i'm just me

a bookcase & a rug

i finally found a bookcase for abby's room and a pink rug too.  and how about these curtains i got - i love the ruffles.  they have others that have many rows of ruffles that i would have liked better but they didn't come in white.  i should get all of these things this next week and i am excited that i'll have more done on her room.  it will almost be complete - yay!  she seems to be loving her room already.  b takes her up there to play and she loves to look at everything.  when i get her up in the morning she does the same thing - like she is taking it all in.  there are real cute glittery butterflies that i think she likes a lot.  i can't wait until it is done and i can post pics.

finally

the tree is finally up in abby's room.  it turned out to be real cute and i am so happy i got it.  there are some birds and bird cages that have yet to be put elsewhere on the walls.

here's the progression of the tree:

she dreamed of a tree

i finally found a tree decal  for the sky blue wall in the baby's room.  i thought i was going to get these ones  from pottery barn kids but decided they were a little too cartoon like.  i hope we can get the decal successfully hung - it's pretty big and of course there is texture on the walls which could complicate things.  but i am hopeful and determined.

had the ultrasound today.  it seems that our baby is a bit small, smaller than they would like - in the 9th percentile for the stage she is at.  so, i have to go for ultrasounds every other week now as well as the twice weekly non-stress tests.  this is all to measure how well she is doing and that she continues to grow and develop.  the technician said that there are many perfectly healthy babies born that weigh 5 - 6 pounds, but that they will need to keep measuring her progress closely in case they decide she needs to come early due to her not getting what she needs from being inside me.  i'm not really worried, i think everything is going to be fine.  we'll just take it a day and a week at a time.

a busy week

wow, we got a lot accomplished this past week.  last saturday we began the project of putting up the crown moulding in the baby's room.  we had planned on my dad helping bryan with that until my step-mom came down with the flu and he had to stay home to care for her.  then he got the flu the next day.  it's good he didn't come over or we likely would have gotten sick as well.  anyway, we were anxious to get the moulding done and have it done before the new carpet went in the following week.  so, there i was 7 months pregnant climbing up and down a ladder and generally wearing myself out.  this went on for hours on saturday and again on sunday.  we finished up the moulding with caulk all around the edges on tuesday and wednesday.  the carpet installers came on friday and had the job done in less than an hour.  friday evening we put together the crib we had purchased months prior, went to dinner, and came back to begin assembling the dresser we'd gotten at ikea.  saturday we finished the dresser.  the room is finally coming together and we are so happy with how it is turning out.

we are now deciding on how to go about getting the built-in closet done.  we looked on-line at a company where you design your own and they mail you all the pieces and instructions.  i think we are going to get a quote from a closet company that will come and do all the work just to compare.  if we can prevent having to do the work ourselves, that would be nice.  but not if it costs a ton more.

i am now ready to focus on decorating the room.  i need to order a few things on-line that i've been eying.  plus, with valentine's day coming up, there are a lot of cute decorations that would be suitable for a little girl's room, so i'm excited for the price reductions to come on those items as the holiday gets closer.

today we also got the stroller and play yard/bassinet put together.

bryan and i just keep marveling at how we will have our little baby home with us in only a couple of months.

i will post some room photos when it is more complete.

time to vacuum the grass

yeah, right.  doesn't get much weirder than that.  when we moved into this house, b decided he really wanted to get artificial grass in our tiny backyard for the sake of upkeep and greenery all year long.  we got the good quality stuff and it is nice enough to have fooled some people who thought it was real.  i have mixed emotions - it is pretty all year, but it is also hot in the summer with the sun beating down on it (being plastic and all...) and it's fake - i've had a hard time getting over that.  dinger seems to like it just fine, as she rolls around on her back on it most every day ( and no, she does not potty on it).  i do suspect if given the option she prefers the real stuff though.  anyhow - after 3 years the stuff is shedding.  dinger comes in the house with a big ol' grin on her face and covered in fake grass.  needless to say that's a mess i don't really want in the house.  so, what do you do when your fake grass sheds?  we're still not quite sure, but we thought we'd try vacuuming it.  while we got up a lot of the loose stuff, it wasn't good enough.  we made a call to the installer who is going to come take a look at it - please let us not have to pay to have it fixed...

dinger had to roll around and test it - she hates this part

and she hates getting the grass brushed off too

my oh my

i am so mentally and emotionally drained these days that all i can do is veg out when i'm not at work or working on the newest project in my life.  that project?  a house purchase in pocatello.  i've made an offer on a house that's been accepted and am now going through the stuff involved with buying an old house.  hopefully all will go well and will close in mid august.  this house is for kevin and zach to live in.  kevin's been living with our uncle for a few years now and it's time for him to get into a place of his own (or my own, but you get it...).  and zach is going to permanently live with kevin now - all the more reason they need their own space.

in 2 days we looked at probably over 20 houses.  we found a few that were possible options.  the one we picked has the space i was hoping for and has potential for future improvements to make it real cute and nice.  there are just some issues we have to work out before it can be finalized.  we hope to close on the 14th of august.  however, some of my stress comes from the timing of the close date, kevin and zach moving in and me getting all the stuff they will need for an empty house up to them.  b and i have his cousin's wedding in august and have already booked the flight for that, which is the week right after the house is supposed to close.  so the timing isn't the best, but i wanted to get them moved before zach starts school.  we have some furniture here for them plus for the other stuff they'll need - it is so much easier for me to buy it here in phoenix where there are more bargain stores to shop at and where i can do it over the course of a few weeks as opposed to one or two days if we tried to buy everything in pocatello.  i have looked into the cost of renting a truck one-way to move the stuff up there, and that seems like the most logical solution.  some of the furniture is at jerry's - 200 miles south of phoenix.  when or how i'm going to be able to get that furniture is beyond me but i've got to figure something out.

this past weekend i bought most everything for the kitchen and some bathroom and miscellaneous items.  *thank you* ikea and target!  you'd be surprised at how much stuff you really have to get to stock a kitchen from scratch.  but really, other than furniture and other misc stuff, that is really the bulk of the purchasing.  thankfully, the appliances are all included with the house.

anyway, i'll certainly be happy when this process is over and the boys have moved in and are happy clams.  that is what will make it all worthwhile.

kevin is not too fond of the green and i'm not fond of the colors in the other rooms, so we'll be picking out new colors for the walls.  we're thinking different varieties of coffee inspired tones - cafe, mocha, latte, etc to go with the white.

i'll post more pics after we make the house ours. 

weekend stuff

a new scanner!  and it also does color printing and copies.  it'll be nice having a color printer other than my photo printer.  this one does photos too, but i'm not yet convinced i can give up my epson stylus R800...

b back washing the pool...it's been windy as of late and that blows a lot of dust into the pool.

dinger helping her dad with the back washing.

just a lengthwise shot of the pool since i've not posted one before as i recall.

dinger likes to hang out with us in the office.  if you've not seen this room before, it's our office with the dual desks - a side for b and a side for me.  we each have our own computers on our respective sides (mine is a laptop).  i do mostly crafty stuff on my side and he does mostly geeky stuff - haha!

new album

check out the sidebar - there is a new album of the little scrapbook i did for alysia's nanny.

and...here's some yumminess around my house:

 

  

 

 

little stuff

kids who come to visit get to play with the toys on these shelves (plus more you can't see) - and they love it

 

my happy

i love these flowers that sit in the middle of my table - ooh and i love my table too, have i mentioned that?  when we moved here, i searched high and low to find the perfect table for our house and i am in love with it - a huge 104x47, pure solid wood, deep rich color (i digress...)