Progress around the home & "Being a Mary vs. Martha"

A couple of nights ago we finished up unpacking the last bulk of boxes. Yea! We have a handful of boxes still sitting around needing attention, but I should be able to tackle these in an afternoon. All the large wall items are hung, but I have at least 60+ frames in need of attention. I am really looking forward to hanging my frames & wall decor! Sadly enough, I actually get giddy just thinking about it. :)

Last Saturday was a rainy day, so I actually rejoiced because that meant we could tackle the basement. Since moving in, we have wanted to play outside as much as possible & get some yard work done (I'll show some pics soon!); therefore, the inside of the house has been put off a bit due to gorgeous weather. :) We did get everything organized & unpacked in the basement with the exception of my scrapbooking stuff. I will look forward to gradually getting to that over the next several weeks. There are some pictures that are calling my name in need of printing & scrapping/hanging.

Monday night we decided to have a watermelon social at our place for a few of the neighbors. It was a beautiful day so we were looking forward to sitting out on the deck & enjoying the delicious weather. Well, about halfway through our dinner, Clay, Parker & I had to grab our plates & run inside to miss the buckets of water pouring from the sky...random. We weren't sure whether or not the neighbors would show up or not with the change, but low & behold they were knocking on our doors at 7:15 ready for a party. I have to tell you that I was highly embarassed by the way our kitchen & living area looked. Stuff sitting out, candles not lit...see, I hadn't planned on people actually coming in & wanting a tour of the place with the original plan being that the party was going to be outdoors. Now, I know we have just moved & all, but I was beyond mortified. I actually told my mom that night that I would rather have someone walk in on me in my underwear than to walk in & have the garbage sitting out in the kitchen, a warm candle not lit & stuff sitting around waiting to be put away. Call it ocd, call it nesting, call it whatever you want to, but that has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves. (I'm going to regret admitting all of this later! ha!) Anyway, I sucked it up when I saw how happy Clay & everyone else was & decided not to stress over those little details...well, at least not while the company was in the house.

We recently had a message in our Sunday School class about "Mary & Martha." (Luke 10:38-42) It was the perfect lesson for me that week. (I think I could stand to hear it a time or two more!) Less than two weeks before the move my dear husband made the comment, "Baby, we haven't had anyone over for supper in awhile. Let's invite one of the couples from church over in the next week or so." (Now, please keep in mind that by this time, our kitchen table was packed up along with over 3/4 of our home.) I looked at him in wide-eyed disbelief & replied, "What did you have in mind? Having a pow wow over a pizza box in the middle of the living room floor?!" I nipped that suggestion in the bud quickly much to his dismay...the next Sunday was the lesson on being a Martha or Mary. I couldn't help but laugh when most of the husbands in the room (including mine) glanced over at their wives to raise their eyebrows as if to say with one look, "See, I told you so."

Growing up, our family always had people stopping by the house to say hello, play, etc. I remember my mom having candles lit & creating such a warm environment for our guests. Now, the house was rarely in perfect order with everything that was going on in everyday lives; however, she always made people feel welcome & comfortable when they walked through the door. My mom is definitely a "Mary." I pray often that I will develop more of the "Mary" mentality...you see it's a lot easier to do when life is calm & a little quieter...I can do that part. It's more of a challenge when your life gets turned upside down & twisted around; that's when the test stands strongest.

With all that being said, though our house was nowhere near perfect condition, it was a fun evening with new friends...imagine that! ;) ...by the way, the watermelon was delish. 

Several fun things from this weekend...

I am soooo happy to be sitting here at my working computer looking through pictures from the past month & actually being able to share some of these cuties with ya'll! It has been an interesting last several weeks mixed with a little of everything: busy days, fun times, challenging hours, stressful situations, beautiful weather, laid-back afternoons. We are loving the new home & starting to feel a lot more settled in. Sooo much to share & catch up on, but I had to get on here & post some pictures from our weekend. This post will be random, but quick thoughts (I've actually got about 10 minutes before the boys get home for supper).

This was at 11:15 last night (sexy picture isn't it...half dressed in pjs, half dressed in clothes from the day). I got the urge around 10pm to start decorating, so Clay got to help me...obviously, I couldn't crawl up there by myself. :) I'm very happy with the finished results...this picture doesn't show the final arrangement, but we were having fun at this point & decided to take pictures. I will say though, that as I sit here & look at the picture, my palms are sweating (as they were last night when I was trying to dust the upper level & arrange my pretty things...I was determined to get it done though.)

LOVE this picture & these two! This was taken after church on Sunday...I have got to get some cute pics of little man in this outfit from his Rassie. It's adorable & one of my current favorites. Parker refused to leave his baseball cap in the car during church, so we allowed him to wear it in, then he placed it in his little container in the nursery until after church was over. When Clay & I went to get him afterwards, he happily walked out swinging his arms & walked over to his little bucket where he pulled his hat from. That hat went straight back on his head & stayed on for the remainder of the day. He actually wore it until bedtime (literally, I took it off after we had said bedtime prayers & as I was laying him down!)

I have started my first herb garden! It will be so much fun to have fresh herbs to use with my cooking this summer & fall. For years I have said I wanted one, so I am excited to be able to have my own small little garden of it now. This weekend, I walked out on the deck to see the first little buds popping up out of the potting soil. I was so excited I started yelling at Clay to come see my plants. He laughed....so I took pictures to show everyone. So far, I have planted Basil, Oregano, Parsley & Cilantro. I want to plant Rosemary & Mint too, but haven't been able to find it yet; they seem to be out of those two everywhere I go.

This is what entertained Parker during our long Walmart shopping trip this weekend. He took things off the shelves & lined them up across the aisles. Well, at least there is some order to it. ;)

Lots more to do...a few boxes left to unpack, frames need to be hung & of course the decorating is not done. But, I am having lots of fun playing with it all & enjoying our everyday life in our new home.

P.S. Only 2 things were broken during the move...1 was a nice glass from our everyday line & the other was my Southern Living red pedestal that I used ALL the time. Shame. I was sad about those things, but sooo happy that more wasn't broken. I about cried for joy when I unpacked all of my unharmed McCarty & Peter's. Clay still shakes his head over my protective nature of the treasured Mississippi Mud. He says there's a problem (aka mental issue) when one is more concerned for "fired delta clay" than their own expensive china & crystal. Well, I won't argue with that. I will say to the comment though, I am who I am & will proudly announce that I am a true Southerner at heart who supports & loves her MS roots...enough to appear mentally challenged if it means protecting the dear Mississippi mud that resides in my kitchen...and my living room...and my bedroom...and the nursery... :)

busy days

To say that the last 2 1/2 weeks have been a whirlwind would be an understatement; I'm sure that anyone who has been through a move or major personal event would agree. In keeping this brief (since I'm borrowing a neighbors'/friends' computer) I'll summarize our events over the last couple of weeks:

Monday, April 26: moving truck came...we officially moved all of our belongings from the apt to the house

Tuesday: spent from 11am-4am with a one hour supper break cleaning the apt (remind me to tell you sometime how many filters are in a microwave that you can clean...I think you'll be surprised)

Wednesday: exhausted beyond words...Clay left to go fly that morning

Thursday: don't remember anything other than packing & unpacking...oh yeah, we had our move-out inspection...

Friday: flew out for friends' wedding in MS with Parker

Saturday: wedding in MS

Sunday: supposed to leave Grenada at 2am with mom to head to airport to make 6am flight back to Minne...due to Tornados, flash flood warnings & thunderstorm warnings in MS & TN we didn't make that schedule...my 36 hr trip in MS turned into 48 :)

Monday: left at 2:30am to head to Memphis for flight to MN...flight delayed because of weekend weather...arrived just a few hours later than planned

After arriving back from MS, we have unpacked most of the boxes that are in the house (I have a LONG way to go before everything is in its place & looking cute though!), spent a LOT of time outside working & playing, visiting with new & old friends, a fun outing to the Children's Museum & yesterday I had fun watching 3 boys for a girlfriend of mine (Parker had so much fun playing with 3 other guys & getting to do all "boy stuff" for awhile).

If you can believe it, we still do not have internet service (should be up & running by next Thursday), cable or a house phone. I have honestly checked my email once in the last 2 1/2 weeks...I couldn't tell you when I have EVER not checked my email in such a long period of time. Cable & house phone I am fine without...internet on the other hand...not so much. I told Clay last night that he wasn't allowed to sleep in the bed with me until he called about our internet service. ha ha! He took care of it right away; unfortunately, it will be 7-8 days before they can hook it up. Boo.

Lots of pics & fun things to post. I'll look forward to getting back to regular posting next week! :)

Memories from our Home 2006-2010

"My first home as a blushing bride

Far from my home, Clay at my side.

Plans and dreams begin to unfold

and soon there's a precious baby to hold.

And now we move on with memories in tow

We have a new home, a new place to go.

God, continue to guide us; lead us in your way.

Please bless our home and family this brand new day."

Poem written by Terry Jones (Rassie or "Raddy") on April 25, 2010
Above: When arriving to our first apt in Apple Valley right after the honeymoon, Clay had adorned the bed with rose petals & leaves to surprise me. The bedroom furniture, which we had picked out prior to the wedding on a quick trip up North, had been delivered just before the wedding in December. It was one of the few things we actually had in the apt for the first month we lived here until we had a chance to move everything else up from MS.

Above: Picture taken outside our bedroom window the day Parker was born; large icicles were common outside our windows on the fourth floor
Below: Welcome home sign made by Rassie & placed outside our door to welcome Parker home for the first time! Picture taken outside our apt complex during one of our many walks

Some fun summer days spent out by the pool

Discovering the magic of Christmas

A moment out on our balcony

Waving to the cars & people below from our balcony (an everyday morning ritual for quite some time!)

Lots of playtime in the living room

Taking a walk to our nearby park

Bird out on our balcony early one morning (we rarely had birds perch up here, so this was a sight to capture)

Winter sunrise view from our balcony...we will miss the beautiful views from our 4th floor balcony

So many memories were made from January 2006 to today in our home...starting with our first apt 402 then on to 423. People say that the place you bring your babies home to will always hold a place in your heart; I understand that now. I am thankful for the wonderful and happy memories in this place these last 4 1/2 years.

our last day in Apt 423

For the past 2 months, packing little bits of our house here & there has taken up "naptime," (most freetimes) & a couple of Saturday mornings. Over the last 3-4 weeks, the house has been completely consumed with boxes...& the brown yuckiness is starting to take a toll on me. :) I have found myself drawn to organizational sites, magazines...basically, anything bright, orderly & inspiring that I can think about & visualize!

Luckily, we move tomorrow, so the inspiration can really kick in & take action soon! The moving truck is arriving at 8am & we are ready for them! Thanks to my husband, who is Mr. Prepared & Ready-Well-in-Advance-for-Anything, our house & storage room are packed (and actually packed in a very organized manner thanks to him!) & ready for the move!
...it makes me laugh when I look back on my move home from college & then our move from MS up here. I literally had my things in tote bags & garbage bags to load into the big moving van. ha! I didn't know any better; I can't imagine how frustrated Clay was loading that truck for his unorganized, newlywed!

Parker has even gotten into the moving process. The other night he wanted to pack his last box of toys all by himself. What a little helper he is!

For the last couple of weeks, the entrance to our apt has basically looked like this, minus one row of boxes & adding back in the kitchen table. Meals have been eaten on the floor for the last several days. It has led to fun memories though! Picnics at parks & even picnics on our living room floor has caused a little excitement in the household...at least from the toddler's standpoint.
Aunt Lacey, aka CiCi, flew in this past week to play with Parker. :) We really enjoyed the visit & were thankful for the extra helping hands! Lacey is not used to the crazy "always-a-toddler-at-your-feet" daily lifestyle that we live, so I was impressed at her endurance & bouncy attitude through each of the activities & challenges that kept us busy each hour...I will admit though that I was happy when a couple of nights I wasn't the only one going to bed early. :) Thank you for coming to play CiCi! We love you!
I've been pretty impressed with mine & Clay's attitude throughout most of this moving process (I am aware it's not over yet...but still, I feel as if a lot of the work is already done!) We have managed to get through it so far without too many disagreements, which is honestly a miracle when you put two opinionated people like us in a room together for too long to work on a project such as this. :)

I will say this as a warning to husbands out there: If you ask your wife if there is anything else from a particular kitchen cabinet (a month away from the move) that can be packed & she says, "No" please take her word for it. For instance, if you are just needing one more little thing to place in a spot to finish out a perfect box & decide that she really doesn't need that food chopper for the next month, be aware when she looks for it 2 days later you will be the one doing the chopping of the vegetables for the next month...or at least until she gets her food chopper back. :)

And with that, I am off to enjoy the rest of our last day/night in Apartment 423.

Describing our weekend

Family photo taken on April 18, 2010

Warm, sunny, BUSY, rewarding, fun...words to describe our weekend

Friday night: Clay flew in from his trip & we went to a friend's home for a late night "bring your own app" party.

The idea was to have tents set up in the backyard for the kids to play in & a bonfire to toast marshmallows, movies, etc...basically a fun pj party until late bedtime rolled around. The parents would visit outside around the bonfire while we watched the kids & also while we munched on all the yummy goodies. Well, Friday it was chilly...too chilly to play & to stay outside for very long. We had a great time visiting & playing indoors though. Towards the end of the evening, the dad's took the kids out all bundled up so they could roast a few marshmallows before ending the evening. Parker proudly brought one inside to me that he had helped to toast so I could enjoy the sweet fun too! :)

Saturday we had a busy day running errands, packing, & taking care of things around the apt. We've almost finished our packing!

Story for scrapbook: Our Sunday morning actually started with Parker wanting to take his first poop in the big boy potty while we were trying to get ready for church. I was fixing my hair & putting on my makeup when Parker came in the bathroom trying to lift up the toilet seat to do his business. I called Clay in there to assist...his response was, "Do we really have to attempt this today..on a Sunday morning when we're running late for church?" He agreed though & helped support Parker on the big boy potty. Within 20 seconds Parker had taken his first poop in the potty! Clay & I just looked at each other in a little bit of shock. I told him that he was going to get a special summer treat for the new house for doing such a big boy thing! On the way to church, Clay & I were discussing whether or not we really wanted to go ahead & start this potty training thing the week before our move & less than 2 wks before we headed down to MS. (I had planned on starting the first or second week in May) Parker obviously listened in on our conversation to which he replied, "I ready Daddy, I ready." Unbelievable. Looks like we'll be buying the Cars & Mickey Mouse briefs next week. :)

Sunday, after a nice morning at church, we joined the Sunday School class for a quick 3rd Sunday lunch at D'Brian's. Sitting on the deck over the pond & watching Parker run around chasing after the birds was the highlight of that hour. Of course, he was too busy to indulge much in his lunch while we were outside, but when it was time to leave it was, "Mama, I want to eat." :) Next, Clay helped me to complete the final prep work for our baby shower that afternoon for two girls in our Sunday School group. Laurie's mom & dad were sweet enough to host it at their lovely home in Wayzata. There were 6 hostesses, 2 to mother-to-be's (both expecting boys) we were honoring, & about 18 guests. A great turnout & fun time for the girls!

So happy & excited for Katie & Laurie!!!

Carrie, Kelli, Stephanie, Lauren, Nicki & Holly (the hostesses)...3 of these girls have just had babies in the last 2 months as well!
While the girls were partying inside, the boys were enjoying the outdoor sunshine. Mr. Chuck (Laurie's dad), Mike (Laurie's hubby) & Clay took Parker fishing down at their pier. My husband was smart & ran in to retrieve our camera during the baby shower so he could document Parker's first fishing experience! I was one proud wife.

Words can't even describe how much joy our little man experienced out there with that fishing pole. And with a little help, he caught 9 brim & 1 perch!!! I don't know if Clay had ever seen his son prouder! Clay even taught him how to hold the fish by the mouth.

Parker & Mr. Chuck talking about the fish
I love this picture so much...it's going in a frame in Parker's new room!

After arriving home Sunday evening at 7:00 after an exciting day, we decided to have a pizza picnic on the living room floor before bedtime. Good times. I am so blessed.

...and that would be how I would briefly describe our weekend.

Adventures at the MN Zoo

In the last several weeks we have utilized our MN Zoo Membership, where we can now not only view the indoor exhibits, but also explore the outdoor fun! During the month of April a temporary exhibit, "Farm Animals," is there for members to enjoy. I think we have visited it at least 3 times already!

Parker has fed the goats, pet the cows, posed as a chicken (he loves to do this for whatever reason!), felt the soft fur of bunny rabbits, & learned the process of milking a cow. Along with all that fun, he has viewed so many more interesting exhibits...like the Russian Grizzly Bears. We saw some exciting action last week when we toured. Two of the grizzly's were wrestling & romping & in the water; it created quite the attraction to tourists.

Parker & Bella taking a turn posing on the tractor on the outskirts of "the farm."

We're looking forward to more fun at the zoo this week & in the upcoming months this year! There are always great adventures awaiting us! :)

What's on your kitchen floor today?

Warning: Before you think about staying up late to sweep & mop your disgusting kitchen floor, read the following story. It might cause you to wait just a little longer....

I'm sure you are familiar with the saying, "There is no use crying over spilled milk."

Well, last Thursday morning I chose to cry (HARD) over 1 dozen + 2 "spilled" eggs on my freshly cleaned kitchen floor. During my luxurious, 7 minute shower, my ever-hungry 2 year old (who had already eaten a bowl of Cheerios, a banana & some of my breakfast as well that morning!) decided to get in the fridge to see what goodies he could find.

When I walked into the living room (in nothing but a towel I might add since I always run out just to check on him before I get dressed, etc.), I wish I could have gotten a picture of him sitting there so proudly in his fire truck footed pjs with the biggest grin on his face in the midst of the yellow goo. Unfortunately, my brain didn't think to grab the camera to capture the moment. Actually, the look on my face alone made Parker not only cry, but also get up & head for his time out corner. I stripped him down on the way out of the kitchen (since egg yoke covered his last-night pjs) & told him in a very quiet, but very tense voice to sit in time out until I told him to get up.

As I cried pitifully staring at the situation, I realized that it might be a good idea to go put some underwear on at least before I stepped into the mess.

Some days --most days as a matter of fact-- I handle stressful situations very well. Had this happened during another week I probably would've handled it very differently...had a look of shock on my face, grabbed my camera for the prize shot, sent Parker to time out while trying not to laugh, & resumed cleaning up the floor.

...that wasn't how it went on Thursday. Oh no, it didn't go like that at all.

Other than the actual mess on the floor, I was seriously upset over the fact that just the night before I had forced myself to muster up enough energy to stay up till 10pm to get just one thing cleaned in the apt...and that was to sweep & mop the kitchen floor. But, that's usually how it happens right? ;)

Do you know how many Swiffer wetmops it takes to mop up 1 dozen + 2 spilled eggs on a kitchen floor (after you've used one half of a roll of Bounty Paper Towels)? Correct answer would be 3.

What was my adorable 2 year old trying to get into that caused the eggs to come falling out of the refridgerator?

Apparently, according to the above evidence of fresh sticky strawberry prints & the fruit remains, a pound of fresh strawberries bought the day before at Target. Have I mentioned before how much my child loves fruit...especially strawberries? He had taken each of the strawberries out of the container, eaten off each one to his desire (some taken a couple of bites off of & others eaten down to nothing but the stem) & made a sweet little pile on the above shelf. I did find some remains in the garbage too...not sure why he made the transition from garbage to fridge unless he got tired of walking to the garbage after eating each individual strawberry. I guess he figured this way was more efficient! :)

Needless to say, this little incident has forced me to either bolt the refridgerator door each morning with some of our handy packing tape along with his wooden high chair standing in front (so he doesn't rip the tape off), or resorting to taking him to the gym just so I can shower. :) I told Clay we were going to seriously look into refridgerator locks...yes, they do make them. I'll let you know how well they keep little 2 year old hands out!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."

"Every good and every perfect gift is from above..." James 1:17

Clay, Parker & I are so excited to welcome a new addition to our family on October 3, 2010! I am currently 14 1/2 weeks along & baby & mama are doing great! (Picture above taken at 12 weeks)

Parker loves patting mama's tummy & saying, "baby!" so I think he will be excited to have a new little brother or sister to play with & help take care of this fall! :)

Easter Sunday

Our weekend was full of activities & small, sweet blessings! I hope each of you had a blessed Easter! Among all the packing & house stuff to take care of, Parker & I found plenty of time for an Easter egg hunt, a special "breakfast" dinner that consisted of Mickey Mouse pancakes, bacon & strawberries, a new Easter movie for Parker (the classic "The Easter Bunny is coming to Town" with Fred Astaire), a fabulous Easter lunch with friends, & of course an Easter service at church to celebrate our Lord, the risen Saviour! We missed Clay & our other family very much this weekend, but our parents, grandparents, siblings, etc :) were great to keep us company with phone calls & frequent text messages letting us know they were thinking about us! :) Love that!

Parker enjoyed leaving out carrots & water for the Easter bunny Saturday evening & enjoyed waking up to an Easter basket filled with treats the next morning! Sidewalk chalk in the shapes of eggs, a new book, bright colored bath tub letters & numbers, a new movie, popsicle treat holders, some fun matchbox construction trucks, & even a little bit of candy hidden in the Easter eggs were left for our little man by Mr. B himself.

Following Easter basket treats came church, where Parker was so excited to sport his new Easter outfit from Nana & Poppie. (well, maybe it was his mama that was so thrilled to see him in his first spring outfit for the season...especially since every year that we have lived here there has been snow on the ground at this time..this year no snow!) It was the first day we have dressed in short sleeves & shorts in months, so I think the excitement just bubbled out of every step we took that day! Though we didn't get to see the service (I was working the nursery), I know it was amazing. It was just great to be there period & to celebrate the reason for the special day.

After church, we went with a dear friend to have Easter lunch with her family! Parker had an amazing time getting to run around outside with the other boys & then have a delicious lunch. It was wonderful having the food, friends & fellowship that day. (Thank you Tressa!)

mini albums using the Bind-it-All

A cool tool that has joined my scrapbooking shelf: the Bind-it-all
I purchased this at the end of last summer & have enjoyed putting together several little projects for friends & family. Though the mini albums aren't perfect, they're special because they came from the heart & the books record precious memories. With the Bind-it-All you can create your own style, size & type of mini albums, which makes it fun & flexible for quick projects. I have seen amazing things done with this tool; one of these days I will be a little bit more "pro" with using it, but for now, I'm having fun playing! :)

-The most recent album I created using my Bind-it-All was for a girlfriend of mine who had a baby last year. I collected & printed my favorite pictures from the first 6 months of his life & included them in the thick creation you see below. I did make a front & back cover using chipboard (Tressa & her patient & precise little hands helped to make the sweet window & the covers! Thanks again! :))

This album was started & finished during our scrapbooking weekend. (I had done all the prep work prior to the weekend.) Brads, rub-ons, stickers, patterned paper, cardstock...it was all used. I used very simple & basic journaling in this album, recording birth day facts, how old he was in each picture, & main event titles. At the very back, I left an embellished space on cardstock for "mama" to write a note to her son on special memories from his first 6 months.

First page

- A childhood girlfriend of mine got married last year, so as a last minute happy I put together a mini album of a few favorite pictures of us growing up together & some recorded thoughts on now & then.

(The night before I had gotten married, she rang the doorbell to my mom's house & handed me a precious pink little spiral mini album she had put together for me with pictures from us when were preschool, elementary & jr high/highschool age. I remember how much that meant to me..she knew how important pictures/memories were to me and wanted to do something special. I still keep that album in a basket with other mini albums, pictures, etc. & pull it out frequently when I want to reminisce. :) )

I wanted to do something like that for her too! Once again, it was simple using new & old materials, and I had so much fun creating it! My mom wrote a short little poem for one of the dance pages from when we were little. There was more journaling in this one...I wanted to include "remember when's..." On the very back page was a single picture with a long note. I can be quite long-winded sometimes. :)

*The pink paper next to the album was actually a cd case that I created to hold the cd I had made from the weekend. I used simple rub-ons, adhesive & flowers with brads. It was a fun way to dress the packaging up a little!

-This was the very first album I created (last fall) using my Bind-it-All. It was a simple album made for my sister (in law) to help her document a few important & special memories from her first official year of teaching. The album itself wasn't one of my better ones, but at least it's a place for her to document a few fun memories...and I had a fun time experimenting with my new tool! :) Several of the pages were just blank (the cute patterned paper stood on its own) with the idea for her to place random pictures, tickets, memorabilia, etc. on them.

*I used an acrylic cover for this project
So, if you're into creating little mini books, the Bind-it-All would be a fun tool for you to add to your shelf! I'm happy with mine & look forward to making some fun summer projects with it! :)