I have been tagged

Jen tagged me ,I am supposed to list seven random things about myself.

1. I have hitchhiked a ride before, it was in college when I studied abroad in the Netherlands, Jeremy and I were visiting the national park and read the wrong bus schedule, we had no choice but to hitch a ride to the nearest train station.
2. I have lived in a castle, in the Netherlands.
3. I love french fries and I have a really hard time sharing them.
4. I can't stand the word "baggie" for a ziplock bag.
5. I don't like leaving things in the car like trash, toys, books, or any other random item-drives me crazy, but it still happens, especially now that we have two kids.
6. In high school and college, I could never concentrate on my homework until the mail came.
7. I like rap music . . . some rap music

So I am tagging Lee Ann, Amy, Cheryl, Meghann, Sara M., Tracey,
and Sarah

the "bathroom"

I want to show you how far we have come on part of our house(this is also for Jeremy and I to remember how far we have come on our DIY fixer-upper). This was our kitchen the weekend in we closed on our house when we went to work tearing out everything. Scary, I know. We put in sheet rock, cabinets and counters by ourselves, and with the help of family and friends. This is our kitchen today,


So we have come along way. All this to say we got really frustrated with our house last night, more specifically the bathroom, our only bathroom. Our toilet was leaking, we have had many leaks in this bathroom that the previous owners had "remodeled," which by the way they must use that term VERY loosely. Two Christmases ago, on Christmas Eve, the floor had to be completely ripped out b/c of a leak in the shower. So we did not have a functioning bathroom and had to borrow our friends. This past weekend we noticed the toilet was leaking. Jeremy, set out to fix it last night and discovered not only would he have to replace the wax seal, but also the wood "floor" that was put in the Christmas we had the leak. So, he headed off the HomeDepot and Lowe's for wood, which were both closed. In the process of trying to not completely freak out at the fact that we might not have a functioning bathroom, with a potty-trained toddler, Jeremy was able to locate some wood from our kind friends Joe and Daniel, Who also came over at 8:30 pm to help Jeremy. We are so grateful they gave up there evenings to work on this. That bathroom was finally functioning at around 1:30 am. Poor Daniel, had to use our tiny little emergency light to see what he was cutting with the saw. And yes, in case you are wondering, this is the bathroom were Stella was born on the floor. I know, it looks like a real sterile environment doesn't it(it looks much worse in real life). One daywe will completely rip this baby out. But, we must first put in a completely new bathroom before we can rip this one out. Oh, we look forward to that day.

Glenn and Kelly are back in Houston! We are so glad they were able to fly home yesterday. She is still on bed rest, but now they get to be at home.


Emma is also back with us, we met J's family at Ikea, in Dallas, on Thursday. I missed her so much, but am thankful she gets to have times like that with her grandparents. She had a good time in Tulsa, she even got to help out behind the counter at the scrapbook store where Jeremy's mom shops. I think she handed the customers there change and said "thanks for coming." Emma also painted and stamped a flower pot for me for Mother's Day while she was there. I love it. Her hair is longer and she looks bigger. It is amazing what 10 days will do. She also had a surprise for us...she came home potty-trained! She wears pull-ups at night and for long trips, but so far since she has been home things are going great. I can't believe she will be 3 in just over a month.

The girls are now sleeping in the same room at night, the first was a very long night, Emma kept waking up to go potty or blow her nose, seriously, I think it was like every 2 hours all night. And Stella, was having a hard time sleeping at all because she got some shots on Wednesday. The past two nights have gone fairly well, sometimes Stella will wake up Emma when she cries, but I think she will get used to it. I love the idea of them sharing a room, not that they have I choice, but I think it is sweet.

While she was away I stayed busy working on her baby book, I have to finish it by June 3rd. I made a lot of progress and I have been having fun scraplifting my pages (yes, my non-scrappy friends that is a term known among us scrapbookers). I also caught up on my Heidi Swapp Class, and made a fun and simple travel coffee mug with the new Amy Butler paper...which I love!

We have a busy week ahead. I hope to come up with some kind of schedule for us. I just need to be able to sit down and make a list of everything I want to include in our weeks and come up with some structure. Jeremy said he would help me with this task. I kind of feel overwhelmed with the process. I love the idea of organizing things and our time, but getting to that point can be really difficult for me sometimes. One of the things I have learned about myself in the past year, is that I am really not as structured as I though I was. I think adding a second child to our family and having a very busy toddler has shown me this. I always thought I was but I think school created that for me. Now that I am able to create my schedule for the most part, I really have a hard time sticking to anything. I like flexibility so I hope to come up with a plan that will allow freedom and flexibility.

Today we had MOPS. It was just Stella and me b/c Emma is spending the next week or so with J's parents. They came down last weekend and took her back with them on Monday. I am doing a lot better than I thought I would. I think it is because I have been so busy. I know she is having a good time up there. The timing worked out really well because I have been busy packaging up an order for another customer! I will share who it is once it is up on their website. I am excited though.

Back to Mops, our topic today was "Stranger Danger." We watched a video put out by John Walsh, whose son was abducted. The video is geared towards kids, but I think Emma is too young to watch it right now. I did get some excellent tips for how to handle the whole stranger issue. I definitely recommend it. It is a little cheesy, but also creative. I think I will check it out from the Mops library so J can watch it with me, maybe we can have some other parents over to watch it too.

Hope everyone is having a good day. I'll share some photos I have been enjoying.

Update

Glenn and Kelly are doing much better! We are so thankful. The doctors said she is no longer in labor and that she could actually carry Robert to term or deliver sometime this week. Now, they are thinking about the logistics of settling down for a month or so in northern California. They have started a blog for updates on their progress, I love that we can actually see pictures of them now. It is amazing how seeing pictures of those you love that are far away, make it seem like they are not so far away. I am so thankful for blogs.

Please pray for my brother, sister in law and their baby

My brother Glenn, and sister in law Kelly, have been in San Francisco and the wine country on vacation this past week--they are from Houston--and on Friday, Kelly had to go into the hospital in Santa Rosa. She is due June 8, but started experiencing contractions and started dilating. They thought her water broke on Friday, but now they think it has sealed back up. They are far from home, family, church, and friends and are very scared for Robert's (the baby's) health. The doctors have given Kelly medicine to stop the contractions. Additionally, they've given her a steroid to aid in the development of Robert's lungs in case he does come this early.

Their prayer now is for Robert's health, that his lungs would be fully developed and that he would be healthy. They hope for him is remain in her womb as long as possible, ideally for at least three more weeks, that means Kelly's will be on complete bed rest until he is born. Imagine staying in bed that long, not even being able to get up to go to the bathroom. The doctors are cautious to elevate her because of gravity increasing chances of delivering Robert early.

Please pray for Kelly as she embraces the bed rest. She is taking it one step at a time, hour by hour, in order to not be overwhelmed by staying in bed that long.

Please pray for Glenn, there are lots of logistics he is trying to take care of right now. They think they will be there for at least a month. He is trying to figure out being gone from work that long, transportation, housing, etc. He is also trying to finish up their taxes.

I will keep you posted, thanks for your prayers.

green things

I had this frame sitting around calling out to be made cute. So, armed with some pretty paper (it is this great shade of green), some ledger paper (one my favorites) and some rhinestones I got right to work. I used a rub-on for the quote inside the frame. It says, "It is not the house I love, but the life that is lived there."

Found these cuties at Walmart. I have been looking for some "hens and chicks" for awhile. Every since I saw an amazing garden of drought friendly plants in Cottage Living, I have wanted to grow succulents. Our friends Jay and Kathryn, gave me several succulents last spring and I have been successful with most of them (success in gardening is a rare event with me). I hope these survive my black thumb.


Another little project, some fun little notebooks. That's all for now.

This morning I did something I hardly ever do during the week. I woke up, took a shower, made our bed, then poured myself a cup of coffee and just sat in the living room enjoying the coffee. If the girls are still asleep I usually feel like I have take advantage of that time to get a lot done. I finally realized that most likely the mornings are going to be the only time I can have some time to myself...so I relaxed.

Last night, after our community group meeting, Jeremy and I were working on a project and we needed some photos for space holders. With some quick cropping and editing this is what Jeremy came up with. Kind of fun...