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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Less feels like so much more.

 

I read a wonderful article today on another blog. It’s titled When the Holidays are Hard. And the blogger, Kristen, is right. Sometimes having less at Christmas is really hard. I know people are dealing with everywhere. Her article really touched my heart, but not for the reasons one might think.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Master Bedroom Moodboard.

Master Bedroom Moodboard

Too often, at least for me, things are pinned to pinboard on my Pinterest page and never looked at again.  I have specific pinboards for different rooms in our future home. One for the kitchen, one for the master bedroom, one for Wyatt, even  one for the laundry room.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

What’s lurking in your kitchen?

 

Happy Halloween!

 

As everyone dons their costumes and begins knocking on doors, begging for candy from strangers, I thought I’d share a sweet treat we’ll be eating this weekend.

 

ChocolateOatmealCookie

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

There is paint on the walls.


Did you hear me?

There is paint on the walls in our home.


THERE IS PAINT ON THE WALLS.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Pecan Caramel Glazed Bundt Cake


Pecan Caramel Glazed Bundt Cake Img
A few weeks ago (while shopping for Wyatt’s birthday cupcake ingredients) I picked up an extra box of cake mix.

http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server800/53z0ssru/products/705/images/1019/Betty_Crocker_Supermoist_Cake_Mix_Butter_Pecan__16730.1372452369.960.1280.jpg?c=2

I’ve never noticed this flavor before.  Maybe its seasonal?  Regardless—it sounded right up my alley.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

{not} Beef Stroganov


Stoganov 015


Somewhere there’s a babushka rolling over in her grave.  I’m almost positive she’s shaking her fist at me for calling this dish Beef Stroganov.

For one thing, I don’t use actual beef.

And I do realize that the actual dish contains sour cream {not the cream o’ mushroom I use}. But this one doesn’t.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Progress Check.


After sharing photos of our drywall progress from this weekend, I started thinking about how much more drywall we have to complete, you know, on a whole-house-scale.

FloorPlanProgress

Monday, October 13, 2014

We’re building a home, not a house.


When we started building, we planned on doing almost everything ourselves. We never approached this build as “we’re building a house to live in.” We approached it as, “We’re building our family a home.” There’s a huge difference in connotation there.

We hired out the concrete pad, which is ironic because Colt’s family used to own a concrete company and he’s been around it his whole life. (Maybe that’s why we hired it out, as he knows it’s a skilled trade, not something someone just “picks up.”)

We did the framing. We did the house wrap. We did the insulation. We did the electrical, and the plumbing. (All to code, I might add.)

But one thing we had always planned on hiring out was our drywall.


Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Dog Days of Fall

Update: after posting this yesterday morning, Josie brought half a squirrel home with her. AND TRIED TO BRING IT IN THE HOUSE. #headsmack It was the top half, for those wondering. And disgusting.

This is Josie.
 WLBDay3 149
Josie Elizabeth Wales.
As in the outlaw. (Look it up if you don't get the reference: The Outlaw Josey Wales)

Monday, October 6, 2014

Sunday in the South


Just another Sunday...



After Wyatt's birthday stuff on Saturday, we got to work at the new house on Sunday morning.

First order of business-- adding some more drywall mud to the screw holes.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Happy 3rd Birthday, WL!

I don't think its any secret we're knee-high in a river of ...construction right now. And that mess doesn't stop at the new house, it sort of bleeds over into our current house as well; so this year for Wyatt's birthday, we weren't really prepared (and didn't want to be) for having a get-together at either of our home's.

Instead, Colt tossed out the idea of catching a local bluegrass festival we've always enjoyed going to-- 3 Sister's Bluegrass Festival in downtown Chattanooga.

It just so happens 3 Sisters takes place the first weekend of October every year-- so Wyatt's birthday party is always the same weekend it seems.

I thought it was a great idea.

I put this together using nothing but MS Paint, and a bit of creative copy and pasting within the program.
Because you're not supposed to bring food to the festival (there are vendors) and the festival is FREE, it was sort of a simple party. (I did bring cupcakes.) It was more of a reason for all the people that love Wyatt to get together and enjoy music together. :-)

Here are some photos of the day!

Friday, October 3, 2014

So. stinkin. cute.

Happy birthday to Wyatt Lee!


I finally got to do something I've always planned to do and never actually gotten around to-- I got an actual "photo shoot" with WL on his birthday.

I'm not sure why I didn't think I could do it myself his first year-- and I know last year was just crrrazy hectic with work, so I wasn't able to do it.

But this year...


So. stinkin. cute.





Thursday, October 2, 2014

Farmhouse sink, on a budget.



I've wanted an apron front sink in my new kitchen since the beginning of time (read, since I was introduced to Pinterest circa 2011). But let's be honest-- farmhouse apron fronts are CUUUUUHRAZY expensive when you're trying to build a house with cash. (Yeah, people still do that. And when I say people, I actually mean just my husband and I. If you're in our boat, shout it out. I could use the knowledge that I'm not alone out here, up a creek, nailing two-bys in  myself.)

So when I saw this listing on Amazon, I was pretty stoked. 



Wednesday, October 1, 2014

It's important to remember.

Confession: Sometimes I just want a weekend.

...this morning I wrote a post about how nice it would be to have a weekend every once in a while. It was short, but very whiny. Concisely, it was me venting about how much time we've been working on the new house.

2 years. Almost 2.5. It seems like we've always been working on it. For. ev. er. 

But then a funny thing happened...

I went back to add some photos of the house, ones that show how much we've done on it... and then I realized..

Ohmygoodness. We built a friggin' house. By ourselves.  With CASH. And when we move into it, whether it has trim or is painted yet or not: WE BUILT A FRIGGIN HOUSE.

Needless to say, I highlighted my entire post that consisted of "wah, wah, wah!" and clicked DELETE.

Now, for a little walk down memory lane...


Tuesday, September 30, 2014

A much loved toe.


Ignore the mess in my living room floor and the rather large empty box to the right. Just check out that little beef cake holding his mommy's toe absentmindedly while he watches television. ‪#‎heartexplosion‬ ‪#‎boom‬ ‪#‎mushroomcloudoflove‬

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

WL-isms I want to remember: "Sorry I'm a bad girl."

So, I gave him a donut when we got back from the grocery store, to tide him over while I fixed lunch. He had a full-on meltdown when I wouldn't let him have a second one. Sent him to his room. Crying commenced. I place his lunch on the table (tomato soup and a grilled cheese). He smells it, comes out and tells me: you need a kiss. Then he proclaims, "I'm sorry I'm a bad girl." Ahahaha! ‪#‎lovemylittleman‬

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I'm right here. #selfie

 In a world full of social media and constant over-share, where do you draw the line? Personally, I try to check my privacy settings regularly, making sure that my profile is kept private from the general public.

There are lots of opinions on over-sharing these days, and even a move towards stigmatizing the culture of narcissism it seems to have created with people everywhere.

But as for me, I love a good selfie. And as a mom, I feel its my right to snap one or two (or twelve) occasionally.

And here's why...

--------

"Where's you?" Wyatt asks.

"What do you mean, buddy?"

"Where is YOU?" he asks again.

I scan through the images we've been flipping through on the computer. Easter. There's some of him looking for eggs. A few of Colt helping. Various snapshots of various family members he sees once or twice a year.

Uhh...

And then I see it-- "There I am, buddy!"

He squints at the image. He's not convinced.

It's me alright, I'm in the background of an image, talking to someone with my hands in the air.

We were super busy that day, as we always are on big days like Easter, Thanksgiving, and even birthdays. We rarely stop and remember to take a family photo of the three of us.

So yeah, I'm not in a lot of photos on days like that. I'm the one behind the camera.

And before you can say, "Oh no! Not ANOTHER woman with self-image issues, perpetually hiding behind the camera to avoid..." You're wrong.  I'm not that person. I HAPPILY pose for photos, as long as I have proper warning.

My chin needs to be tipped down a bit, my eyebrows raised, an actual smile on my face, and yes, maybe I require being viewed from a 45 degree angle. The point is I happily pose for photos.

But in these folders and folders of family memories, I'm missing. It's no one's fault-- I am constantly snapping photos, trying to grab hold of the present so tightly it cannot possibly escape. I wish to keep these years close to my heart forever. He's only little once. We're only this little family of 3 for so long, before he's too big to want to be with us 24 hours/day.

I pull up my Instagram account on my laptop and scroll through the various selfies I've taken in the last year of Wyatt and I-- ironically most of them in the car, as we get ready to exit the car. I snap quick photos like this a lot. He's happy to be out and about, and he's still for once-- strapped in his car seat. I have lots of these tiny square selfies. Lots.

"I'm right here, Wyatt!" I tell him.

He smiles and laughs, pointing at the screen. "And that's me! That's Mommy and that's Wyatt."

--------


So yeah, I snap lots of selfies-- admittedly some without my little man in them-- but even the independent selfie has its place on my Instagram feed (and eventually in a printed photo album).

You see, the selfies I take with Wyatt are priceless. They show us together, smiling, on an average day. One day, I hope, he can look at them and remember that we spent lots of time together. Not just the BIG HUGE days, but the regular days. The real days. He can watch himself grow before his eyes in photo albums, while seeing his mother age (gracefully) right along side him.

And as for the independent selfies I snap pretty much any time I feel pretty-- as a woman, and a sahm, I need that record of beauty-- because let's be honest, I don't always feel beautiful. 80% of my days are spent in yoga pants (that have never been to yoga), running shoes (that do not run), and in a tank top (that may or may not be clean on any given day). Girl needs a record that she cleans up nice.

So from one self-proclaimed queen of the selfie to another, go ahead and get your duck face on, snap a car photo of yourself and your kids (once your car is safely in park, of course-- never while driving), and for Heaven's sakes, document yourself on your good hair days.



Because one day we might not look so lovely, our kids will be teenagers, and we might just need a bit of reminding that they were little once and we were young.

MrsG