recent happenings

Last week, we took a day trip up to Asheville to visit the Biltmore. Brad had gotten free tickets through a work friend, so we picked a weekday (when it wouldn't be busy) and headed on up there. I hadn't gone since high school, and Brad had never been.

 

Noah did SO well. He even walked some of the tour and didn't try to jump on any beds or anything. :) He liked the tunnels in the basement, and his favorite part of the whole trip was the bus ride to the house.
When we were getting dropped back off at the parking lot, he starting waving and saying, "bye bye"... not because we were leaving, but because he wanted to go "bye bye" longer in the shuttle bus. lol.

I won't bore you with a ton of details of the house, but if you're in the area, definitely go for a visit. Especially if you watch Downton Abbey. It's very very similar to that. Except I recommend going in the spring. I mean, it was great for a free trip, but it would've been nice not to be so flippin cold!

(dude. bright sun. yikes.)

 We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but we did grab a quick shot with Brad's phone of Noah and me at the indoor bowling alley. The quality sucks, especially since it was pretty dark down there. It is what it is. Photos of me with Noah are rare, so I'll take it.

 

Because Noah did so amazingly well, we decided to give him a treat. They had a little vintage toy shop, full of old timey type things like spinning tops, marbles, etc. They also had plenty of Melissa & Doug toys and these cool clocks (which Noah was mesmerized with). He found some trains, so we grabbed him one of those. And I was kind of surprised that the price wasn't too bad... $6 for a high quality, metal train that makes sound is better than those Thomas ones.

We also stopped by the candy shop, and his little eyes couldn't believe all of that chocolate behind the glass. He got a chocolate covered graham cracker, which he only ended up eating a few bites of (momma helped him with the rest...).
I'm kind of regretting I didn't get any cute candy shop shots with my fancy camera, but it was a little hard juggling everything (purse, backpack with Noah's stuff, stroller, etc).

 

We had a really good time. Brad was a little creeped out by some of the darker hallways, saying how he'd hate to visit at night. It did have a little bit of a haunted house type vibe goin' on. I'd like to take one of those tours where they show you the secret tunnels and doors and stuff.

You can get a better idea of just how big the house is by comparing how small Brad and Noah look standing next to it (bottom right, with the stroller). Now that I'm a mom? I kept telling Brad how I couldn't imagine raising kids in that house. I would be scared to death one of them would fall down the stairs or hang off a balcony or something. Or I'd lose them in a secret passageway.

Other Random Happenings:

The tickets we got expired March 1st, and part of the reason we waited so long to go was because Noah kept getting sick. I swear it's the school. He gets therapy there on Mondays, and it seems like by Thursday, he's sick again. Thankfully, it was just a fever this time, but it was still sad to watch him feel so lousy.

 

***

 

I've already decorated for Easter. I got my snow, so I'm good to move on now. 

 (bunny bums make me happy)

Actually, even though I'd like spring to show up early, it'd make for an awful summer. The mosquitos around here are ridiculous, and an earlier spring means more mosquitos (and other bugs). I'd rather wait a couple more weeks than get eaten alive.

I've also been planning Noah's Easter outfit. I'm so excited about it that I'm not even telling Brad what I have planned yet. Mostly because he'll probably veto it. He tends to do that when he can't see the whole picture yet. Seriously, half the fun of having a kid is dressing them up, and dangit, that's what I'm going to do.

***

We got a knock on our door recently. It was a surveyor telling us that our fence was on our neighbor's property by a few feet. Brad was super annoyed, since we'd had our HOA send out someone to check out the property lines before we built it. Turns out, that guy wasn't official.
So Brad went ahead and moved it now before it got too hot. Our neighbors behind us have a little girl who is about a year older than Noah. She was adorable chatting Noah's ear off, and most of it just went right over his head. He loves playing with other kids, and it cracks me up that little girls are drawn to him. They must think he's a great listener. ;)

 

Toss in a few hours of play doh and some therapy appointments, and that's pretty much the last couple of weeks for us.

Happy Tuesday!

happy things

(from our butterfly bush. and yes, I added this up top not only because it makes me happy, but because I didn't want the next picture to be what showed up in everyone's feed)

Home improvements.
It only took us a little over 3 months, but we finally finished. Our kitchen was #1 on my home improvement list. When we bought it, it had brown, builder-grade cabinets and boring white walls. It has now been totally repainted, including the cabinets. We also added knobs and pulls, since they didn't have any before. So it went from this:

(picture from before we moved in, obviously)

To this:

We still have a little touching up to do, but I love it. I actually really enjoy my kitchen now; I feel like it reflects my style a little more. I find myself just hanging out in it at night... I light a candle or two and suddenly doing the dishes doesn't seem so terrible anymore. :)


Being outside again.
The weather has been great lately. Still a little hot during the day, but once the sun starts making its way westward, it feels perfect out. Which means we get to stop hiding from the heat!
And a certain little boy has been loving it.

Last weekend, we picked up my little sister (who'd had a particularly rough day of Driver's Ed. I won't go into it... lol) and headed for our favorite splash pad. Since it was a Friday night, they had a band playing and jugglers performing. Noah had a blast.

(Noah thought the fire juggling was pretty cool)

Surprise gifts.
Noah got a present in the mail from his Uncle Ben (Brad's brother), Aunt Sara, and family. Sara said she saw it and immediately thought of him.
Wonder why? ;)

And you would've thought Noah totally knew how to read. Because as soon as I put this on him? He went underneath the stairs outside and started digging in the dirt.

We also met up with Lori yesterday. She wasn't able to come to Noah's party, so she insisted we meet up. This way she could give Noah his gift, and we had a great excuse to chat for a little bit. I brought Brad along with me, because I wanted to be able to actually sit and talk. And without Brad, that definitely wouldn't have happened. :)
Knowing how much Noah loves to bake with me, she gave him a Play-doh baking set. Thank you, Lori! He loves it!

On Monday, I did a post over at the Poop Whisperer on Southern Style Slowcooker BBQ and mentioned our favorite BBQ sauce, Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet. I ended up getting a comment from them, thanking me for recommending them, and they're mailing me a free thing of BBQ sauce! How cool is that?!

Small improvements.
Noah has been doing so well lately following directions and playing with toys appropriately. If we're playing with his wooden train set, he finds pieces and puts them together. If I suggest a different piece, he grabs it to use. He's fallen in love with more complex (24 piece jigsaw) puzzles. He got a Thomas one for his birthday, and he wants to put it together every single day.
If we show him how to do something, he tries to follow our directions. The other day he repeated the word "Up" after I said it (twice!), and yesterday it was the word "kiss". Last night, he signed "Momma" after I did, and then said "Da-da" while signing it. Words and signs still aren't consistent, but I'm hoping he's starting to make lots of progress.
His OT has seen improvements as well, and she has to remind us (mostly Brad, lol) that the smallest signs of progress are worth so much.

Did your parents or teachers ever get on you about trying to climb up the slides? Well, this Momma isn't telling this kid not to try. Not at all. In fact, when I see him attempt big kid type things, I encourage it. The fact that he's low tone makes certain activities a challenge. So when he puts in that extra effort despite the difficulty? I'm celebrating it.

Sneaky, Sneaky.
I pride myself in finding a way to sneak fruits and veggies into Noah's diet. It's turning into a game for me. He'll down a whole bag of those Veggie Straws in a day. He loves them.

Little splurges.
Every once in a while, it's nice to splurge on small things that just brighten your day. Brad was out of town last weekend for work (in Myrtle Beach of all places... jealous wife right here), so I thought it'd be fun to buy something special for myself. Something small that I've been wanting for a while now but never bought, because I couldn't justify the purchase in my mind. I adore the smell, and the fact that it's green? Even more perfect. The Honeysuckle scent is divine. Makes me happy every time I wash my hands. :)

The pups.
Oh my goodness, these two.
Some days they drive me crazy. But I'm so happy we have them. They're the perfect dogs to have for Noah.

As soon as we walk outside, they run and give him gentle kisses. These two do a great job of never knocking him down, and it melts my heart to know that they love Noah so much. Even if he doesn't always appreciate their affection. :)

I wasn't the only one that got something fun. I went ahead and splurged on them too. They get bored in the back yard sometimes, especially if we're not out there to play with them. So I got them each their own toy. It was a hit... as you can see by the tufts of fluff in our yard.

And... it's Friday!!

We've got a busy weekend ahead of us, but all good stuff! 

Hope yours is full of good stuff too! :)

things that make me happy

#1. Watching these two together. My little sister stayed with us last weekend, and as always, Noah enjoyed having an extra person to spoil him with attention.
She told me I looked like a total creeper taking these through the window, but I was trying to get a picture of them without distracting Noah. :)

#2. SPRING!!
I know we've got a while until it's "technically" spring, but our weather is telling us otherwise. Both Wednesday and Thursday, it got up to 80 out. It's goooorgeous. Actually, Spring is insisting to arrive early, so much so, that it's thoroughly confusing our plants. I'm reeeally fighting the urge to buy out the plant section at our local Lowes. Our last frost date isn't until April, so right now, it'd be a complete waste of money. I'm not complaining though. The temps alone are totally makes me happy.

#3. Along those lines... I decorated for Easter already.

 

(got these at Ikea. I know it's more apropos to use fresh, but these won't ever die. So they win.)

 

#4. My bridesmaid dress came in!! Now to get these arms and legs toned up before the end of this month! I did the P90x Kempo for the first time in months yesterday and now it hurts to move.

#5. Look what we're going to be starting next week!

Actually, we technically have already started, but I just haven't been as consistent with it... plus it helps if they're in underwear and not diapers. :) Any tips are greatly appreciated!

#6. Finally preordered my copy of Bloom! Which is perfect, because it'll be arriving just in time for...

#7. Our trip to Kiawah Island!!

 

via 



via

My dad and a couple of his buddies bought a cottage there back when I was a teenager. Brad and I have been going with my family since I was like 17, so it holds a lot of special memories for us. We've only been once since Noah was born, so I'm really looking forward to this trip.

#8. Today is my nephew's birthday. We actually have a lot of March birthdays. He and my little sister are only two weeks apart! Looking forward to celebrating tonight!

#9. This smile...

#10. Brad has the weekend off!! Yayy!!

Happy Friday!!

Home Goals 2012

*Gasp!*

Two posts in one day?!

I know. But the nester is doing a "Home Goals" linky party today. And now that you've seen the sad state of my home, I thought it was only fitting to list a few goals for the year.

I should probably mention that I did this last year. We got to some of the goals, but obviously not all of them. That's okay. They were just ideas and inspiration, really.

So this year, these are the things I'd love to see change in our home...

1. Slipcovers
Brad and I both agree that we need to either reupholster our couches or get some decent slipcovers. Just about everything we own is either hand-me-down or from a consignment shop, including the sofas. They're showing some wear and tear. Plus, as comfy as that brown couch is? I hate the color. I know it's not terrible, but it's not quite the look I'm going for.

2. Paint Paint PAINT.
Brad has already informed me that this probably won't happen for another three months. The paint itself isn't all that expensive, but we need new paint equipment. So after you add it all up, it can get a little pricey. However, we've been in our home for almost 5 years. I'm so sick of the plain white walls, I'm on the verge of taking Noah's paint set and letting him draw on them. At least it'd create some visual interest, right? ;)

3. Accessorize
I'd like to decorate our home with pieces that I absolutely love. Items that are artsy and fun. No more just putting stuff out because I have it, but placing things around the house because they make me happy.
It doesn't have to be expensive... even if it's just repainting an old laminate bookshelf, that would make me happy. I just want our home to reflect our style and who we are. Right now, it's not really cutting it.

4. Hang pictures.
I've taken so many pictures in the last year and a half, yet for some reason, I don't have many of them displayed. What a waste! So I'd like to get them developed and hang them up. Fill up some of that empty wall space.

5. Finish re-doing the office/guest room.
We're still in the process. But it's such a disaster area right now that I'm ready to get it done and over with. Hopefully that will happen in the next couple of days.

Love these colors...

via

6. Pressure wash the house.
It needs it.

7. Convince my husband not to have an opinion.
Just kidding. Sort of. It's just hard to get the house looking the way I'd like it to when I have a husband who continually fights for an opinion on it all. He wants his MASSIVE American flag pinned to the wall. Seriously, our house isn't that big, so it takes up the entire wall. I don't mind him sharing ideas with me. In fact, every time we look for inspiration for our home, we agree on 99% of what we like. But when it comes to actually executing the ideas? He fights tooth and nail saying he doesn't get a say in how we decorate. Even though he just agreed on what we were envisioning.
*sigh*
Marriage is so fun.

8. Get Noah's stuff organized.
My dad is actually helping us with this one. After Christmas, Noah's toys and books started to accumulate in odd places around the house. I asked my dad to help us out (he used to build custom cabinets/furniture on the side when I was younger). Since space is an issue, I asked him to build us something like this:

via
I'm really excited about it!

9. Fix the plumbing in Noah's bathroom.
There's a leak somewhere. When I let the water out, it leaks into the ceiling below the bathtub. Noah has been using our garden tub for the last few months, and even though I don't mind, it'd be nice for all of Noah's toys and things to be back in his own bathroom. Plus it's a lot easier to bathe him in the smaller tub. And if we have a guest over, they have to use our shower.
This is on Brad's "must do" list, actually.

10. Learn to love where we are right now.
I do feel like we spend too much time anticipating the future. What our next house will look like. What color we'll paint our kitchen. When we'll have enough money to get check some of these goals off our list. And while it's fun to dream, we continually have to remind ourselves that we need to enjoy the moment. Because the more you have? The more complicated life seems to become sometimes. Living simply certainly isn't a bad thing, and it's good to keep our priorities in check.
But oh is it fun to dream...

29

Last Thursday, I turned 29.

Getting older really doesn't freak me out at all. Mainly because I don't feel any different than when I was 18. Sure, I've grown up some, let certain things go, been through some "stuff", and developed thicker skin. But overall? Still feel the same.

Every year, God sends me a birthday gift. It's the same every year, because deep down, He knows it'll immediately make my day.

He sends a cold front our way.

Every.single.year.

On or right before my birthday.

And every year, I get all giddy turning the heat on, lighting some candles, and hanging out in warm pj's for as long as I want on the morning of my birthday.

It's the little things, y'all.

And that's exactly how I started my birthday.
No lie, it went from a high of 85 one day to a high of 65 the next.

Oh, and before I start this off, I wanted to warn you that the pictures you're about to see aren't very good. They're blurry or grainy or angled weird. But it's real life.
And I'm not above showing the less-than-stellar (technical wise) pictures or my messy house just for the sake of making myself look good. I have no shame. :)

We're a little tight this month in the $ arena. October just seemed like the perfect month for the state to be all up in our biz about our cars... a windshield replacement, taxes, and inspections. Yaaay. But Brad definitely still made my birthday special. We did our own little craft day, which y'all know is right up my alley.
First we carved some pumpkins. We didn't get to do the whole pumpkin patch thing, because Noah ended up catching a cold (from the beach) that led to an ear infection. He was a kind of a whiney-heiney and wasn't the least bit interested in the pumpkins.

I'm learning to let my "perfect family moment" fantasies go, because more often than not, Noah and Brad just don't cooperate. And then I'm left all disappointed that I don't have those perfect pictures of Noah sitting in a massive pumpkin patch, all smiles. Instead, I get a cranky kid with an ear infection and sitting in the car while Brad runs inside the local Food Lion to grab some pumpkins.
Eh. Whatever.
The point is that we do this stuff as a family, and we have a good time.
So Brad and I carved pumpkins while watching Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin and listening to Noah run around, completely ignoring the massive pumpkin we had set out for him.






(Since Noah wasn't interested, Brad carved 2 pumpkins... the 2 on the left are Brad's... isn't his Charlie Brown good??)
See, a lot of people may not know (or expect) this about Brad, but he's actually really crafty. His mom was/is... she was an incredible seamstress, making wedding dresses, curtains, Christmas decorations, clothes for kids, and all kinds of costumes. She also loved to do food crafts... gingerbread houses (from scratch), cookies, candy, etc. Naturally, Brad helped her and has a secret knack for this kind of thing. But he adds a nice, competitive-guy edge to it.
When I ask him why he doesn't do this kind of thing with me more often? He tells me he doesn't want to upset me by "showing me up". We tend to be a tad bit competitive with each other. It's actually borderline unhealthy. Because we started as friends first, at a very young age, it's kind of how we flirt. That and immature 12-yr-old teasing/put-downs. I once threw Scrabble pieces at him, because he was trash talking too much and then won the game.
I know. We're weird.
But I'm hoping I've crossed over into a new level of maturity. One where if he starts trash talking my wreath-making skills, I won't be tempted to glue glitter to his forehead.
I'm not making any promises.

Once Noah went down for a nap, Brad and I made candy ghosts... a treat he used to make with his mom when he was a kid. Since we don't really do Halloween in my family, I'd never made them before. They're cute and way too sugary to eat. We both took a bite and decided to put them down when we heard our teeth screaming for us to stop.




(Aren't they cute??)

After dinner, we hit my favorite mall. Seriously, a trip to this mall is a treat in and of itself. It's so clean, the place sparkles. Everyone dresses nice. I don't even care that I'd have to take out a separate loan just to afford a pair of shoes. The place makes me happy. It's where my dad used to take us when we were kids, just about every weekend. So it has some good memories attached to it as well.

We hit up Yoforia, which we all love.
Noah and I shared a bowl of pumpkin spice and cheesecake frozen yogurt. I added some graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, and bananas. Heaven. (and except for the toppings, it's fat free and organic!)

We hung out at my mom's over the weekend as well.
My stepdad's birthday was yesterday, so we had kind of a joint birthday dinner.
I get my love for entertaining from my mom. It was just us, but she still had everything decorated like the president was going to walk in at any moment. Of course, they're Republican, so I'm not sure how that dinner would've gone. But I digress...

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my Shark mop died. Apparently, you can't use tap water with it; it gets mineral build-up and stops working. It was a hand-me-down, so the warranty was out. So for the last few months, I've been cleaning our floors on my hands and knees. I didn't want to buy a new mop that I hated. I was holding out until we had the extra money to get a new Shark mop. Because I love them.
And lo and behold, my mom (and stepdad) got me a new one! And it's an upgrade. I now have extremely clean floors. I know this is incredibly boring, but for someone who has been playing the part of Cinderella the last few months? It's blog worthy.

I did finally find my baby pumpkins I'd been looking for for the last month. I guess they weren't in season yet or something. Brad picked me up a few, and I've been busy decorating with them.






My birthday wasn't super eventful, but it was perfect for me.