Makeover Monday

I don't have anything HUGE to show you this week; however, if you look at this week's pictures remembering where we've come from.... you'll feel, along with me, that the progress is great.

My dad put in all the interior doors this week and put up the trim around them all.

Living room door leading into Eden's bedroom

Completely sheetrocked living room with trim

Dining room with doors leading into master bedroom, Selah's room & second bathroom

Installed closet doors in master bedroom

Door leading to master bath from master bedroom

Isn't all the wide trim pretty? I think it's going to look great!

And then, my dad built these two closets in the kitchen. The one on the right is a coat closet, and the one on the left will be for brooms, trash, etc.

This week he is going to start sheetrocking the kitchen. This will make a huge difference, as it is the only room that has been mostly untouched.

Stay tuned!

30 Weeks and Counting!

I think it's about time for a pregnancy update. Agreed?

Well today I am 30 Weeks.

This is what I look like.

BIG.

And yes, I am in my pajamas because let's be honest, at 30 weeks there's just not much else you can still fit into.

And here are just a few of the comments that have been said to me lately:

"Wow, Kelcie! You're looking VERY PREGNANT today!"

"Girl! I don't think you're going to make it to January!"

"I think your due date must be wrong!"

People, can I just tell you that as pregnant women, WE KNOW WE ARE BIG. Being constantly reminded is really. really. unnecessary.

Now that that's off my chest... let's move on with the update, shall we? :)

Size of baby: approximately 15.7 inches long, 3 lbs., and the size of a head of cabbage

Maternity Clothes: I finally went out and bought a cute pair of maternity jeans, which means I have one whole pair. I have one other pair of jeans that aren't maternity but just big, but even they are getting snug. The options in my closet are getting limited.

Gender: A GIRL! But yall knew that.

Movement: A lot! Tyler and I indentified her head over on my right side, and it is the coolest thing to cup it with my hand. And her little feet, arms, and elbows are constantly poking me.

Sleep: So far I'm sleeping better than I expected. I don't wake up that much to go to the bathroom, and somehow I'm still managing to sleep mostly on my stomach (I know, I know!)

What I miss: Looking cute and having energy. I get tired and out of breath really easily. Pretty sure I need to be exercising like 100 times more than I am. (Don't tell my doc!)

Cravings: None. I'm thisclose to believing the whole "craving" thing is a myth and an excuse for women to eat weird and terrible things. Now, I have been craving anything and everything made with pumpkin. But that's just because it's fall yall.

Symptoms: Besides getting out of breath easily, I have a bad back and cramp up really easily. My back often feels like that of a 90-year-old woman. And any out-of-the-ordinary movement makes me cramp. But I can deal.

What I’m looking forward to: Meeting Selah! Now that I am feeling her so much, I feel like I know her. And I can't wait to just hold her.

Me holding Eden right after she was born



Makeover Monday

Welcome!

Since I last updated you, the whole house had insulation blown in it, and every room except for the kitchen has now been sheetrocked. Things are looking a lot different better!

Here is what will be Selah's bedroom, which had the ceiling sheetrocked this week.

Isn't it cute?

The second bathroom/laundry room was also sheetrocked, and this sliding pocket door was put in.

What you're looking at there is the bathroom, and then you walk through that door, and here is the back half (laundry room).

In case you don't remember, this used to be one big ugly room.

Gross.

And last, but definitely not least, is the master bathroom, which was also sheetrocked. Let me jog your memory about what a beauty this room was too.

And today...

MY what a difference some sheetrock can make.

'Til next time!

A Chocolatey Message for Daddy

(...and the rest of the Blog World)

Enjoy.

Makeover Monday

Well, first I have to update you.

The sale of our house fell through. :(

And now we're totally back to Square One.

Honestly, I have to admit I am SO RELIEVED we're not moving in two weeks. But now I'm afraid the stress will come in a couple of months instead of the first week of November. We HAVE to have a buyer before our house is ready! Will you be praying for that? I would so appreciate it!

So... what does a person do when they find out they're not moving as planned?

They go ahead and put out their fall decorations, of course!

And they enjoy the rest of fall -- pumpkins, cider, bumblebee costumes and all -- without thinking too much about boxes and storage. This I am OK with.

...I don't have any updates to show you from the house this week.

Instead, I'm going to show you  (bore you with?) some decorating ideas I've been gathering from Pinterest for our new house... because obviously that is the fun part of this whole thing.

This is close to what I want to do in Selah's bedroom.

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Except maybe a slightly softer shade of pink.

And this brings me to a question... has anyone out there painted their wooden baby furniture white? I really want to paint our crib, changing table and dresser. It's espresso and has a smooth finish, and I'm wondering how difficult this would be... advice is welcome!

And also on that note, I'm planning on painting this dining table that we bought.

I want to do either a distressed white or possibly turquoise... maybe something like this.

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And then find random chairs from flea markets and such to put around it...

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This will be cute, right?

OK. I know it's been random today. I promise there will be an actual house update next week.

'Til then!

We Party Hardy

This weekend my baby turned TWO! Maybe that means she's not a baby anymore, but that's still hard for me to accept.

But then, babies probably don't talk in full sentences or actually do what you ask them or take care of their OWN babies.

:-( All signs point to a real little person.

Anyway, as much as it saddens me that Eden is growing up, we celebrated in a big way.

We started the Birthday Morning off by having 2 Year Pictures made of the Birthday Girl. For her, this just meant running around a field with her cousin while his mommy (the photographer) chased her like crazy. Hopefully there are some good shots in there somewhere!

Then she, her daddy and I were off to Chuck E. Cheese, where a kid can really be a kid! For some reason, Eden is TERRIFIED of all the little rides, but she had a lot of fun "playing" the games.

Then Saturday was the BIG day. I can't help it; I like to have blowout birthday parties. I've heard and read other moms talk brag about "keeping it simple." Like they wake up on the Birthday Morning, call a few playmates to come over and whip up the cake mix in the cabinet. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll ever be That Mom. I don't do the big birthday parties to impress others; to me it's fun. And yes I mean that. It's fun and it's memories. And I love every bit of it.

Did I mention I won these adorable cake pops from Ariel's Cake Pops from a giveaway on this blog? Well I did! And they were delicious!

How could you not celebrate a face like that?

Makeover Monday

This week my dad worked a lot on the plumbing. After crawling under the house, he discovered that basically all of the plumbing had to be redone. Joy Joy. So he spent a lot of hours in here...

He also had another family member help him with this, and he says one more good day of work and most the plumbing should be finished.

Also this week, my grandpa, "Papa," came down to the house and started mudding the sheetrock. He has a bad back and is not even supposed to be doing work like this anymore so I'm really thankful for his help but am going to feel really bad if he hurts himself! Thanks to him, though, several of the rooms are starting to look a lot more finished.

Tyler worked on prying off more of this tile in the living room, but as you can see there's still more to be done. And, WHEW, are those floors dirty. It's going to be a JOB getting them clean.

And last, but not least, we got a new back door.

Before

After

It's funny how the little things can make such a big difference, huh?

'Til next time!

New Beginnings

I have something to tell you.

(and it has nothing to do with moving out of our house or getting a new one or having a baby...)


I have a new job.

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Yes, it's true.

I wasn't really looking for it. It kind of found me. (I think God pointed it in my direction.) But anyway, it's here and I'm in it.

What is it? Oh yeah...

Well I am a Program Coordinator/Presenter for a local abstinence education program. Right now I'm teaching classes in the high school where Tyler graduated, and next semester I'll be back at my own alma mater.

Cool, huh?

Like I said, this wasn't something I was looking for. It's definitely a stretch from my home field of journalism. But it's something I'm passionate about. I have a heart for it. And kids today need to be educated. So I'm thankful I've been given the chance to do the educating.

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So two days a week I go into the schools and present my program. Of course we can't talk about "God," but the values this program is based on are rock solid, and you kind of don't even have to. We teach them all the consequences (and statistics) of being sexually active before marriage: physical, social, emotional... and we empower them to start making healthy choices.

It's such a valuable program.

And if you're wondering, I'm also still working at my old job. (which means I'm incredibly overwhelmed at the moment...) I'm transitioning out of my role there, and after Selah is born, I'll officially just be a freelancer. I have mixed feelings about this. Ok, actually they're not mixed. I'm pretty sad about it. I love my role with the magazine, and I honestly hate to give it up.

But I know this is what's right for me and for our family. I have a peace about my new role. And I'm excited about the lives that will be impacted through it.

If it changes the life of one teen then it's worth it, right?

I think so.

Makeover Monday

Happy Monday Folks!

Well I have two weeks' worth of updates to show ya. And honestly, I'm starting to forget what you've seen and what you haven't. But the main thing that has been going on up is a lot of sheetrock. The living room, dining room and baby's room are now all sheetrocked, which makes me feel like we are on the homestretch... however, my dad tells me not to believe it... :s

Living Room





Dining Room



Baby's Room





Also, Tyler has been working on scraping up the ugly tile that was/is on the living room floor. Beneath it are pretty wood floors, which we plan to refinish. I can't wait to see the finished product!





So that's about it. Remember that plea for anyone who wanted to donate free labor? Well, it's still out there! We are officially scheduled to move out of our house the first week of November. Let the countdown begin!