One brick at a time......

The job site has been humming with activity!   I have snapped some pictures of the new brick and stone work.  And this exterior has scared me since the beginning.  Because picturing something in your MIND is A LOT different than explaining it to someone and trying to find pictures and draw it.    My stomach has been in knots.    Our other mason didn't end up doing the work.  And our new mason is WONDERFUL!  Turns out, I went to school with him from 6th grade to 12th!  And he has done EVERYTHING we wanted, almost like he has read my mind.  It has been a real blessing and feels like a weight lifted off me to have this almost DONE! 

And here is where I REALLY white knuckled it, picking out STONE color to coordinate with the brick.  Hopefully by adding the brick detail in the stone.  It's gonna be ok!

The copper flashing between the brick and roof has to come off and be re-applied......  The mason was supposed to do it and the roofers went ahead and did it and did it WRONG.  Luckily it was caught and will be fixed! 

 The metal roofing has been put on as well.  It is "copper" but just color, not actual copper.  So some of the items like the vent, the cupola and valleys on the roof  are real copper and will "patina" but the roof will not.   I hope it ends up looking ok.  This was SOOOOO nerve-wrecking!!

Love this vent!  I ordered it online when I ordered the cupola!!

Here is the front so far.............  Hopefully it will be done early next week!

     The electrical and plumbing rough in is all done.  Thursday the insulation will be put in.  And then we are onto drywall!   Very exciting around here!  So here are a few pictures of the progress so far!     It's been very dreary here, so photos aren't too great!

XOXO

Answered Prayers

I finally got a call from my doctor this morning that the MRI results came back perfectly normal!  Praise the Lord!   I tried to keep myself busy the last few days.  But last night I had a little "freak out" moment of not knowing, couldn't sleep and letting my mind get the best of me.  So I was VERY happy when I called this morning and got a call back within an hour that all was well!

Thank you ALL for your emails, prayers and thoughts!  It really was so special to me!  I want to thank Kimberly , Loretta And Sheri (who emailed me) for sharing their stories with me!  It was so nice to know I was not alone!  I'm just so relieved that it was just an ocular migraine and nothing serious at all!!!  But it got me to the doctor and to my eye doctor for an eye exam, something I have been putting off TOO long.  Sometimes we need a little kick in the butt for those things!

Here was Madi the morning I left to have my MRI.  Mema was holding her in the window so she could wave goodbye!

And I found these two riding the gator later that night at Mema and Papa's house!  They will be SO happy when we finally move and can walk here every.single.day!

 I'm so thankful God has blessed me with these three beautiful children!!!

Happy Saturday!!
XOXO

Keeping room fireplace

I have always wanted a wood burning fireplace.  But I have always heard and read how inefficient they are and how they can actually suck heat out of the house instead of heating it.   So needless to say I have always had a gas fireplace with a blower.  And don't get me wrong, these are EASY to use and no mess.  you basically flip a switch, flip another switch to turn the blower on and within a few minutes you have a roaring fire with heat!  And no logs, no ash and no mess.   

However it still hasn't quenched my desire for a wood burning fireplace.  Until I found this fireplace, which is a Napoleon.  It's basically a wood stove, but a fireplace "look" is what I gather from reading about it until my eyes crossed!   One log burns up to 9 hours!  So it's definitely efficient.  And you can hook heating ducts into it to heat your house.  And if you are using it as your main source of heat (we are not) you can buy the appropriate size fireplace for the size house you have.  Pretty cool! 

I love the wrought iron handles and the arched top of it. I have a thing for arches.  You will be able to see that with me saying a word as you see the house finished!  

We did put a gas fireplace in the Family Room, which is not completed yet, but I'll be sure and show you it when it is done!


Thought I would show you the latest addition!   Our framing and electrical inspection is tomorrow, so insulation and drywall are next!  Exciting!!!

On another note, I am having an MRI tomorrow morning and if you could, please say a prayer for me!  Thank you :)
XOXO

A day filled with firsts, fun and fear!

All week we have been anticipating Madi starting her VERY first day of preschool.  And when I say preschool, it is one day a week for 2 hours...  Not really "school" so to speak, but a nice place for Madi to play with other children her age.  And that means Mommy gets a whole 2 hours to herself!  

Well, I have been talking about doing something for ME for quite awhile now, but never seem to get down to doing it.   So I decided that when Madi goes to preschool I am going to ride horses again.    I rode competitively when I was a child, teen and adult.  Before children!  I haven't been on a horse in 13 yrs.   But honestly, it's like riding a bike and I was jumping by the end of the lesson!   I had to take a few breaks, because even though my legs were pretty tight still, I was OUT of breath!  I was huffing and puffing after being in a 2 point (you are out of the saddle and supported by your legs) in just two times around the ring.   Then I got a shooting pain in my head but it went away quickly and I was fine.   I just over did it a little bit, but when I took the break, I felt fine after.   I'm sure I'll need a cane tomorrow, but it felt OH so good!  

John picked up Madi for me and brought her to the barn.   We took pictures with my iphone but it was so dark they came out pretty bad.  Madi LOVED the horses, I see a future equestrian! :)    She was SO excited and kept squealing with delight, I SEE HORSEY!!   It was so cute! 

We finally left to go to lunch, the three of us.   We went to one of our favorite homemade bagel shops.   I stood in line while John washed his and Madi's hands and got a table for us.  While I was standing in line, I noticed my eyes felt like someone had taken my picture with a BRIGHT flash.     I wasn't quite sure what happened and thought it was the fluorescent lights in the shop.   I ordered and paid and it still wasn't going away.  In fact, it was getting worse.    Now it was hard for me to focus.   I sat down and told John that I thought something might be wrong.  He must have thought I wasn't serious because he was eating his lunch and cutting up Madi's sandwich.    The fluorescent lights were now making the flashing SO bright and I couldn't focus on anything inside.  I got up to go outside and told him I would be right back.  When I got outside it wasn't much better.   I sat in my truck for a minute and closed my eyes, but I could still see this flashing.  Now I was starting to get extremely nervous because it was now getting so bad, I knew I couldn't drive.    All these crazy thoughts were going through my head!  Was I having a stroke?    Was I going to die any second from an aneurysm?   Was I going to get my boys off the school bus today?  I knew that I had NEVER expereienced ANYTHING like this before.   Then I remembered back to the riding ring when I had the shooting pain in the right side of my head.   Now these, I have had before and while they do scare me when they happen, nothing ever happens afterward so I ignore it.  Probably stupid.     But remembering back to the pain in my head, I start getting EXTREMELY panicked and walk back inside and inform John that he needs to take me to the ER.   I get in his truck, he straps the baby in and I immediately started crying.  I am thinking all these crazy thoughts, telling him how much I love him and the kids and I just want to be with them.  I'm praying through this and trying to keep somewhat control because I don't to scare Madi.    Hard to do when you think you are on death's doorstep.

We go to my physicians office (which is next door to the hospital) and they are on lunch so the door is locked.   John had already walked up to the door and was back by the other door when he saw and nurse and told her what was happening.   My Dr (who is also a friend of my father) came out immediately to get me.   The flashing was slowing down.  Ironically, my doctor has had a brain bleed (aneurysm) the same kind Brett Michael's had.  So he immediately asked me about the head pain.  He asked me on a scale from 1-10 what was my level when it happened with 10 being the worst.  I said well it was not constant, but when it happened it was probably a 6 or 7.  He said, well I'm pretty confident that if it was a brain bleed you would have felt like someone was hitting you in the head with a baseball bat.  I then explained in great detail what happened.   By this time I was feeling back to normal with the exception that my blood pressure was probably triple what it normally is.     He said, I'm pretty sure you had an Ophthalmic (Ocular) Migraine.  I had NEVER heard of this before.   He still set me up for an MRI and another follow up appointment with him, and told me to Google Ophthalmic (Ocular) Migraine when I got home.  So I did.  And I was reading thinking, yes this is what happened then I saw the little "movie" picture of what it looks like and that is EXACTLY what the flashing spot looked like, but SO badly I couldn't see through it.

Please take a look for yourself HERE  Make sure you scroll down to see the "movie" on the right.

Has anyone ever had this?  Were you as SCARED as I was the first time it happened?

I'm sorry this has gotten so long and God bless you if you are still reading this!  But I needed to write it all out, as I am still processing it.   I am VERY thankful that this is NON life threatening.  But it literally scared me half to death and was another LOUD reminder of how we need to think of each day as a gift!  Tomorrow is promised to no one.  

I pray every single day.  But today I prayed harder and I can't even begin to explain the comfort I felt even when I was in full panic mode.  I would start to panic and then pray and feel calmed.  God is so good.   Really.  
XOXO

Fall, first day of school and other ramblings

I'm struggling a little bit. Many of you know, I homeschooled Kristopher (who has PDD)  last year.  I had to pull him out of an inappropriate program.  It just was not for him.   So we jumped in feet first.  And he came LEAPS and bounds from where he was.  It was something both of us needed.   Him to catch up per say and for me, it really taught me his learning style.   If anything, it has made me a better advocate because I know what he is capable of, academically speaking.  Which I could only guess before, but now I know.  What a good feeling. 

This is Kris getting on the bus the first day...

  However, homeschooling a child with a disability isn't just days of teaching and being by yourselves.   We had twelve (yes 12!) therapy sessions four days a week.   I had twelve people in and out of my house every week and had to keep my then-almost- 2 yr old out of their hair for every one of them.
  
   Now with all that said, I would homeschool him again in a heartbeat. Kristopher is a VERY social boy and seems to really love his class so far.  I met his teacher last year and insisted he go on a few visits in the classroom to make sure it was a good fit.  And he really enjoyed it.  And I had a VERY good feeling when I met the teacher.  He seems like a wonderful teacher and really "gets" these kids.    I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but my "gut" feelings always turn out to be right.  When I have a bad feeling, it usually always ends in disaster.   So I'm praying that my gut is right again. 

Johnny ready for his bus to come on his first day

Johnny has started school at the private school I visited last year and he is really enjoying his new school as well!  It's extremely small and just what I was looking for.  And the perk is, if Kris's current placement doesn't work out, I can homeschool him again and send him to the PIE (partners in education) program, which is a homeschool program,  at the private school Johnny is attending.   So I am hoping and praying that having these plans in place works out for the best.




   I was in almost a full blown panic the week before school started.  I couldn't sleep, eat and was basically a nervous wreck worrying about everything.  Which did absolutely no good at all.   Let's just say I'm glad the first few days of school are over and I'm calm again.  AMEN!

I started out feeling very guilty about this, but I am choosing joy.    Choosing to be happy about my decision instead of dread.  Nothing is set in stone.  And I had to keep reminding myself of that.  And then it all came together.


The positive here is that it's FALL!  My FAVORITE time of year!!!!  And my wonderful Aunt Mary baked my husband a DELICIOUS apple pie!  And we enjoyed it with vanilla ice cream last night! YUM!!!!!

Fall ball is in full effect.  And my little catcher and batter (#22)  is a good one!  Johnny sure is a natural.  We don't know where he gets it from!  Certainly NOT us! :)   Kris and Johnny both are going to start swim team in a few weeks.  Cub scouts starts up again (twice a month) and of course piano (which we do year round).    However in the midst of all this I am a HUGE believer in DOWN TIME, which is why I almost didn't let them join the swim team.  3 times a week seems like a lot to me.  But they will try it the first day and then decide whether they want to commit or stay in their Saturday morning stroke refinement class.  Either is fine with me!     Kids need time to be KIDS!  I know they thrive on structure.  But their own "free" time is when they truly grow and learn, in my humble opinion.  

Now last but not least, I get to spend my days with this lil one!  She is loving being a mama to her dolls and "mom read a book" is her favorite thing to ask me these days.   I sure am blessed to be these kids Mama.  I pray I am doing the right things with them and asking God to lead the way!

I am linking up with Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting at the sky, come and join us!

XOXO

I think I'm in love......

I have had two GIANT boxes in my living room for two weeks.  So long that I started cleaning around them and stopped stressing that my current house has started to become the storage facility for the new house.  Every couple of days I have to calm myself down from the fact that I have to get this place ready to sell. Which is very hard when you have BOXES and construction items all over the place......

But this....  This was SO worth it.  I drove by the house two days ago and hadn't even noticed that the two GIANT boxes were out of my living room that morning.  

I simply cannot stop looking at it.    I cannot even TELL YOU how long I have wanted one of these.  And to see it on top of my garage now?  Well, it's just GLORIOUS!  It's the little things, I tell you!

I LOVE the concave roof and the ROOSTER weathervane that REALLY moves with the wind!!!  Apparently all the blonde dye is making me a REAL blonde, because I had no idea they actually moved!   You learn something new everyday! :)

 XOXO

Plumbing is done (rough in anyway) and Electrician starts Monday after a meeting with us tomorrow! YAY!   Brick and stone get started the week after........

     Joining   Home and family Friday  and Show and Tell Friday's, come and join the fun! :)

What a beautiful ending

To this very fun summer we have had.  What a nice day!  Thanks be to God for blessing us with it.   We started out playing in the park.  Then we had a great time at my friends house.  The kids swam, and paddled boated, and played on her 4 acre pond, which really looks like a lake!    It's certainly hard to say goodbye to summer!  But I do love fall! :)

The cheesecake was SO YUMMY!

Right before dusk, it was so hard to get them off the water!

1, 2 or 3?

I have ALL my plumbing fixtures picked out and ordered EXCEPT my kitchen faucet and water dispenser.  I have been going back and forth because of the number of holes drilled, two handles, one handle, soap dispenser or not.  You know, the basic, drive.yourself.crazy stuff!

So I figured I'd ask the experts, YOU ALL! 

I think I'm 99.9 % positive I want this bridge faucet with the sprayer.   I just love it's shape and I have a "thing" for bridge faucets.    Here are the contenders for the water dispenser..........

*Edited to add* this is a second dispenser for filtered water, so it will be right next to the one above!  Thanks! :)

And that faucet with one of these pretties will be sitting on top of this sink......

  So which one will it be? Cast your vote, pretty please with sugar on top!!!!   

XOXO

Tell me your blog story....

I have thought about blogging about this a few times.  But never wanted to sound negative.  Which I am not, but sometimes on email, text and NON talking formats things can be taken the wrong way.  So please believe me when I say I am just very curious about this, NOT bashing or being negative!  And I am not saying that no one should make any money off their blog!  I am just curious why YOU blog!  Thank you! :)    

Lately I have seen a "shift" in blogging.  Not all blogs, but a few that I have watched over the years evolve into something different, other than a blog, or so it seems.   And then there are still some that have stayed the same (thank you!).   Do you see this too?

Maybe I should talk about why I started my blog to begin with.  I love the idea of an "online" journal and since it involves making friends, I loved that too.  I enjoy talking about things that are fun, going on in my life or important to me. In no particular order.  Just sharing is what I enjoy.    I realized early on being a mother that real  scrapbooking was entirely too time consuming.  So when I started this blog and realized it is sort of a virtual scrapbook, that was the icing on the cake.  I like to look back and see what was going on in that time of my life.   I started this blog over 3 years ago, but didn't start posting regularly until this past November.    Decorating is a big part of my life because I love and enjoy it.  And I love that there are other women in blogland that share these same hobbies and likes with me.    Do you have friends in "real life" that just don't get the decorating thing? Enough said. :)


 Maybe I've got it all wrong, maybe people do use blogging as a source of income?   There are a few blogs that are doing constant advertising.  And I'm not talking about giveaways!      I understand that everyone could use a few dollars, I'm not knocking that, but I get the feeling that these companies are the ones making out, not the blog writer.   And yes, it's mostly on bigger blogs, but some of these bigger blogs aren't that personal anymore.    I'm not knocking people that get 75 comments to each post either, because when they are keeping it real on the blog, I totally understand it, they are getting feedback where it is due!  I love seeing my fellow blog writers getting love from their AWESOME projects and posts!   Those aren't the ones I am talking about.

Just today I was reading a blog (that I normally do) and one of the commenters was complaining about the advertisements of the writer and immediately it became defensive.  and she explained how long it takes her to write her posts, and all the time invested to size the pictures, center the pictures and all the techy stuff that it involves. And she just can't do it for free........      I guess what I wonder is, if it's so much work (for that person) why do it if you don't love it?

 That is what made me wonder,  why do you blog? What motivates your writing?  What do you like to write about?  What do you like to "see" in blogville?   I do it because I love to share and look back.  I also love all the wonderful friends I have met here in blogland!

XOXO

And for the record, I have been contacted by a couple of advertisers. I personally didn't want to do it. NOT that someone else shouldn't.  I just didn't know how to mix it in with my mundane postings of my life! LOL  I'm just throwing it out there! :)

What is the world coming to...........

I bought cowboy boots and skinny jeans!!!!!  I have wanted a pair of cowboy boots now FOR-EV-ER!  But they were either too narrow (pregnancy) or just to pricey for my taste. 

And the jeans, well, in my size are they REALLY skinny jeans???!!! When these jeans became popular again (remember the 80's???) I said NO WAY was I buying them.  Well last night I caved in!  I looked in Marshall's but couldn't find a pair that looked right.  Believe it or not I found a pair in  Target, they are the Converse brand and have the holes and all!  I hope I am not "dressing too young".  But thought they would be a fun addition to some of the longer shirts I have got recently and can wear my new cowboy boots and my Uggs with as well! 

I have never been a slave to fashion, I have always bought and dressed in what I like. I used to spend all my money (in my late teens and early twenties) on clothes and had a new outfit every Friday night.  Then I got married and became a mother, which is the best thing that's ever happened to me. However it's not the best thing that's ever happened to my closet, that's for sure!  After realizing that I will probably NEVER EVER be a size 4 again,  I have made an effort this year not to wear black yoga pants every-single-day and get dressed.   I do most of my clothing purchases in my favorite consignment and thrift stores.  But I do love TJ Maxx and Marshall's as well.  And if I have a GC I will go to Macy's, which is NOT very often.   But buying at thrift stores is a lot of fun and you can get such great deals on wonderful stuff!

Anyway, thought I would share my new 'duds!   Have you caved?  What are your favorites this season?

I'm linking up at A Few of my Favorite Things over at Laurie's! 
XOXO 

Everyday Minerals

When my cousin Lori was here visiting, she showed me her new make up goodies. It's called Everyday Minerals.   Now,  I have always been a "drug store" make up girl.   But in the last  few years I  have gotten totally addicted to MAC eye shadows, eyeliners and lipsticks.  And even though it pains me to spend more on them, I still love them.

   I was skeptical at first.   When the Bare Minerals (essentials) craze came out, I tried it and it just wasn't for me.  My skin always felt "dry", I'm not sure, just weird.   And I have always used either tinted moisturizer or a powder for my "base".  I never could get used to using liquid foundation, it just felt funny on me.   But trust me, I NEED some coverage.  Especially when I don't have a tan.  And I'm starting to get some small sun or age funny spots and we aren't friends!


So I was apprehensive, but I took my cousins advice and jumped in feet first.  I ordered the Everyday Minerals makeup, concealer, bronzer  (and a lucent one for a lil shine)  and eye shadows.  I LOVE them!  The "make up" feels like your wearing NOTHING and it covers wonderfully.  You actually control the coverage.  The concealer is powder as well and it covers fantastic!    I ordered two full size eye shadows but ordered the collection "Utopia blooms" which has MANY (I forget exactly how many) eye shadows in the "try me" size.  The try me size is going to last a LONG time.  And they are CHEAP.  The try me size is &2.50 and I think the regular size is $8. 



I also ordered some of the brushes and really like them!  I was hesitant because they aren't natural bristle but they feel like silk!

Oh and here is the kicker!  Everyday Minerals products are..........

 Another long-time favorite of mine is Lash Out mascara by Loreal.   But I have used Voluminous and the newer True match Naturals and love these as well.  

 And I have recently tried Maybelline's Colossal and Falsie's and really like these too!

If you do end up ordering from Everyday Minerals, make sure you check out their promo or deals page.  If you buy a certain amount of items you get your entire order 40% off!  And usually get free items as well combined with the 40% off!

Well anyway, I thought I'd give you my review, for what it's worth!  Love me some make up! :)
XOXO