickly and, you guessed it, didn't get any pictures along the way. But here's what I did: 1) sanded the top down to the original wood so that it would drink up a dark walnut stain. 2) gave the rest a light sanding, because I'm lazy that way, and painted it with Behr's paint and primer in one in cream. 3) used Valspar glaze in mocha to age it. 4) spray painted the drawer pulls a brushed bronze. 5) applied wipe-on satin poly to give it a bit of protection.

She went back into the rearranged guest room and is awaiting some accessories. I really like it! You can see what the glaze did to give it a more aged look. Love her little feet.

And the drawer pulls painted up real nice. I did use a spray primer first. I learned the hard way this is necessary.

Currently, there is a lamp drying in the garage that has been painted slate blue that will sit on top along with. . . not sure yet. I'm shopping the house.

Oh, and remember this? Well, while I have thoroughly enjoyed the pop of color in our bedroom my fickle nature is prevailing. Along with the fact that my new bedding from Santa doesn't work as well as I'd like it to with my apple green dresser's. So. . . they, too, are going to receive a coat or two of Behr's cream paint. I think it will work much better.

But I assure you, something in my house will be painted apple green by the end of this year!

I'm linking up to. . .

as well as The Shabby Chic Cottage, Funky Junk Interiors, Cottage Instincts and Domestically Speaking.

the snow is coming. . .

2010-01-07T15:06:00.004-05:00

I can smell it!

Fun Giveaway

2010-01-05T12:20:00.006-05:00

Aren't these great?

Love the wine bag and, really, one can never have too many pillows!

If you want a chance to win either of these head on over to completely coastal and leave a comment.

Three Year Old Has Identity Crisis. . .

2009-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Learning to pick my battles and all. . . this is what Tank wore to church last Sunday.

Christmas Home Tour 09

2009-12-15T12:06:00.010-05:00

Man, I'm tired. Tired but energized. Can those two exist simultaneously?

Last week was crazy. Atlanta to meet PW on Monday, Tuesday to Asheville for an all day meeting, and back to Asheville on Thursday for a full day of shopping. All fun.

Last night we cooked up a heaping portion of Low Country Boil for several good friends and this Saturday we are hosting a church wide Christmas party. Fun times!

While I am inbetween events I thought I would join in on the Christmas Home Tour going on at The Nester and Hooked on Houses, along with "holiday linky Friday" at The Inspired Room.

This year I have aimed to keep things relatively simple. The only thing we have purchased is the tree and my "Joy" sign over the fireplace. Apart from our Christmas stuff packed away in the attic all other decor was pulled together from around the house - inside and out.

So, let's begin shall we. Here is the front entrance. I'm just going to show you around and skip the commentary.

Hope you enjoyed some of my imperfect Christmas accents. Go check out here and here for more holiday fun.

Oh, and I might have eaten an entire can of Pringles while uploading these photos. But I'm not sure. Does it count if no one saw me?

The Ultimate Girl's Day

2009-12-07T17:00:00.016-05:00

A little over two years ago, during a small group ice breaker, someone posed the familiar question, "if you could spend a few hours with anyone (and it can't be Jesus), who would it be?"

We circled the room to hear everyone's answers, "John Calvin - I'd love to hear about the reformation through his eyes." "C.S.Lewis - favorite author, his writing has really impacted me." "The Apostle Paul - would love to really know what that thorn in his flesh was." And so forth.

And then it was my turn. . . "Pioneer Woman," I said, "she's a blogger, named Ree Drummond, that lives on a working cattle ranch. I've been reading her for a few months now."

*crickets*

"There are cows. And horses. And cowboys. And chaps.

*stares*

"She writes about their lives and her siblings and her transition from city life to country life.

*more silence*

"And, Um, I think it's all really fascinating. Oh, and she cooks and homeschools and takes great pictures. I want to hang out there. At the ranch. For just a few hours."

Okay, I know, it was a moment of shallowness for me. I have them with some regularity and I'm okay with that.

My blogger crush on Pioneer Woman started when I stumbled upon her blog sometime in 2007. The day I found her she had written a post about her brother Mike, who is cognitively delayed, with such humor and love. It was clear that she delighted in him and respected him. And I respected that. I connected with this for obvious reasons but quickly found myself enamoured with so many other aspects of her world. My fascination with PW has continued over the last two years as her readership has grown exponentially.

Soooo, naturally, when I found out she was going to be in Atlanta to sign her new cookbook, "Pioneer Woman Cooks," I saved the date. I also grabbed two friends to join me.

One, Caroline, another PW devotee, and the other, Dorothy, a PW virgin. Caroline and I knew we would convert her. We set out from Columbia at 6.45 am and arrived at Border's in Atlanta at 10.15. We were thrilled to be among the first one hundred to pick up our bracelets! That meant we would be among the first called to line up to meet the woman of the hour.

With several hours to kill before we had to report back to Border's we did what any well adjusted, estrogen filled, trio of women free from their daily responsibilities would do. We shopped and ate. Ikea, Trader Joe's (where, by the way, my two friends were carded for buying alcohol and I WAS NOT -this is important for you to know as you read how the rest of the day unfolds), DSW, Anthropology, and a delicious mexican meal.

It was a fabulous day and the cherry on top was meeting The Pioneer Woman.

Ree has the sweetest voice and personality, she was just delightful. And then. Then, something happened.

While Caroline (in the white sweater) and Dorothy and I were standing in front of Ree's table gathering our books Ree said to Caroline, while gesturing to me, "This is your mother?"

Simultaneously the following comments were made:

Me: What?! Mother? No!

Caroline: No, no, no, she's my friend!

Dorothy: *laughter*

Ree: Wait. No, nooo. Of course you're not. You would've been, what, like 12(?) when you had her! No, It was a misunderstanding.

Ahem. Way to recover, Ree.

Of course. . . I forgave her. I mean, she couldn't have possibly really taken a good look at me, right? Don't answer that.

After gathering our books our next stop was to meet Ree's sister, Betsy, and her friend Hyacinth, who were handing out PW t-shirts. They had been chatting it up with the people ahead of us and did not hear the, ahem, misunderstanding concerning my relationship to Caroline.

Aren't they super cute?

While the three of us were picking out our t-shirt sizes and gabbing with these two lovelies Betsy said to Dorothy, gesturing to me, "is this your mother?" (I know what you're thinking. . . "she had to have heard what just went down with Ree. She's playing off that." I assure you she did not hear any of it.)

Again, in unison the following comments ensued:

Me: What the hell? Really? No. . . do I look that bad tonight? Your sister just asked if I was Caroline's mother!

Dorothy: No, we're friiiiends.

Caroline: *laughter*

Betsy: Wait? What? Noooo. . .

Hyacinth: No, no. . . You look like 'A' mother, not 'HER' mother. 'A' mother, NOT 'her' mother. Right, Betsy? You are 'A' mother, right?

Me: (laughing) Um, yeah, that's making it worse Hyacinth.

We all laughed. Some of us more nervously than others. Then we left, me feeling every bit my 40 years. Plus 20.

It was such a fun day! No, really, it was. :) I wouldn't change a minute, or word, of it! But I do think Ree, Betsy, and Hyacinth need to invite me to the Ranch for a girls weekend so they can experience my youthfulness.

Oh How He Loves Us

2009-12-04T12:24:00.001-05:00

A year ago our family, along with a core group of fantastic people, made the decision to plant a church in downtown Columbia, SC. We all felt called by God to embark on this endeavor and have been richly blessed through it. Much has been accomplished that, humanly speaking, didn't seem possible this time last year. We are humbled and grateful! Here's a look at some of what has been going on at Riverside Community Church.

winter goodness

2009-12-02T09:46:00.004-05:00

it's cold outside

but, inside

the fire is burning

the lights are glowing

handel is playing

and the drink is warming

Fun with Burlap

2009-12-01T12:48:00.011-05:00

I had a bunch of burlap laying around.

So, in order to help with my goal to not have an explosion of red and green this season, but, rather, have a more natural and warm feeling throughout the house I found a few ways to use it.

I never cared for the shiney cellophaney stuff covering poinsettia's.

Hope you are enjoying the holiday's!!

I'm linking to Kimba's blog for her weekly DIY party. Check it out for some great idea's.

busy-ness and simplicity

2009-11-30T22:02:00.002-05:00

December is going to be busy for us here at Waldenhouse.

I know, big deal.

Who isn't busy in December?

I don't particularly care to have every square on my calender filled.

But this year?

I'm not sweatin' it.

I'm going to do what I can.

Let go of what I can't.

I'm going to scale back my to-do list so that I can be with people.

I am not going to send out family Christmas cards this year.

I am going to Atlanta for a day, with my friend Caroline, to meet Pioneer Woman.

I am not going to dress a "perfect" Christmas tree.

I am going to hang Spinner's homemade garland around the tree.

I am not going to feel guilty about missing workout's.

I am going to spend a day in Asheville with dear husband.

And then I am going back to Asheville two days later with my mom and aunts.

And I am not going to worry about being away from the boys.

I am not going to worry about my home looking perfect for our annual Christmas party.

It is what it is.

I am going to let my boys be boys.

I am not going to worry about the unknowns in our life.

I am going to be thankful for all the knowns.

I am going to enjoy the season.

I am going to celebrate Christ.

Excellent

2009-11-23T11:50:00.004-05:00

Great story!

(click on post title to read)

Experiments

2009-11-21T22:14:00.004-05:00

I came home from a night out with friends to find this:

a tattered blue bowl filled with water containing a handful of angel

hair pasta, white rice, and a popsicle stick.

A sticky note was attached reading, "no toching ples. stil working on it."

Hmmm. . . .

DIY Lamp

2009-11-19T19:12:00.006-05:00

In keeping with my mission to turn the things in my home that

I am not crazy about into things I am crazy about I have

done something I never thought I would do.

Use a glue gun.

This little lamp was my project. I have had it for years. It lights up a dark corner on my kitchen counters. It's the right size. The right brightness. The colors are okay. But it's just a little too. . . cutesy for me. So I grabbed some spray paint from the garage, some old burlap from the attic, and my new glue gun.

I painted it olive green and used some brown acrylic paint to add a little dimension to the flower. I took the burlap and glued it to the shade. I only burnt (burned ?) off two fingerprints in the process!

I think at some point I will add some chocolate brown trim to the shade but for now that detail will have to wait. The busyness of the holiday season begins tomorrow for us so the growing list of projects forming in my mind will be put on hold until January as I make way for holiday trimmings.

Until then I will enjoy the new look of my kitchen lamp. I will certainly be spending plenty of time in this area over the next several weeks!

Shopping the House

2009-11-11T17:48:00.009-05:00

As a church planter J doesn't exactly rake in the big bucks.

I'm fine with that. Really I am. Except when I

come across the most fabulous piece

of furniture or home accessory from Anthropology. Or

Sundance. Or a myriad of "cottagy" on-line

stores I have stumbled across. Or great finds

from some of my favorite antique shops.

Home items are, hands down, my weakness.

It's only then that I wish we had a little

more cash flow. But we don't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, I have had to change the way I look at

cozying up our home. And you know

what? It's been fun. Slowly but surely I am learning

the art of "thrifting" along with using

what we have. And we have a lot. I don't like all

of it but I am getting creative in finding ways

to make changes to those things to make

them feel more like us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have been reading over the last few months

then you know how much I am loving

paint. Sprayed, rolled, brushed, distressed, all of it.

Paint really changes the look of old worn out

furniture and has made me fall in love with

pieces I have had for years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lately I have been looking around at my

walls. Some spots I am happy with. Others, not

so much. So today, with the rain coming down

in sheets I decided to shop the house

and make a change to one space that has

been bugging me for a while. I am pretty happy

with the results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I failed to take a before picture but for those of you that love the before and afters I have dug up an old photo that has the area in question in the background. Please disregard the quality of this photo and concentrate on the picture behind Tank. It's a lighthouse, next to an old wooden house with awooden canoe in front. In Maine I suppose. I have no idea why I own that picture. It doesn't really speak to me and fits no particular theme in my home. It had to go. And the table, it had a lamp, a few books and a clock on it. Blech.

So, I shopped the house. I found a tray. Two old plates.

And some wooden picture frames with outdated

photos that I have been too lazy to update.

And here are the results.

I got a whole new look with stuff just laying around.

Tucked in cabinets collecting dust. The frames were

all stacked in a box because our realtor thought

we had too many family photos around.

Now my items have new life and I can look at the

wall beneath my stairs without cringing.

So, go shop your house. You might be surprised

at what you can pull together to freshen up

your space.

Seventh Heaven

2009-10-29T17:13:00.006-04:00

My first baby is seven. But don't dare call him baby.

Or anything babyish.

That comes with seven. Or first grade.

Or having younger brothers.

Or something.

All I know is gone are the days of

referring to him as 'baby' or 'cute' or 'sweet.'

********************

It's okay though. I love Seven on Spinner.

*********************

It has come with a sincere zeal for learning. A love of reading.

A bit of a competitive edge. Compassion

for his younger brothers. An ownership of his things.

An increased desire to perfect a British accent.

A developing interest in things that are scary (like his dad).

Artistic ability.A propensity toward headaches and

sensitivity to heat (like his mom, poor thing).

A spirit of helpfulness. A sense of adventure.

And a desire to drive. Yep, already.

***********************

Happy Birthday, Spinner!

It's great being your mom!

the cycle

2009-10-21T18:50:00.007-04:00

Why is it that at day's end, when the boys are tucked into bed on the fast track to dreamland. . .

my day seems far from over?

And then, 10 hours later it starts all over again. :)

Procrastinator Party 'Reveal'

2009-10-19T19:36:00.008-04:00

Tomorrow marks the deadline for the Procrastinator's Party projects. I'm done.

Finished on time, with a little to spare.

Here is my piece, before. An eight year old armoire

that I have wanted to paint for a while now.

Wanted it to be a bit more decorative. To pop. To be more

of a focal point for the room.

At first I thought I would go with turquoise but

ended up on a more subtle blue. Farmhouse Blue from the Martha Stewart

line at Lowe's. (MS307)
Unfortunately my camera doesn't capture the color very

well. It's actually deeper than what you see here. These photo's

make it look almost powdery blue, which it is not.

The photo's also don't show the distressing very well. To me, in the photo's

it just looks like a really sucky paint job. And maybe it is. Or a really sucky

distressing job. I haven't done much distressing

apart from edges so I went a bit beyond my comfort zone on this

by doing some minimal distressing on the flat surfaces.

My steps were: sanding, priming, first coat, another light sanding, final coat, distressing.

I decided to add an unexpected element by painting one of the inside inset panels with chalkboard paint. On a side note I'm really bothered by that right drawer handle sticking up. Excuse me while I go fix that.

Now I need to figure out what to do on top. The room this is in has two story ceilings. I have always had a hard time knowing what to do there.

The total work time on this project was probably 3.5-4 hours. But I worked on it over a few days. I left it right where it is now and just lifted the legs to scoot a drop cloth underneath. I did remove the drawers and the hardware on the drawers. I had hoped to find a knob for the doors to compliment the hardware on the drawers. Still looking.

Overall I am really happy with it. It is eye-catching, a focal point, it's decorative and I just love the splash of blue in our family room.

Non-flushables

2009-10-19T13:34:00.005-04:00

Nothing brings up that "ugh!" feeling for me quite like a clogged toilet.

Sometime last week our downstairs toilet started acting up. Not fully flushing,

draining slowly, and resisting our attempts to plunge.

Then, over the weekend, while I was away with girlfriends, what we were

hoping to avoid took place. Overflowing. And lots of it, so I'm told.

And that's all I'll say about that. Your welcome.

My poor hubs dealt with the aftermath. This morning, with friends coming

to town this weekend, we broke down and called the plumber.

I was pretty certain the reason for our plumbing woes would take

us directly back to Tank.

We have been in toilet training purgatory for some time now. Tank is

most interested in the flushing process and loves that he now has the okay

to flush the toilet. He has taken great license with this over the last

couple weeks. Most recently

I grabbed a dishtowel about to make it's decent into the bowels of our plumbing

as Tank stood wide-eyed over the toilet looking guilty.

So, I was pretty sure that Tank was behind it all.

This was confirmed approximately 20 minutes into the plumbers visit when

I heard the sound of cackling coming from the bathroom. He walked out

holding up the evidence.

A $75 toothbrush that is now resting in our garbage can.

how can you help?

2009-10-15T20:50:00.003-04:00

In many countries children with Down syndrome are institutionalized at the age of 4 or 5. Reece's Rainbow is a ministry dedicated to locating those children and helping them find a family. Hundred's of kids have been placed and saved from the neglect and abuse found in many institutions. There are many, many more waiting for their families. Maybe you can help. Click the link below to find out. (this is a 12 minute video and well worth the time)

Reece's Rainbow

my favorite kind of day

2009-10-14T10:20:00.008-04:00

it's a cool, rainy, grey day

a good one for making my 8 year old armoire look aged

for listening to nickel creek

for playing cars with tank

and for trying out a new chicken and dumplings recipe

hope you, too, are enjoying fall!

Even when they're not in the room. . .

2009-10-10T13:11:00.007-04:00

It is quiet time in the house but all is not quiet. It rarely is, really.

Spinner and Bean share a room upstairs over our guest room. Right outside of the guest room is a short hallway that leads to the garage. There is a small ceiling light in that area that I have always wanted to change. The globe that covers the light has been there since we moved in over two years ago, a builder's choice globe. Milky white and plain.

Here it is.

Boring and ordinary, right? But now, I get to replace it. Spinner and Bean are sooo not quiet during quiet time. While putting Tank down for his nap (thank God he still naps!) I heard the ruckus in the other room and then I heard the crash downstairs.

The good news for me is that I have been vindicated. I tell them repeatedly that one day their upstairs wrestling and jumping off beds will result in the loss of downstairs lighting. I have mostly been worried about my kitchen pendant lights that rattle when they parachute off our bed. They have yet to see the result of their hard work, I'll show them when quiet time is over. But now I have proof and no one gets to roll their eyes at me over this particular issue anymore. :)

Meanwhile, I have been working on my Procrastinator's Party Project.

This thing is a beast to paint but already I am loving the difference!

Nie Nie Dialogues

2009-10-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

I'm guessing that most of you bloggers out there, and blog readers, know Stephanie Nielson of the Nie Nie Dialogues. To say that she has been through a lot is a ridiculous understatement. Yesterday, she sat on Oprah's couch to tell a little of her story. I hope you caught it.

Oprah could have gone any number of directions with the segment on the Nielson's. Their story is complex and involves a large extended family who all stepped up to help during her recovery. Her focus, however, was on Stephanie the mom. Fighting her way back to her family. Fighting hard to get back to the mundane activities of the average stay-at-home mom. Activities that Oprah called "sacred." Making lunches, giving baths, answering 10,000 questions a day, helping with homework, doing laundry. The things that most of us gripe about are the things that Stephanie craved.

To drive home this message Nie was paired with a woman who sent Oprah an email griping about her mundane life as a stay-at-home mom. Did you know that people sent Oprah emails complaining about their lives? I didn't. The mom, Andrea, spent a day in Stephanie's home. I think it was a vulnerable move on both their parts.

The whole show was good. A reminder that life can change instantly. Thanks Stephanie for the reminder that some of the most mundane parts of life can be the most sacred and meaningful.

A step back in time

2009-10-08T06:42:00.011-04:00

After a debatable number of years, dinosaurs have returned. And they have made their way to our Southern City.

Last night, Spinner went Walking with the Dinosaurs. And my Aunt Susan brought home evidence.

Couldn't have been more thrilling for our soon to be seven year old!

Procrastinator's Party

2009-10-07T06:00:00.004-04:00

I'm getting off my duff and tackling another project. Melissa at The Inspired Room is having a Procrastinator's Party and it is just the push I need to get my armoire done. Nothing like a little blogosphere pressure to get me moving. I have two weeks to finish my project at which time I am to post a picture of the finished piece for all party participants to check out. And you, of course. If you give a rip.

It should be fun. Plus, I am a sucker for before and after pictures. It will be fun to see the transformations posted by all the party participants. You can visit them all through the links on Melissa's blog.

I have mentioned my armoire project before but as a reminder here is the 'before' picture.

My plan? Blue. Shade to be determined but it will be aquaish, or peacockish, and hopefully sufficiently distressed.

Wish me luck. I will need it with three little punks running around looking for trouble. But the shame of not having my 'after' pictures on Oct. 20 will keep me going. I so hate to disappoint.

And this is totally unrelated to anything mentioned above but I just have to share. Yesterday? Tank came running in the house yelling, "help bug. . . .help bug," as he shoved his clinched fist into my face. I instinctively backed away but he would have nothing of it. He grabbed my hand, turned it up and dropped a quartered earthworm into my palm.

I'll be painting in between those sorts of antics. Wish me well!

Privilege

2009-10-06T13:40:00.001-04:00

Every afternoon I pick Bean up from school. I pull into a specially marked parking spot and wear a laminated star around my neck. This green star gives me a special privilege. It allows me to bypass the check in system; a machine that asks all sorts of information about the nature of your visit, takes your picture, then spits out a sticker with your photograph that you slap on your chest showing everyone you are allowed to roam the halls. My star also allows me to enter the school building 15 minutes before dismissal so that I can get my kid out before the rest of the students pour into the halls and outside to their waiting parents.

As I pull into my special parking place each afternoon I cross the pick-up line where parents have been sitting in parked cars for up to 30 minutes reading books and magazines or talking on the phone while they wait for their kids. They look up as I pass in front of their car, no doubt, seeing my star which identifies me as the parent of a special needs child. As I make my way to Bean’s room just before days end teachers are quietly lining their students up according to their way of transportation: walker, bus, or car. Even though parents are not allowed in the school at this time of day no one questions my presence, because of my star, but rather they give me a soft grin and a nod.

After I retrieve Bean from his class and gather his things we make our way back to our car, along with a handful of his classmates and their parents. I don’t always notice the parents waiting in the pick-up line outside. But today I did. As my green star blows in the wind and Bean wobbles beside me (and Tank stops to play in a puddle) I observe their glances. Peering over their reading material or watching while on the phone, I feel their looks. We are an obviously different group. Most have an atypical gate, some use walkers and one is in a wheelchair. Some wear glasses and some wear their diagnosis on their face, like Bean. I recognize their looks. Looks of pity, of interest, of compassion, of knowledge. I wonder what they are wondering. I start to guess but my thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Bean’s voice yelling, “T. . . . T . . .” as loud as he can. He is calling out to Tank who has moved on from the puddle to some rocks and is not keeping up.

As I hear Bean calling to his brother, rushing him along, I am flushed with pride as I realize that the star around my neck may give me school privileges but it’s the Star holding my hand that makes me feel like the most privileged person in the world every single day.

In an act of desperation

2009-10-04T13:27:00.004-04:00

So you may notice that I have some rather blatant google advertising showing up on my blog now. It is part of their AdSense program and apparantly every time one of their ads receives a click, I get some pocket change.

I read an article about it and thought, why not! It's an impressive article. This woman has clearly gone above and beyond with her ad postings but it did challenge me to give it a go.

We are, afterall, in tough times. So, if you feel so inclined give the ads a click or two when you visit me here at Blessed Chaos. Maybe I will make enough for a tank of gas. Or, just ignore them. That's fine by me too! I'm just glad you come around at all.

And now, I am off to get ready for the very first public service of our church plant.

Blogging about Down syndrome

2009-10-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

As I said yesterday I don't feel like I can commit to this years Get it Down: 31 for 21 challenge.

There are many others, however, that are stepping up to the challenge. You can find a complete list over at Unringing the Bell, where Tricia has organized this effort for the third year in a row.
Go take a look. You are sure to meet some of the cutest kids ever!

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

2009-10-01T11:33:00.003-04:00

In previous years, during the month of October, I have blogged daily in honor of Down syndrome awareness.

It's not gonna happen this year. I just can't pull it off. There are all sorts of reasons.

One is that I don't have as much to say about Down syndrome in the sense of how it impacts us daily. It's part of the fabric of our days. It is our normal. Bean is not defined by Ds, though it is very much a part of him. On the one hand I don't think much about it. On the other, it is always with me. Somehow those two things have blended together for me.

Second, we just have a lot going on this month and I am finding it hard to keep up with the pace of our family. First up for the month is the first public service of our church. We have been in SC for more than 2.5 years now with the goal of beginning a new church. We hit some hard spots, made some changes, and started fresh last November. After nearly a year of meeting with our core group for worship, teaching, planning, building relationships, seeing new folks join us, and looking for a building we are ready to begin public services. This Sunday, Oct. 4, is the big day. It's a housewarming of sorts. A celebration of all the Lord has brought our little church through. And it's a way to introduce ourselves to our community in a more formal way. We are excited! We even have our website up and running. Check us out: Riverside Community Church.

So, I'll be in and out. Posting some about Down syndrome as well as other goings on in our family. And for those of you that don't know much about Down syndrome maybe you will learn something new from our family. Next time I check in I will point you toward others that will be blogging about Ds more regularly than myself, in case your interested.

Happy October!

Fwee

2009-09-24T19:22:00.008-04:00

Tank turned three, or "fwee," last weekend. If he were telling you about his birthday here is what he would say. . .

Fwee. No Two. Chorch. Cake. Hat. Nonnie. Papa. Cake. Fwee. Yaaay. Cake. Pwesent. More Cake. Eat.

Translation: He is now three, not two. He went to church on his birthday and in his class everyone wore hats and ate birthday cupcakes. Monday he went to Nonnie and Papa's and had more cake and opened presents. It was all very fun.

Happy Birthday My Sweet Boy!

At three you are full of energy, curiosity, confidence, determination, affection, enthusiasm, silliness, and humor with a large dose of stubbornness.

At three your communication is succinct. You don't mince words. If you don't want to do something you simply say, "don't like." When you wake in the morning you say, "done bed." Whey you are thirsty you look at me and say, "water." And after you have had a temper tantrum of epic proportions you get up and say, "Timmy all done skweme."

You have become quite independent. In fact, you insist on doing most everything yourself, from opening and closing doors to turning off lights, to putting the laundry in the machine to removing the groceries from the cart and placing them on the checkout counter. By insist I mean if you aren't given the opportunity to do these things you scream and flail about as dramatically as possible. I know you are thinking of me when you do this as you know how much I adore the disdainful and/or pitiful looks of onlookers.

At three you really look up to Spinner. You scream in delight when he comes in from school and beg his attention. With Bean you vacillate between adoration and irritation but you can't go to bed without receiving a hug from him.

You call our back yard the "park." I love that.

Like your brothers, you love a good round of wrestling. It is made even better when dad joins the fun. You love to ride on your dad's back and beg for more when he tires.

At three you have a bashful side. When you meet new people you try with all your might not to make eye contact or let them know you have any interest in them at all. But you do. You cut your eyes to see what's going on while pretending to play elsewhere. You pull your mouth down in an effort to keep the emerging smile from busting forth and betraying your interest and delight until finally you give in and start speaking ever so softly.

You are a fantastic sleeper. As long as you have your special blanket covering your face.

At three you can say the alphabet and recognize each letter in print. You can count to 14 but often leave out six. You know your primary colors and shapes. You have a love of learning just like your brothers.

You also have a love of food. A serious love of food and have inherited your mother's sweet tooth.

At three you still love to snuggle. And I enjoy every minute of it!

It's all about the chalkboard

2009-09-16T20:10:00.006-04:00

If I were to homeschool my three ruffians we would set up shop around our kitchen table and I would have a really cute chalkboard on the blank yellow wall behind the table, where I would teach all sorts of interesting and fabulous lessons. Okay, not really.

I have thought about homeschooling. For a nanosecond. Then I realize we are not meant for one another, homeschooling and me. I lack a critical gift, immeasurable patience. I just don't have it.

Then there is the social factor for Spinner who absolutely craves constant interaction. Today I got a note from his teacher (with a smiley face) that read, "please talk about personal space." His homework today was to write about an imaginary pet. Spinner wrote about a parrot being his imaginary pet because "they will talk and talk and talk and they won't ever tell me to 'sit quietly,' unless I tell him to." These two things cemented what I already knew. I will never homeschool.

Plus, let me be perfectly honest here, I am just a tad selfish and really love having time alone during the day.

Still, I want a chalkboard on the yellow wall behind my table. I'm sure I can find some educational purpose to justify it. But, yikes(!), they are expensive.

This one is from Sundance. It's great. And I love the ledge for the chalk. But $165? For that tiny thing?

This is better in terms of size. It's from Pottery Barn. It's $150. Again, just a bit pricey for me.

So, I took matters into my own hands and with the free time I have while my kiddo's are in school I made my own.

I wish I had taken a "before" photo but I forgot. My materials were 1. an old mirror I bought at a thrift shop. The frame was two toned wood and pretty beaten up. 2. Plywood cut to size by Lowes, 3. some chalkboard paint and 4. spray paint. After spray painting the frame with some paint I had on hand and painting the plyboard with the chalkboard paint my mom had on hand I took the mirror out and inserted my new chalkboard in it's frame.

And VOILA!

Hmmm, I think I feel a lesson coming on.

The R word. . . do you "get it?"

2009-09-13T22:37:00.005-04:00

Chances are, if you are around kids at all, you have heard the 'R' word used in derogatory ways. To describe themselves, or someone else, as being or doing something stupid. Or silly. Or goofy. Sometimes it is used to be cruel.

The other day I was walking out of the YMCA with Bean and I observed a group of middle school girls on the playground. The group of them watched us, conversed a little, then looked back at us when I heard one of them say in a disgusted voice, "I think he's retarded." I didn't say anything. My immediate thought was that I was glad Bean didn't get it yet. And then I wondered when he would. And what it would do to him.

Kids aren't the only one's guilty of using the 'R' word. Adults are too. I suspect that kids pick up the word from adults as much as they do their peers.

Part of why I didn't say anything to those girls on the playground was because I had that punch-in-the-gut feeling that Tammy and Parker describe here at Praying for Parker. Please take the time to read her post.

It's time that more people "get it."

Conversations with Spinner, #82

2009-09-01T20:53:00.003-04:00

I took the big first grader out for dinner tonight, for a little one-on-one time before a Cub Scout meeting. It was very enlightening.

Me: So, Spinner, what do you think of first grade so far?

Spinner: I LOVE it!

Me: Yeah? What do you love about it?

Spinner: Well, we have more "must-do's" than kindergarten and I like that. I get to be a learning partner and help 'T' with his writing, I like that. And we have a different playground and Olivia is on the playground at the same time my class is!

Me: Oh, Olivia (a crush from pre-school) does she remember you?

Spinner, chuckling: Uh yes, sometimes she pretends like she doesn't see me but I know she does. And then today she said, "Hiii Luuuke." Everybody knows we love each other.

Me: Really?

Spinner: Yes, it's common knowledge.

Me, trying to change the subject: Huh. Okay. So, what about the kids in your class? Have you made some new friends?

Spinner: Yes, I have made lots of friends. One of my new friends is 'E' but when I try to talk to her she tells me to go talk to 'L.'

Me: Why do you suppose she does that?

Spinner: Because she doesn't want a boyfriend and she thinks I love her.

Me: Oh, I see. Do you want a girlfriend?

Spinner, snorting: YES, I want to get as many as I can!!

Anniversary

2009-08-25T14:00:00.005-04:00

Four years ago, on Aug. 31, James and I carried Bean through a hospital corridor for major surgery. Surgery to repair his three heart defects. A surgery that would end his five month battle with heart failure. A surgery that would allow him to wake up, experience energy for the first time, drink milk without sweating and turning blue from lack of oxygen, gain weight, and get down to the business of growing and learning. And that is what happened.

But on that day. The day we woke up at the Ronald McDonald House at a Children's Hospital in a town not our own. The day we had to carry our son into the hospital at 5am to be prepped for open heart surgery and hand him over to a surgical team that we had no choice but to trust. The day we paced the halls of the hospital for five hours waiting to hear that surgery was over and he was off bypass. That day was tough.

Tom, over at Narrow Ridge, captures it beautifully in a clip from the documentary he is making about his son, Ian. While I do not know the reason for their hospital visit there are many things I find powerful about this clip. Ian's contentment in his mother's arms as they walk the hospital corridor. The medical personnel that pass, glancing at Ian, another patient in a hospital full of patients. Ian's mom, the way she looks up and sighs as she holds her son tightly and waits for the next step. And the music choice. I find the words both haunting and hopeful.

2009-08-25T13:59:00.001-04:00

Inspired Room

2009-08-18T15:21:00.003-04:00

I have found a number of new blogs lately. All themed around decor. All with excellent writers who dose their posts with humor and great photos and ideas.

One such blog is The Inspired Room. And today she is giving away a fabulous authentic German grain sack.

So, if you are into that kind of thing go check her out. If you are not, go check her out anyway and read through her archives. You are bound to come away with some great ideas!

Southern Boy

2009-08-12T19:24:00.005-04:00

The mark of a true Southern Gentlemen?

Seersucker

A seersucker blazer is, to a southern man, what a string of pearls is to a southern woman.

And don't be afraid, men. Like a nice string of pearls, the seersucker blazer can be paired with any number of items in your wardrobe.

Tank is not afraid of a fashion violation. He's a confident Southern Boy.

We're still working on the 'gentleman' part.

Going Green

2009-08-11T13:44:00.006-04:00

After staring at paint cards for 10 days I finally decided on a color for my 10 drawer dresser.

Apple Green. And once I was sure of the color I put everything else aside and loaded up the boys for a trip to Lowe's. And for fun I allowed Tank to walk while I pushed Bean in the shopping cart. What a great decision that was. Moments after stepping into the paint section Tank opened a jar of antique glaze, which is greasy and black, and started finger painting. I took the jar and put it in the cart to purchase while groveling to the paint lady, who was not amused, for something to help me clean up my disaster of a child. A bit later while talking to Paint Lady about my paint needs, Bean hurled the bottle of antique glaze out of the cart onto the concrete floor. It shattered. And black, greasy goop went everywhere. Within 10 seconds five Lowe's employees descended like a hazmat team with a bag of powder and a large bottle of liquid and they went to work cleaning as they asked me to keep my children away. Sure thing.

Oh, and in the midst of that a stranger approached me to discuss her concerns for Bean's skin. "His legs looks bad." "Don't you use sunscreen on him?" "Is it painful?" My telling her that Bean has sensitive skin and was prone to heat rash did not seem to satisfy her. "Isn't there something you can do about it?" "Poor thing." "And sunscreen really won't help?"

And people wonder why I'm such a homebody.

Once home I set to work sanding, priming and painting.

Once dry I distressed it a bit and then accepted my dresser's thanks for the face lift.

It's December now and I've come back to visit this old post to link up to Funky Junk Interiors, a new fav blogspot of mine, to share my diy dresser. Still loving the green!

Turning 40

2009-07-30T15:55:00.007-04:00

So, my birthday was Tuesday. I am now 40. Which I understand is the new 30. Whatever that means.

In addition to the fun of having a good friend from Florida in town Tuesday and Wednesday, I also got to go out on the town with James Tuesday night. My out of town friend hung out with my kids. She also did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and pruned my flowers. Coming to visit me is always a good time! Kim took this picture of the family as James and I were heading out the door for dinner.

Over dinner James gave me a card from some of my good friends. In it was a sweet note, with a confession. They have been in cahoots with James for some time now, planning a long get-a-way weekend for me. Instigated by James, who is well aware that I am always on the brink of loosing my sanity. Once the reality that they had planned this sunk in, so many things started to make sense. Like why, a month ago, when my friends were loosely discussing my 40th with me and I said I didn't even know what day it was on my friend Marjorie shot out, "It's on a Tuesday." When I looked at her quizzically she gave me some lame reason she knew that.

They included an itinerary in my card so I would know how to pack. They have lovingly included all the things that I enjoy, namely lots of time to hang out and antique shopping.

And I plan to wear these as often as I can.

Lucchese Cowgirl Boots. A gift from my parents. LOVE. THEM.

The boys wanted to send me off thinking of them so this morning they did what they do best:

broke something. It's my prized glass pineapple. I was momentarily sad. Then I went upstairs to pack.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-07-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Tank, seeing the leftover cake from an early celebration at my parents, was overwhelmed with temptation. He searched high and low and found a way to pull the cake, which was covered and (supposedly) out of reach, off the counter and onto the floor. Then he found a spoon. I'm sure the devil made him do it.

Painting Spree

2009-07-26T21:30:00.008-04:00

In an effort to satisfy some of my home improvement cravings I have decided to throw caution to the wind and spice things up around here. With paint. In some cases, very bold paint.

I started with something small to get my juices flowing. These bookends were old and dusty and brown and no personality whatsoever. And bookends should most definitely have some personality. It's important. So I tackled them with some Leaf Green Valspar spray paint. They really pop now and I love them.

I'm pretty sure that a designer or color specialist would gasp at my leaf green bookends since my home is filled with earthier colors but I am thumbing my nose at that. I'm feeling adventurous.

I also took my paint cans outside to brighten up our patio. I started with our bland plastic adirondack chairs. Talk about no personality.

And now they have a bright new look. Really bright. I'm not completely sold on this color yet. They may end up blue. I'm giving it a few days.

Black has served this Bistro Table very well for a long time.

But Red? Oh, yes. Much better. The new color provides a great contrast against my little perennial garden.

And they will brighten things up in winter when my backyard is dormant and brown and sad.

Next up. . . big plans. I haven't decided which piece will be first but am planning on painting and distressing the following:

A China Cabinet that has found new life as a bookshelf for some of our gazillion books. Haven't decided on a color for this yet. It will probably be last on my list because I don't feel up to dealing with the glass just yet. I have been wanting to paint it for a long time. And finally, the time is near.

Our master bedroom needs a makeover bigtime. HGTV hasn't been interested in us yet so I am going to cave and do it myself.

This is a monster of a dresser and there is a matching chest. It is about to turn a lovely shade of green. Cactus Shadow, maybe. Or Jungle Chameleon. Or, maybe, Green Garlands? It will be a great improvement either way.

My biggest project is our armoire and I know exactly what I want to do with this beast.

Blue. Peacock Blue. Just like this.

If you like this beauty, go here. Edie gives step by step instructions on accomplishing this look.

So, I am close to nailing down all my colors and will start collecting supplies for my first project. Stay tuned.

ch-ch-changes. . .

2009-07-23T19:26:00.006-04:00

I had a professor in seminary, an old guy who actually knew Albert Einstein (no, really), who used to always say, "I love my wife, but. . . " The 'but' was normally followed by something like, ". . . boy, sometimes she drives me crazy." He always said it with a big smile on his face and we, his students, knew that he adored the woman more than he could express.

In this psychotherapeutically driven culture we live in we are told we should not use 'but' because it just cancels out what precedes the 'but' and what's left is how you really feel. We should use 'and' instead. "I love my kids and they drive me crazy sometimes!"

I get it. I really do. BUT sometimes you just gotta use the 'but.' And it's my blog so I can use 'but' if I want to, 'but' if I want to. . .

My life right now is pretty centered around the troublesome trio. It's how I want it. It's how James and I want it. Me home with them, rather than working, while they are young. But, man, it's draining. Really draining. Each of them in different ways suck the life right out of me. That's what happens when an extreme introvert is called to parent extroverts - two of which are off the charts!

I love my time home with the boys, but as of late I am craving something more. I also am happy with the choices and sacrifices we have made for me to be able to stay home, but my creative juices feel a bit stifled as a result. And by 'creative' I do not mean 'crafty.' Nope, I am not crafty. Not even a little bit. But I do like to play around with my home decor. That's where any creativity I have comes out. However, when on a tight budget it's harder to hit the antique stores the way I would like. And while I know it would be super fun to go antiquing with three small boys I just don't have it in me.

Maybe it's the dog days of summer that has me feeling like I need to add something to the mix. Or maybe it's turning 40. Turning 40 with small children.

So, I have been looking for ways to spice things up a bit without killing our budget or taking me away from home too often. Tomorrow I have a meeting with the Director of Daybreak Crisis Pregnancy Center. They are looking for volunteers to spend time with their clients. Women, often very young women, who are pregnant and scared and looking for some hope. I am excited about giving some of my time to a cause that is important to me. And I am super excited about tapping into the thinking part of my brain. Woohoo! And James is happy to work his schedule out so that I can do this. He thinks he can get some work done at home while I am out. I will just let him go on thinking that, he'll find out the truth soon enough.

As far as the other stuff. Filling my need to change, update, mix-up my home decor. . . I am finding some outlets for that, too. Paint! I'm pretty much going to paint anything I can get my hands on. And nobody's gonna stop me. Pics to come soon.

sanity saver

2009-07-14T20:46:00.006-04:00

this

plus this

and this

drove us to pack up our bags and head to my aunt and uncle's lake house to do this

and this

along with some of this

and this

and as much of this

as possible!

Conversations with Spinner, #78

2009-06-27T13:54:00.003-04:00

MOM. . . MOM. . . MOM.

As I rouse from sleep to the sound of my name being called in a LOUD whisper I glance at the clock to find that it is 1:47. AM!!

Me: What is it Spinner?

Spinner: Um, mom? I was just thinking. . . and thought you should know. . .

Me: Yes, Spinner. What's going on?

Spinner: Well, I was just thinking that we don't have any REAL breakfast food for the morning. And I just thought you should know.

Me: I'm sorry. What?

Spinner: We are out of my favorite cereal. We don't have any more bagels. There are no more Eggo's and no more pop tarts.

Me: Is this a joke?

Spinner: No, mom. What am I going to eat in the morning?

Me: Nothing if you don't go back to bed right now.

Spinner: Mooooom?!

Me: Spinner. Go to bed, I will find something for you to eat in the morning.

Spinner: Okaaay.

For the record. He had toast and fruit. Poor deprived child.

While hanging out one afternoon Spinner asked what sorts of things made me cry.

Me: Well, I cry when something makes me sad.

Spinner: Like when I disobey? That makes you sad?

Me: No, not really like that. Do you remember when Lil passed away? That made me sad.

Spinner: Oh, yeah, that was sad. What else?

Me: Sometimes when I am scared. Like when Wil had his heart surgery.

Spinner: What else?

Me: Ummm. Sometimes when I am happy or proud I cry.

Spinner: Happy tears. Like when?

Me: Like the last day of school when we came to your classroom and Mrs. Mattox showed us the video from your school year. I got a little teary thinking about how much you had grown during the year. How much you had learned in Kindergarten.

Spinner: I cried a little that day, too.

Me: Oh yeah? Why did you cry?

Spinner: I cried because I was so so happy that I was done with Kindergarten and was being TRANSFORMED into a first grader! Thinking about that really made me cry a little.

Redneck Boy in a Suburban World

2009-06-24T11:11:00.010-04:00

The older Tank gets the clearer it becomes.

He is part Redneck.

As any self respecting Redneck will tell you, wandering the yard pantsless (and wet) is the mark of a true toddler redneck.

As is soaking in a plastic pool of muddy water.

Removing one's clothing at every opportunity is number 8 on the "How to know if your toddler is part Redneck" quiz.

Tank got extra points for that one.

But the real clincher, the stand alone qualification for having Redneck blood running through your veins, is trimming one's toenails with one's teeth.

Check.

This Just In!

2009-06-11T16:46:00.004-04:00

From Dr. Betz, the specialist from Shriners in PA that has consulted on Wil's "instability:"

Got all the films.

Looks perfect.

NO instability at all!

Will try to call later.

If you have followed along with us in this year long uncertainty (this time last year they were ready to fuse his spine) then you know how amazing it is to hear this! We are overjoyed!!

On the third day of summer. . .

2009-06-10T19:23:00.007-04:00

After the fanfare,

hoopla,

and accolades

of the last day of school, summer has been a bit of an adjustment around here.

Spinner is wandering aimlessly around the house while reading his new "chapter" books. I think he has already plowed through four of the ten that I bought him for the summer.

When he's not reading he is experimenting with new ways to take in fluids.

When he gets really bored he starts counting books.

Bean, no doubt sensing that I long for more laundry to wash, has returned to his old ways of stripping all his clothes (and diaper) before falling asleep.

Tank is empathizing with my desire for a little more estrogen around here and trying to find ways to meet that need in my life.

And I am doing a lot of this. . .

because Tank thinks it is hiLARious to lock all the interior doors, over and over and over again. It never gets old for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How is your summer starting out?

Monday Miscellany

2009-06-08T19:40:00.002-04:00

Lot's of reasons I have neglected Blog lately. Here is a brief update from our brood.

1. School is out. Spinner is looking toward first grade with the same enthusiasm he had for kindergarten. Only this time he is certain he will be spending a lot of time in the principles office because, "in first grade you don't get to talk at all. And they don't have a practice box like kindergarten for when you forget you can't talk so you go straight to the principles office. Man oh man, that is going to be hard for me because you know how much I love to talk?!" Yes, indeed.

*Brag alert *Even with all his talking, Spinner learned a lot in kindergarten. In fact he is reading like a champ and was acknowledged at the end of the year with a trophy for being tops in reading among 153 kindergarten students. *Brag over*

Bean charmed all his teachers/therapists until the bitter end as they walked him out to the car showering him with hugs and kisses. He has a great team around him at school and has worked hard for them. He has a few new words, his walking/balance is really improving, and he is seeking more independence. We are so proud of him and will be working hard this summer to build upon what he has learned this year.

Tank is glad to have his brothers home around the clock. Sort of.

2. Medical catch-up. I was on the phone with no less than four medical offices today (to get appts. scheduled), plus the hospital to discuss Bean's MRI tomorrow morning. They called to get the low-down, which they got two weeks ago when we went in for the scan that didn't happen. But no matter, they want to hear it all over again. "It" being Bean's whole story. "So, Bean was premature?" and "how long was he on the vent in NICU?" to "now, his heart surgery. . . " and so it goes. If I had a dollar for every time I had to repeat Beans whole story from delivery at 32 weeks to present we would be doing pretty well! As annoying as it can be sometimes, especially when all three punks are hanging around grabbing at my skirt, I am reminded as I walk through his history, just how far he has come and how fortunate we have been.

So, Tuesday morning we go in for his MRI and hopefully this will give us the definitive answers we have been waiting on for a year now.

3. On the market. There is nothing quite like having your house on the market with three small boys running around. It has posed a new challenge for us, keeping the house somewhat clean so that when we get a call that a potential buyer is coming over we can do a quick pick up and get out. So far our efforts are for naught. No bites or interest.

4. Church life. Wow, church planting is tough stuff. We have a wonderful core group of folks that are dedicated, encouraging, love the Lord and love this City. It is so good to be in this with them. We continue to raise support as we look toward a public launch in the fall and we continue to look for more permanent space but are grateful for the facility we are currently using. More on the plant later. . .

Next time, a post full of pictures for all you family and friends that want to see the troublesome trio in action.

whack-a-mole

2009-05-31T21:32:00.009-04:00

This fella?

He has taken up residence in my back yard. And I feel sure he has some friends. This elusive MOLE is destroying my backyard. And he is seriously making me CrAzY!

Every day I see more evidence that he has been at work, creating an even more elaborate tunnel system, destroying the roots of my tender annuals and precious perennials, and my grass - oh, my grass!

Each morning I find a new mound where he has popped to the surface, no doubt to survey the scene, check out his own work, and recommit himself to destroying our once lush backyard.

I have news for you, Mole. I am not going to take this lying down. If you want this territory you are going to have to fight for it!

And as of tomorrow, I am bringing in the big guns! The Mole Eliminator

Let the games begin!!

package of love

2009-05-28T19:39:00.009-04:00

We had just returned from Bean's non-MRI and he was cranky. Truth be told I was a little cranky, too. For Bean, nothing cures the cranks like a little Elmo so we grabbed a snack, put in an Elmo movie and snuggled on the sofa. That's when I heard a big thud at the door.

Strange sound, not really a knock, but something definitely hit the door. I peered over the sofa and caught a glimpse of our friendly, gentle, selfless post woman jumping in her post-mobile and speeding off. I went to the porch to find that, with tender love and care, she had lobbed a package onto our porch, evidently from roadside based on the indentation in the box.

I gathered our package and brought it inside to inspect, hoping that it wasn't fragile. Bean also did some inspecting.

We cracked it open to find that the T21 Traveling Afghan had made it's way to us, along with a journal revealing it's adventures.

Bean, ever the cautious one with anything unfamiliar, looked and touched with curiosity and gentleness.

Together we flipped through the pages of the journal, reading about the lives this lovingly made afghan had already touched. Other kids, from other cities and states, that share the diagnosis of Trisomy 21 are now sharing this afghan and calling it their own for one week before passing it along to the next family.

Bean enjoyed a little hide-and-seek, like so many other kids have done with this afghan.

It was pulled in to the nightly mosh pit.

And it joined him in bed. . .

This weekend we will say goodbye to this special afghan and send it on to the next family for more love and different experiences. If you want to keep up with the T21 travels be sure to check in here.

come again

2009-05-26T11:00:00.003-04:00

after more than two hours of waiting and keeping a hungry Bean occupied we were sent home with no mri. the neurosurgeon couldn't be there for the 50 minute scan and the radiologists said they cannot do the flexion/extension views without neurology present because of the nature of the instability and risk to his spinal cord in those positions.

so, we are waiting to be rescheduled. a mere inconvienence, glad they are putting our Bean's safety first. we'll let you know when we are going to try again.

A little stability please?

2009-05-25T19:59:00.021-04:00

Don't you just love when medical specialist's disagree?
When Bean had his xray over a month ago to re-check his neck instability we were told this. That was his orthopedic doc. The x-ray's were then sent to his neurosurgeon who said, "I'm not comfortable with these numbers."

(Bean with our friend, Kerin, whom he loves.)

So tomorrow we will arrive bright and early to outpatient surgery with a hungry Bean so that he can receive a sedated MRI. We know that the gap between C1 and C2 is wide, what we need to find out is whether or not his spine is being compromised during flexion and extension because of the gap. The MRI will (should) answer that question.

I have already been in contact with the specialist at Shriner's in PA that we consulted last summer and he is waiting on the results, which we will overnight after we leave the hospital.

Just to test his neck (and us) Bean took a tumble down the stairs before church on Sunday. It happened so fast that I couldn't reach him in time but did witness the head over heels, bouncing tumble. We both reached the base of the stairs at the same time at which point I scooped up a very scared Bean. I can't think of a time that I have gone from calm to scared out of my mind so quickly. After Bean calmed down, and James and I recovered from our small breakdown, he climbed off our lap and went to playing. The on-call doctor was comfortable with us skipping an ER visit based on his behaviour so we went on to church. Still very shaken.

A tumble down the stairs is scary for any kid, but when you are told that you should not even allow your child to do a forward roll because of the risk of spinal cord damage due to AAI, well, "scary" doesn't begin to cover it!

I think I may have to invest in a very large roll of bubble wrap.