Unexpected Long Weekend

I am home today with a sick kiddo... and so it begins.  Again.  Poor Brennan has had monthly fevers since he was two years old, mostly because he cannot keep his hands out of his mouth.  I feel like he is just as oral as he was when he was a young toddler.  Last year he missed ten days of school, and I got a letter from the school about his attendance.  It was heart-breaking, mostly because I can't change anything.  His oral tendencies are completely subconscious, so harping on him doesn't make any difference at all.

The good news is that today is Friday, so B will definitely be back in school on Monday.  And so today I will do what I can to keep everyone happy until Daddy gets home.  Right now, that involves Caillou and computer games until breakfast.  And so, while everyone gets their daily allotment of screen time, I blog.

Yesterday was my second day having Cora in preschool for five hours.  It was awesome.  Honestly, I felt giddy, being able to run errands with just one child.  And when I got home and Seth took a nap, I dove into an organizing project I have been itching to do for a while.

It is no secret that I get pleasure out of being organized and efficient.  This is especially true in my home.  My house is never completely clean or picked up, (I do have three kids!!) but I do have lots of systems in place to make my life simpler and help everyone stay on track.  My mother-in-law comments every time she comes to visit that I have a new system in place, and she is always learning new tricks from spending time in my home.  She said she loves it because she always knows where to find things and how to step in and help me.  She told me I need to post some of my organizational strategies because they just don't come naturally to everyone.  I thought this sounded like a good idea, so next week I am going to post photos and tips on organization for life with little kids.  If they are obvious, forgive me.  But if they are helpful to even one person, I'm glad to share.

In the mean time, I'll share some photos of yesterday's achievements.  The closets in our house have been driving me crazy for some time.  I picked up a few plastic shelving units at Home Depot yesterday, and voila!  Instant organization.

Brennan's closet before:

... and after:

Seth's closet before:

...and after:

I'll talk about some of the things in the kids' closets during next week's post.  Until then, I'll leave you with some photos.

Brennan and Cora were both supposed to bring family pictures to school, and we realized we hadn't taken one since we were in the hospital when Seth was born.  We threw up a black piece of fabric, set the timer on the camera, and took a few impromptu pictures after church (Jim had been home with the sick baby, so he isn't as dressed up as the rest of us).

Look who is sitting up?!  Oh, wait!  That's a picture of Brennan!  Well, it's awfully hard to tell them apart.  Thank goodness for dates on digital pictures because they are nearly identical at this age.  Check out Seth!!

Have a great weekend!

December Pinterest Projects

Before I show a few photos of this year's Christmas festivities, I have to show a few pictures of Pinterest-inspired projects I tackled right before Christmas.

For my sister and her fiance, Brennan and I made this fun button ornament:

(I have the supplies to make one of these ornaments for my own tree, but I am not so sure it is going to get done this year.)

I also displayed my Christmas cards on my cupboards with ribbons and clothespins, thanks to this site:

And on the inside of my cupboards, I made these awesome hangers for my measuring cups and spoons, so I don't have to go digging through my drawer to find just what I need.  I just used a large paint stick from Home Depot, some little hooks, my Silhouette, some leftover paint, and some double-sided foamy adhesive (I have no idea what it is really called.)  I think the whole project cost under $5.

Coming right up... Christmas in Pictures.  (It's a double post day!)

Goals Update

Last Saturday I realized that 2011 is 1/3 of the way done.  (What?!? Where is this year going?!)  As I thought about the goals I had set for this year and how I am doing in achieving them, I decided I would share a little update.

In January I set two kinds of goals: personal goals and house goals (you can follow the links to read more in depth).  Here is an update on both sets:

Personal Goals for 2011:

1. Read every word of the Bible in a year.
Let me just say, if you have never read through the Bible, it is an awesome thing to do.  It does require some dedication, but the rewards are so great!  I am loving seeing God's plan for his people throughout history and better understanding the great God I worship.  So far I have read Genesis, Job, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, and currently I am in a mishmash of 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and Psalms.  (I will admit that I am currently struggling... These are not the most engaging books, though I completely understand why they need to be a part of the Bible.)

For those who have asked, Jim and I are following a chronological reading plan, so we are reading the events in the order in which they happened.  There are many, many chronological reading plans available, but we are currently using one available on YouVersion.  Each day I have about 10 - 15 minutes of reading (except when I get behind, which happens more often than I would like), and there is an app for my phone so I can read in car line, too!  :-) 

2. Write on my blog at least once a week.

You can check the progress of this one for yourself.  The archive list over there to the right doesn't lie.

3. Leave the Nashville area at least four times.

In February we returned to Dallas for a visit, a few weeks ago I went to The Smoky Mountains for a retreat, and in October we will be returning to Dallas for my friend Erin's wedding.  I just need to plan one other getaway in order to reach my goal, and squeezing that one in around our schedules and finances is going to be really tricky.  Time to think, plan, and get intentional...

House Goals for 2011:

DONE:

Finish the coat closet hallway

Before:

After:

IN PROGRESS: 

1. Work on the family room

get a mirror or  artwork to go above the sofa

hang something below the ledge shelf in this picture above

fill in the vertical space(s) next to our feature photo wall

change the throw pillows... I'm hoping to add pops of aqua to the room.

Before:

After:

Before:

(I was trying to decide what size piece I need over the couch.  I still haven't found what I am looking for!)

After:

2. (Nearly) Finish the play room

• paint the walls
• make throw pillows for the couch
• create a place for the kids to showcase their artwork
• hang stuff on the walls
• make new light fixtures
• have Jim re-wire the lights

Before:

After:

3. Trim out the chalkboard wall

Before:

After:

This isn't officially done because we still need to fill in the nail holes and touch up the paint.  But it looks good, and I am thrilled that I decided to do it!

I also made a few magnetic frames and some glass magnets:

Buckets give me a place to keep chalk, chalk pens, and an eraser.

TOTALLY NOT DONE (OR EVEN STARTED!):

• Work on the guest bathroom / kids' bathroom.
• Give some TLC to my craft room.
• Get curtains for our bedroom.  
• Hang something on the empty wall in the dining room.
• Add more lighting to the formal living room.

Having a goals list for the house has been incredibly helpful.  When I have had a little extra money, I have been able to make good, intentional choices.  My eyes are always peeled for things that will help me accomplish my goals, and I can prioritize my time better.

In a few weeks I am having a garage sale, and I am already trying to decide where to spend the money I make.  Having this goals list helps me to narrow down my choices considerably and keeps me focused.

I will try to do another update in four more months.  Hopefully I will have 2/3 of the list done!

Returning Home

On Saturday morning we got up at 3:30 AM and made our way to the airport to escape for several days.  This was my surprise Christmas gift to Jim.  After three years, I thought it was time for him to return to Dallas.  It was time to reconnect with special friends, to reflect on where we have come from and dream about where we are going.  It was time to eat Mexican food and do lots of shopping (even if it is without lots of money) and it was time to give many, many hugs.

It was time to return home.

I had no idea that we would do this so literally.  After a delicious lunch at La Madeleine (which in and of itself brought back lots of memories of life before kids), I asked my friend Erin if she would chauffeur us by our old house so I could look at it.  After sitting in front of the house for an eternity, we worried that the new owner would call the police, so I decided to get out to take a quick picture before leaving.  As I was getting back into the car, the new owner of the house walked out.  I jumped out of the car and walked over to introduce myself.  I let him know that we had owned the house three years ago and just wanted to look at it.  The man was really nice, let us know that they had just moved in this past June, having bought the house from the man we sold it to, and before I knew it he had invited us inside!  (Who does that?!)

Our house in Dallas was our first home, and it is the house where we brought Brennan home for the first time.  It is full of our handiwork, our dreams, and our memories.  Many things happened while we lived in that house that have shaped who we are today.  I'll never forget closing the door on that house for the last time and feeling like I was leaving a piece of myself inside.

Just three months after we sold our house, we received several phone calls from our neighbors that a horrible thing had happened.  The man we sold the house to had had a friend visiting from Chicago.  The visitor and his girlfriend (?) got into an argument, the visitor pulled a gun, and in the end, the man came out with a gun pointed at the police.  He was shot dead on the front stoop of our house.

To say that this tragedy rattled me would be a huge understatement.  In my heart, it was still my house.  We didn't have permanent housing yet in Nashville, and I hadn't transitioned yet.  It had only been a few months.  Someone had violated my home.  He had made my beautiful, safe place feel scary and ugly.  I couldn't stop picturing blood all over the white walls and tile in the entryway.

As we walked in the front door of the house, I was overcome with emotion.  The walls had been painted a beautiful tan color and hung with welcoming artwork.  Each room looked so different from when we had left it just three years ago, but the rooms looked safe and cared for.  All of the horrible, scary things I had imagined started to go away.  I couldn't help myself and started to quietly cry.

The new homeowner said that this was his first home with his wife, and they looked forward to starting a family together there.  He had already done lots of projects (many that we had wished we could do ourselves), and it was clear that he took pride in his home.

I was thankful that there were still remnants of us in the house.  The lights that Jim had added and rewired, the floors, the beautiful tile work in the bathroom... The owner said that they enjoyed those things, and the bathroom had been a selling feature for the house.  It was not our house anymore, but our efforts had not been eradicated.

This whole trip was supposed to be about reconnecting and moving on.  I could never have guessed that God would have something like this up His sleeve.  I have closure on something I didn't know I even needed, and I am so, so grateful.