Window Seat Re-Do

We FINALLY had those horrible, 80's-gone-wrong window seat cushions recovered!


Here is the fabric up close..


We also replaced that awful light fixture and got a new table for the space!


I said not too long ago that I was going in a different direction for the house, yet this table is about as Shabby Chic as it gets! I still think it works though.


I love walking in and seeing this little nook. It is definitely one of my favorite spaces in the house.




One bite at a time, we are making this place our own :)

A new direction (Office Reveal)

I've decided that in our new house, I want to go in a new direction. I want to use colors I've never used before. I love the beachy, airy, shabby chic (to a point) look and have for years. Because I love it so much, I use a lot of light greens, blues, tans and a lot of white.

When we moved in our house, it just felt different. I knew I could make my style work with it, but it just wasn't feeling it. The old creaky floors, original cabinets and split-level look just didn't scream "beachy" to me.

An office is a place where you can take a little bit more of a risk. When we moved in, the walls were a deep gray (which I didn't mind), but the ceiling was light green the bookcase fronts were periwinkle blue.




I was feeling kind of brave, so, I really went for it. Here is the result!





The bookcases definitely aren't just right yet. I want to get some nicer storage boxes and possibly find a better set-up for the printer.




This office re-do was a labor of love! The walls are "Victory Blue." It took 4 coats to get the coverage we were looking for. Every bit of trim was painted in Ultra-White. I haven't been able to paint the doors yet. You can tell how different the trim colors are a few pictures above.

I still have a few finishing touches to go before it will be done. I'm looking for a rug and a new light fixture, but I'm not in a hurry. We love how this turned out! It feels original to the house and I love the huge map. It was a simple solution for a big wall without cramming it full of family pictures. I have plans for those in other areas.

This is how the office usually looks:)



This guy likes playing in there too.


Hope you enjoyed my little office makeover :)

Spring into change

The gorgeous weather lately has had me all kinds of motivated. I've been motivated to do everything.

Cook.

Clean.

Try new activities with the kids.

Shop. (quite limited here :)

Get outside.

Make the house a home.

Party plan.

Craft.

It's fun to have motivation to do all of these things, but as we moms know, there just aren't enough hours in the day. So what do we do? We focus one what we can, when we can. One thing suffers so that we can get another thing done and so on and so on.

I convinced hubby to try something I've been wanting to do forever. Here's a hint. It's SO hard to figure out what we've done:)

(Blurry night photo. Best I've got.)


I'm so thrilled with the result and I will share pics as soon as I can take a daylight photo.

It seems like it takes three times as long to get a project done as it used to. I am busy trying to entertain/keep babies happy while Jimmy does most of the work. He can only work so much when he is always sleep deprived, so we do what we can. Our house is a complete wreck and I would be mortified if anyone came over, but we have a pretty hallway to show for it!

The babies have been pretty good the last few days. Hollin decided to have her worst meltdown ever today and I think it may be because she didn't feel well.

(You'd think I would've learned to remove my knee from baby photos.)

She cried for at least 30 minutes, if not more. I did let her cry it out. I picked her up after I couldn't take it anymore and she fell asleep. Oh and Harper was saying, "Mama outside, mama, mama, MAMA!!!" the whole time she was screaming. It was fun.


So, that is life right now. I feel like I am in a constant state of "overwhelmed" since Hollin was born, but things are constantly changing and babies keep growing. I try to adapt as best I can. Some days I think I rock at this whole mom-of-two thing and then some days, not so much. I'm trying to soak in all of these little moments. Even the screaming infant, the demanding preschooler, the dog that needs to be let out at the most inconvenient times and the teeny changes that we make to our home when we can find the time. Maybe even the balls of dog hair I can see under my bed and in corners of the house. Mixed with dried chunks of play-doh.

There are so many changes happening here and it's all (mostly) fun. My mom is moving here permanently next week. More on that here. I'm planning for Harper's 3rd birthday party, Easter, preparing for construction to begin and trying to make my house presentable for all of the above. I may even try to throw in a pool party some time this year. I wish I could invite every single one of you!

I'm not going to flatter myself with thinking that I have a ton of readers, but what are you changing/looking forward to?

Happy Friday,

Supergirl

Jimmy used to sing the "Superman" anthem to Harper and fly him through the air when he was a baby.

Hollin seems to enjoy it as well :)







Yesterday, I went to Michael's and picked up a few things. I wanted to try and make Hollin a few cute headbands. I ended up making 5 and this one is one of my favorites.


Jimmy and I getting close to finishing our office re-do. I picked a very different color and I am SO excited about it. We just need to finish up the trim, do one more coat on the ceiling and then put all the furniture back. I am definitely on the lookout for a different light fixture, curtains and a rug. I also need something for the walls, but I just haven't decided which way to go. Do I want pics of the family or just landscape-type pics? I don't know yet.

Can't wait to show you all!

Happy Tuesday,

I might be out of my mind

This year, Easter falls on Sunday, April 8th. Harper's 3rd (wow) birthday is April 5th.

Jimmy and I talked it over and decided that we will celebrate his birthday on Saturday, April 7th and then of course Easter (and all corresponding activities) will be the next day.

This year's birthday party theme is..............


John Deere Tractors!

Truth be told, Harper could care less what KIND of tractor he's looking at, but working with the green and yellow should be fun!

Part of me wants to go all out because I feel like my little boy deserves it.

He really deserves it after learning to say, "If you touch my Sissy, I'll beat you up!"

I'm excited to make our new digs all festive. On the flip side, however, I have to be realistic. How much can I really do in one weekend? I know I can squeeze in a lot, so I just might do that. It's all part of the fun I suppose.

I LOVE preparing for this time of year and especially planning my first baby's party.

Let the fun begin!

Finding the balance

I'm throwing up the white flag for this week. Harper caught whatever I had and threw up at least 6 times a few nights ago.

(I took this picture just an hour before he started throwing up, poor thing.)

I have also not been feeling 100% and having stomach pain on and off. What is going on around here?!

I mentioned recently that I was going to work on getting Hollin into a routine, which I hoped would create windows of opportunity for me to clean up around here. I've just realized that it may not be that easy.

I know I've posted before about implementing a weekly cleaning schedule, but that fell flat almost as quickly as the idea came to me. I have been scratching my brain the past few days about how I can get on top of things. I feel like the house is a dog hair and laundry bomb on a daily basis. There are so many projects going on at any given time, that I have to make a big mess in one room to clean up another! It's so frustrating.

Not to sound complain-y, but this is what I am faced with every week.

~ Harper attends preschool on M,W,F, thus making Tuesdays and Thursdays our "free days." Free days are hard because I struggle to keep him entertained on top of tending to my very precious (but clingy) baby girl right now. He gets bored very easily and resorts to getting into things he shouldn't to keep him entertained. I spend most of my days disciplining him and then almost immediately tending to Hollin. It goes back and forth like this all day and I can't get anything done.

~ Jimmy's schedule rotates every other week. For instance this week, he worked Mon, Tues night, off all day Wed, Thurs and working Fri, Sat, Sun night. Next week it will be the exact opposite.

~ This creates a schedule that is not predictable enough to stick with. I feel that Harper and Hollin need a daily routine, but we are always doing different things based on when/how much Jimmy is here.

To make things just a little harder, I cannot seem to get Hollin to sleep for more than 45 minute stretches. She does tend to sleep longer if I put her on her stomach, but my paranoia creeps in and I can't stop checking on her long enough to get anything done.

So, I think my issue is that I want to get the babies in a routine, for their sake and for mine. I don't know why I'm so obsessed with schedules this week, but I just want something that feels "normal" for all of us. I'm not obsessed with having a squeaky clean house. I do like to break away now and then and get things done for my mental health. If it was in the budget, I would look into a cleaning service once a week! I never thought I'd would consider that because I LOVE cleaning. Does that make me weird?

Sigh.. one day I will find the balance and look back on this post and laugh. Right?

Goodnight :)

Miscellaneous

Before Hollin was born, many people told me that buying clothes would be so much more fun than buying for a boy. I was told that it would become an obsession. I didn't believe them because I thought I was far too practical for that. I'm ashamed to say they were right. I can't stop myself. Don't get me wrong though, I always make sure I get them at a good price :)

I am not one to wish time away, but let's just say that I am READY for Spring and Summer. There is lots of fun to be had.


Hollin received this beautiful sweater from my cousin this week. It came with matching booties and a hat. I love it! It reminds me of Easter.


Harper has been so sweet today, helping with the baby. I think he is going to be a great big brother. Excuse the blurry photo.


Speaking of Harper, he is OFFICIALLY potty trained! On Monday of this past week, he came in and acted like he needed to go. I asked him of he needed to go #1 or #2 and he said #2. He walked in, did his business with NO fighting or screaming! Hallelujah!

Ok, just throwing in another cute pic of Hollin....


This has nothing to do with the babies, but I would really like to get one of these.

I am not one for always having to have the latest and greatest of everything. (Hence why I don't already have one.) I looked at this in the store last week when Jimmy got a new phone and I really liked it. I like that it operates the same way as the ipad and the camera on it is great with lots of applications. There are so many times that I want to take pictures of the babies, but don't have my huge DSLR camera with me. Not to mention, water got into the earpiece of my phone last week and I can barely hear on it now.

That is all for tonight folks. Happy Thursday!

Fighting Bears

If you are like me, then you love Erin's Blue Eyed Bride blog. She posted a few months ago about fighting bears and I tucked that saying away in the back of my mind because it is such a simple concept.

Right now I am in a stage of life where I am fighting bears. I think most of us are probably fighting a few bears at once at any given time.

Life has been fun lately with our moving into a new house and the excitement of making it our own. On the flip side of that however, life has also been very stressful.

I have come to the realization that my sweet little girl most likely has colic. For the past several weeks, I have not been able to put her down for more than 10 minutes at the most without a subsequent baby meltdown. If she is napping, then I get a little bit more of a break, but it doesn't feel like long enough to get my nerves back to where they should be. She is my fussy bear.

Today seemed to be a turning point with the colic. She was a happy girl and Jimmy and I actually went out for a breakfast date while Harper was in Preschool. When we went to pick him up, the teacher informed us that he'd had a bad day. We were told that he was very aggressive and then when he was put in time out, he kicked the teacher. On top of that, he dropped his pants and peed on the playground. While I get that the latter of the two is funny (I guess), I'm obviously frustrated and just flat out embarrassed by Harper's behavior lately. I know that he's two (three in April) and that this is just a difficult age, but he doesn't respond to time-out, spankings, you name it, we've tried it. NOTHING snaps him out of it. He is a stubborn, STUBBORN little bear and Hollin's inconsolable crying started again not long after Jimmy left for work this evening.

Jimmy has been as much of a help as he can be, but Hollin wants no one but mommy right now. When he is here, he has a honey-do list a mile long to help get our house put together. By the time we are both done at the end of the day, we barely have the energy to speak to one another. When he is not here working, he's out on the streets, working 12 hour nights in the freezing cold on about 5 hours of sleep. I don't know how he does it. He is my busy bear.


Then there's me. I am tired and frazzled on a daily basis. My hair stays in a greasy ponytail unless I can find the energy to shower and dry my hair at night after the babies go to sleep. My clothes don't fit like they used to. I want to lose about 10 pounds. I want to eat better and exercise, but I find myself stuffing my face with M&Ms for comfort after a long day and Lord knows I can't get away for a 30 minute workout. I could wake up 30 minutes early, but Harper is the lightest sleeper in the world. Any slight noise coming from the elliptical in the garage or slipping out the front door for a run would wake him. A gym membership is not in the budget. I want a few minutes to put makeup on at the start of the day. I want to feel "pretty" and put-together again.

The mom guilt is in full force nowadays. I am so busy trying to keep Hollin happy, that I feel like Harper is left spending a little too much time playing on the ipad. On the rare occasion that I do get a few minutes to myself, I am ridden with guilt if I don't spend them with my kids. All I can hear are the sweet old ladies telling me to "Enjoy every minute because they go so fast."

I am living the life that I wanted as a stay-at-home mom, but there are times when I just want to feel like Ashlynn again. I sometimes miss getting dressed in matching and well-fitted clothes with hair and makeup done on MY time. I feel like I've turned into that mom that I said I'd never be. The one with the greasy ponytail and spit-up stained clothes.

I am a tired bear.

I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. It took a year for me to feel "thinnish" again after Harper was born. I know that Hollin's colic will eventually go away. I know that Jimmy will (PLEASE Lord) be switched to day shift sometime in February and I won't have to fight my two bears alone at night anymore.

Life is great, but tough right now. And "You can fight a bear for a little while."

A catch-up in pictures

It feels so great to have internet back! Here is a run-down of what has been going on..

Jimmy and Hollin taking a quick morning nap while we waited by the phone to get the news that we were ready to close. Yes, they are sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Don't worry, I scooped her up the minute I was done taking a picture :)


We closed on our house at about 4pm in the afternoon, so we moved many of our things that night. Here is Harper and Hollin hanging out in the kitchen. Poor guy was so exhausted.

(For the record, the previous owners seemed to really have great taste in paint colors, etc. I have no idea why they thought the fabric on these benches looked good.)

Harper ate a few meals on the kitchen counters because we misplaced the hardware for our table.


He took his first bath in the new house's tub.


Jimmy and Maya ripped up the old carpet to get ready for new carpet!


And I left a message for whoever uncovers the carpet in the years to come..


Hollin caught a few rays


The carpet guy showed up, alone, and rolled our carpet out on in our front yard. We still can't believe he installed the carpet all by himself!




We received our pool cover and Maya tested it for us. We watched her through the window and died laughing.


Harper got a big boy haircut. *Tear*


Hollin hung out with me some more in our favorite sunny spot. She is growing so fast.




Jimmy cooked our first official meal in the house (tacos!) and gave me a "gun show." Such a ham.


We had tummy time..


And my BIG boy finally went #2 in the toilet yesterday! It was not an easy thing. We had sent him to Preschool in big boy underwear because he has been so great about going #1 in the toilet. He was still wearing his underwear yesterday when I noticed that he was showing all the signs of "fighting off" going #2. (Yes, he fights it off and I don't know why.) I had to make him sit on the toilet and he screamed his head off the entire time. Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore. When he was done, I of course praised him and gave him way too many M&M's.

I paid the price for that all night while he ran around in circles and got out of bed what seemed like a hundred times :)

Today, we had a repeat of the same thing. Fighting it off, forcing him to sit on the toilet, screaming the whole time until he finally goes, praise and excitement for finally going in the toilet and about 5 M&M's. I have mixed feeling about how I am having to potty train him. If I don't physically make him sit on the toilet, he will fight it and fight it and finally ask for a diaper. I'm not sure how to handle it honestly.

In the middle of all of the craziness this past week, Hollin developed thrush and became constipated. We thought Harper had a bladder infection, so we took him to the Dr. to find out that he is fine. We have all had a cold this week as well.

So, we have been very busy! And very exhausted. I'd like to think that things are going to settle down, but I don't see that happening any time soon. We have a long road ahead of us in getting things organized in a home that has a lot more square footage, but a LOT less storage inside. Not to mention, my parents will begin construction on their residence soon.

With all of that said though, we are all VERY happy with our new home and are enjoying the process of settling in.

I think I'm more excited to be back in blog-land!!

Happy Saturday,