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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Wyatt: this Week


Happy Thursday! 

  I just wanted to post a few quick pics of Wyatt from this past week! I know Papa in Florida loves getting new, up-to-date photos of Wyatt, and Aunt Kim in Memphis craves seeing his little face constantly. 

Here are a few photos from this past week!

Christmas Tree: Confessional


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Meet the new guy.




It didn’t take long for us to come to the decision that a new dog was in the cards.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

We're working on a building...

We're working on a building, for my Lord, for my Lord...




At least, this seems to always be in my head when we're working on the house these days.

{Yes, we like bluegrass music. Alot. Surely if you know us, you knew that? Right?}

Anyway--

Colt went drove out after work Wednesday to frame up the bathroom while Wyatt and I had dinner together back at our other casa. He worked well into the late afternoon and ended up not getting home until 11, which makes me for a very early morning on Thursday {poor husband}.

Bathroom that Colt framed Wednesday. {Sorry! Forgot to take actual pictures!}


Then after a horrible Friday night, we got up early to pour a concrete pad around our well.


Monday, December 10, 2012

Sad, but true. Brylee Ann is gone. :-(


 Five years ago, when Colt and I were settling into being a married couple, we decided that before we could ever think about having a kiddo we needed to have a pet.

And not a cat-pet either—they’re just too self-sufficient—a dog-pet.

I grew up with small dogs. Pekingeses, Shih-tzus, and yorkies. Small dogs.

The husband grew up with big dogs. Boxers, bull dogs, and pit-bulls {which are actually American Staffordshire Terriers, for those who care to know!}.  

It was Christmas of 2007 when I decided that I would get Colt the kind of dog he wanted {I already had a cat back then that I called my own—a lovely one-eyed stray named Boone}.

My very best friend in the world, India, and her husband, Justin, happened to have raised American Staffordshire Terriers for a while back then, so I knew right where to look. {Since then they have had their female spayed.}

Getting someone a pet as a gift can sometimes many times almost always backfire, so I explained to Colt what I wanted to do. He was super stoked. With the craziness that is always the holidays, we didn’t get around to actually getting the puppy until early January. By then, India and Justin only had two left—a chocolate brown boy and a khaki/champagne colored girl.

We went over on a Saturday and looked at the two pups. We loaded the brown pup up into the car and began to back down the driveway. Just as we were beginning to turn around, I glanced back to India’s front porch. There sat the tiny pup, her back to me, with her face looking back over her shoulder. She had the poutiest look on her face I had ever seen.

We dumped the boy and snatched the girl.

Friday, December 7, 2012

The many pajamas of Wyatt Lee



It seems like every time I leave the house I come back with a set of pajamas for the little mister. I know, it's kind of silly, but I just love the look of him in a matching set of PJs.

Girls have big hair-bows, cutesy shoes, and jewelry. I've decided that other than his mohawk, cutesy little matching PJs is one way I can doll the little guy up. Let's face it: boys just can't accessorize the way little girls can.  Believe me, I asked. The hubs gave me a definitive and overly stern "No" when I asked about purchasing sippy cups in every color so we could coordinate outfits with monogrammed cups..

Thursday, December 6, 2012

So how big is this new place, anyway?



When Colt and I first got married and began house-hunting, scouring floor plans, etc, I didn't want a house under 2000 sqft.

Then we bought our first home and realized that huge bedrooms are wastes of space and small living rooms are torture... ;-)


So when we designed our house plan (which I actually created using Floorplanner.com), we wanted two things: conservative bedrooms and an open living space. We ended up with a house that's about 1300 sq ft, which we are pretty excited about. I think it's small and simple, yet we can still add on across the back to add extra rooms later, if need be, creating a bedroom door underneath the staircase. {Of course, we would have to take down a tree to do this, but if we end up adding on, that'll be a relatively small job compared the the actual addition.}

Without going into  ALL the whys, here's our houseplan.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Thanksgiving=germ fest.



Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all the wonderful things in your life; whether those things are amazing grandeur things, or simple, small things. It's a time to share your time with those you love.

So, as a late Thanks for Thanksgiving, I wanted to make a little list of things I am especially grateful for this year of 2012:

Monday, December 3, 2012

Where in the world is...


..Carmen San Diego? {Sing it with me…}

Ah, to be 8 years old again and enjoying kiddo-game-shows like this one here.

But, back to being an adult.. Seriously, I’m sure all our friends and family have been wondering the same thing this month. Where in the world is Carmen San Diego are the Gibsons?

Monday, October 22, 2012

Fo' real; tree, that is.


 Before you say it {because I know it’s on the tip of your tongue right this very second!}, I know that it’s still October. The leaves are just beginning to change into colors of blazing fires and only the most aggravating and pushy retailers {begins with a W, ends with a T, and has an “almar” in the middle!} have even begun to roll out the strung lights and garland. {Although if you walk into a Hobby Lobby today you would find all fall décor on sale 45% and Thanksgiving napkins being tucked over to the side of the store to make room for HUGE Christmas Wreaths.}


And even though it IS still October, and we haven’t yet celebrated Halloween, or Thanksgiving, I am going to blog about Christmas trees. And here’s why:

Sunday, October 21, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like...



Christmas!

{Okay, it’s really not… but a girl can dream, can’t she?}

Even if it's a cheap MSPaint rendition, right?!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Wyatt this Week

This week has sort of creeped by on me. After Wyatt being sick a few weeks ago, then having his birthday bash a week late, we've sort of just hunkered down at home this week and enjoyed the clean house {I love it when we have people over} and our health {an entire week with no fever- do I hear angels singing?!}.

I had to share a few quick pics with you though, as Wyatt never fails to make me laugh.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Getting things done: check!

Pinterest.

It has become one of my most favorite hobbies since taking the plunge and deciding to stay home with Wyatt fulltime. I've only been home 4 months, and before then I didn't understand what Pinterest was, but I've done a pretty good job of filling various pin-boards up.

I love to spend my Saturday mornings quietly pinning away {or pining away? pardon the pun!} as many great ideas as possible.

The hubs thinks I'm wasting my time, but I try to assure him-- "Don't worry!" I say, "I'm not wasting our Saturday morning-- I'm busy planning out the rest of our life!"

He doesn't find that cute or amusing. ;-)

But of course, I can't really blame him, as 4 months of pinning has turned into LOTS of things I WANT to do or try... but I sometimes think that I will never get around to any of it!

So today, instead of pinning things, I decided to take one thing and move it to a new pin-board titled "Done!"

Tomorrow will be Wyatt's first birthday party-- we had to reschedule his original party because he had a nasty virus that kept him feeling puny the entire week. So, instead of demo-ing 40 different ways to style my hair or how to create a Christmas tree using a tomato cage, I thought I would try something simple that I could use tomorrow for W's birthday guests.

{Recipe original to My Handmade Life}

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

It's Fall at the Gibsons!






Fall is fast becoming my favorite season.


As a teenager, I would’ve sworn my favorite was summer. I loved tanning, spending time with my friends, and enjoying the river with Colt.

Then after high school, I moved to Florida with the hubs {who was just the boyfriend back then} and we bought this horrible golden Volvo that had a shady AC.

I soon loathed summer {and the heat that accompanies!}.

Shortly after we married in 2006, we bought our first home. {It actually took us about a month to find the house, another 30 days to close on it!} Spring was then my favorite season, as I had hopes and dreams of being a fantastic gardener. I believe I killed every plant I bought that year. Whomp, whomp.

Now, having the post-pregnancy-i-still-need-to-lose-10lbs body that I do, fall is quickly becoming my favorite season...

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Wyatt's Smash Cake: Take 2




I posted late last month my first try at Wyatt's smash-cake.. my second version turned out lots better, and was going to be the final take, but alas, I'm always learning...

Friday, September 21, 2012

Wyatt's birthday cake: take 1!


Being a good mom is important to me. I want to be that spectacular mommy that makes home-made biscuits and gravy on Saturday mornings and create marvelous Halloween costumes using nothing but my sewing machine and some fabric.

So for Wyatt's first birthday {and hopefully every birthday!}, I wanted to make his from scratch. But since I've never done that before, I thought I better try a few times before the big day--


Here we go---

Wyatt's 1st Birthday Smash Cake---

Take 1!


|MrsG

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

How to: Little Man Suspenders


Like I said earlier this week-- Wyatt's first birthday is coming up. 

And although I'm trying to keep the party itself small and not overly extravagant, I seem to always try to go overboard with Wyatt's outfits on special days. 

But let's be honest. Little boys can't wear hair bows or taffeta. You can't put him in a necktie every time you go somewhere special.

And no, you can't make him wear a little tuxedo on his birthday. Believe me. I asked. The hubs said, "No." 

So I've already ordered a t-shirt that has a mustache on it and the words "Little Man" pressed on it. I think that, paired with some jeans and a birthday-hat will be sufficient.

But I also want a cake smash. I've already purchased some 4" pans to make my own! :-) Will show pictures soon! Promise!!

And there's no way I'm going to let him ruin his adorable mustache tee while he smashes a cake to smithereens. 

Therefore I've been browsing pinterest and found quite a few little men in suspenders. And lots of moms even gave the how-tos on how to do it, but I thought I would write up my experience anyway.

Because c'mon-- those moms can sew. Those moms probably do it all the time. They probably hand-make quilts and create fondant from scratch-- by memory.

I'm not one of those moms.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

One month countdown...



With less than a month left to prepare for Wyatt’s first birthday, lots of things are going on. First, the hubster and I have put building on pause while we ready our home for visitors. That’s right—we’re trying to keep Wyatt’s first birthday small and at home. Second, we finally sold our old 4-wheeler and the hubs’ latest impulse-buy: the ’87 RamCharger. Both have really helped in getting the yard ready for visitors, as it has cleared out lots of parking space and enabled Colt to clean out the garage (|). But, back to the little man at hand… birthday.


I know, I know… birthdays are the best time to branch out, rent a small amusement park, and hire trained monkeys to dance with the guests.

But let’s be real—Wyatt is 1! And this isn’t an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen Birthday Bash (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can check out the madness here).

So, in trying to keep things simple, I have been searching {for months now} a basic theme to surround the party with. I have debated over lots of thing, pinning different things on my Pinterest {if you haven’t become part of the pinterest revolution, you need to check it out asap! pinterest.com}. First I wanted to do a Super Why! theme, then I wanted Pete the Cat, and then I had given up a character theme all together and opted for a basic green/blue/yellow color scheme.

Then, last week, while perusing etsy.com for cake toppers, I found what I’d been looking for.

You see, I’ve always wanted a little boy. I have even always said I would have a boy first. Then when we chose to not find out our baby’s gender, I got really nervous about all my wishing and hoping—so I just stuck out the pregnancy with, “I would like a boy, but I love little girls as well.”

Then Wyatt showed up and I saw stars-- and bugs, snails, dirty hands, and bow ties.

So when I happened upon this—I knew I had found just the thing to plan Wyatt’s first birthday bash around.
{source}

Why didn’t I think of that? So simple. Everyone little guy needs a fake mustache to play with. And what little man wouldn’t want an entire party dedicated to looking more like Tom Selleck?

After searching around the internet for a while, I found some lovely cupcake toppers that have a blue and green border with a brown parchment paper design. (For anyone who’s ever received a Christmas gift from me, you know that I wrap everything in brown shipping paper—no silly prints for this girl. Pretty bows only.)
The little man’s party is slowly coming together. I’m trying to keep things simple and not get caught up in petting zoos and magic acts… but I have to admit, bobbing for apples doesn’t sound like going overboard—right?! ;-)

Well, maybe I'll keep it a bit more simple than that. Maybe hotdogs, lemonade, and fake mustaches on sticks. And cupcakes, of course. I think my favorite part might be preparing for the cake smash. I absolutely can't wait for that one. 

Until then-- here are some cuties to gaze at in preparation for Wyatt's own Mustache Birthday Bash!
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Rain drops keep falling on my head...


But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red. Cryings not for me! Cause I’m never going to stop the rain by complaining; because I’m free, nothing’s worrying me!

At least, that’s what I was thinking Saturday when we left with plans to begin the task of installing our metal roofing in two weeks.

You see, we’ve been working on setting the posts, trusses, and adding the rafters for about 2 ½ weeks.
 It’s been a slow process, as Colt has been doing much of it by himself while I stand by with WL on my hip and the cell phone in my hand. {Just in case that amazing man was to misjudge the scaffolding and fall the 16 ft to the ground! I shudder to think of such a happenstance!}


So on Saturday, when my lovely sis-in-law brought her just-as-lovely hubster out to help us work on the fascia board, we were pretty excited! After getting rained out for part of the day, then just sitting around “vistin’” for quite a while {vistin’- Appalachian-American  method by which to say “visiting,” usually means spending time with others for no particular reason other than enjoying said others’ company. Synonyms include ‘shooting the breeze’, ‘catching up’, and ‘watching the grass grow together’.} , we finally decided that the best course of action would be to gather 4-5 guys, plan a big cookout, and shoot for completing the roof in one day. That one day would need to be in about 2 weeks, as giving all the guys good notice would be key to getting them together at the same time!

We shared out hugs and kisses and then parted ways for the day, after grabbing a late lunch together and a tasty Mexican place in Fort Payne {Yum!}.

The following day Colt and I had already planned to meet our best-couple-friends India and Justin to get some things done at the property together and commence to getting some more vistin accomplished.

We got to our rural paradise around 10:30 am, with Wyatt done with his first nap of the day and both men raring to go. They completed the fascia board that my Mr. and his bro-in-law had started-but-didn’t-finish the day before. Before I knew it, Colt was handing Justin a sheet of metal.

Wait! What?!

We weren’t going to start that for another 2 weeks—remember?! We needed time to gather a small army of men and groceries!

Up goes another sheet of metal.

I couldn’t believe it! They were just handing it, piece by piece to each other, and screwing it all down. What did they think they were going to do? Install the entire roof in one day, by their lonesomes, with seemingly no help to speak of?

Yep.

And they did just that!
 
9ish hours later, they had completed the roof. Both men claimed they just hid a rhythm and decided to keep going. At around 8:30 pm, we had loaded all the kids up in their respective cars and were ready to go home.

Both men were dead-tired and for good reason! India and I had shared a great day of vistin and the kids had played themselves into 4 light comas!
 
It was a very accomplished weekend—especially since it had started as a dreary, rainy Saturday.

Of course, we still owe Justin and India a dinner—but we welcome a reason to get together with them! We don’t get to see each other enough as it is!





As for the raindrops-they will no longer be falling on my head! Because, remember, I’m worry-free with my new metal roof!

Kiddos :-)
|MrsG