Tuesday, January 28, 2014

*Imperfect* House Tour

Thank you for not giving up on me.  And for caring that I disappeared into the abyss of T1D and moving! : )  I'm sorry it's been so long, but thanks for checking in!  I know that it's totally disappointing (haha!) not to see the house more complete.  I decided to just take pictures and post them..boxes, folded laundry, and all.  It won't be near perfect enough for me till summer I bet.  So, why wait? : )

Here are some I took yesterday and today.  I have learned that pictures taken at night don't look so good, and I kept forgetting to take them until the kids went to bed each night (my free time!), so it took a while to get on top of things and take DAY pictures! : )

I might mention, they ended up out of order..so I'll try to explain. ; )
Office.  Right inside front door to the right.  My plan was for a craft room/office.  It'll probably change a little.

Carter's room!  Still needs a few things (like curtains!).  But he's cute, so good enough.

Ethan's desk (see, it jumped a bunch of pictures!)  The adirondack chair was painted by Misty Collins with Gravel Road Art.  She's awesome.

Oh look..back to Carter's room!  This is the other side of his room.  He's going to show you his night light.  The one he likes to plug and unplug.  Hence the reason it's in the drawer, not the wall.

The houndstooth is my dining room drapery fabric, and I was trying to pick a fabric to reupholster my chair seats.

This is by Cari Humphry.  I first saw it back in April, but she didn't want to come down on the price since it was almost graduation (it's a picture of Old Main on the University of Arkansas campus, where I went to school, and Ches teaches! ..so sentimental!), so I went back a couple weeks ago!  (No drop in price though.)  I love it!

This is Bernice.  Also by Cari.  I fell in love with her when I was getting Old Main.  She was only finished the day before, and she was headed to Nashville for a gallery exhibit.  She told me she just wasn't in the mood to travel, and she needed a home.  It worked, and I brought her here!

Our room.  Smaller than our last house, but exactly what we need.

LOVE the way the glass on the ceiling fixture throws the light!

Our bathroom.  There's me in the mirror!

Ok, so yes, I love the shower.  But let me tell you about these big open glass things.  They are cold.  I have to turn on the hot water, let it run for a few minutes to fog it up, before I ever get in.  It's cold!  I've decided I like those closed-in showers in little rooms! : )

When I said it was the imperfect tour, I wasn't kidding.  Check out our dirty laundry.

Two of my favorite things.  Rocks from Nice (French Riviera!), and the oyster shell frame from Hawaii.  *Must put a pic of my own kids in there.

Our linen cabinet.  And why I'm giving away a bunch of towels!

Another jump to Mary Claire's bathroom (shows how I wasn't willing to wait till her matching towels were up on the towel bar, ha!).

Her vanity.  Also no towel, it's in the dryer!

Mary Claire's room : )

I didn't do her room for the longest time, I had to get inspired.  I needed to clump some things together..and I still have tissue paper flowers to hang! : )

Her dresser/desk.  Still in progress.  And Megan and Sierra hanging out/having a chit chat.

She's still sporting her Christmas bunting we made!  *Must make a new one.

Ethan's room!  His chalkboard painted 7 goes up above the crab.  I'm working on that! ; )

He has a wall-sized world map mural that goes on this wall..I just haven't had the time/motivation to put it up yet!
Another jump to Clay's bathroom, his sign says it doesn't cause brain damage to change the toilet paper!  (it doesn't, seriously y'all!)

His shower.  Yes, I hung his towel up for the picture.  You're welcome!

Dining Room..still in progress.  Need art.  And the burlap runner I bought.

Oh, and those drapes aren't going to make themselves!

I TOLD you it was in progress.  Don't take note of the mismatching colors.  I'm still working on it.

Breakfast area..again, in progress, and those boxes don't unpack themselves either.

Yes, dinner is in the crock pot and I'm boiling water in the hopes of raising the humidity enough to cut all our static and dry hands!  Fun times in Arkansas.  And our swing!!  And yes, I love my window over the sink.  Love.

Carter's bathroom/guest bathroom.

His vanity.  In progress.  Can't decide what I want to put on the counter.

Oh look, back to Ethan's bathroom!  We have to really remember to keep his blinds closed..he's a pretty proud bather.

Landing at the top of the stairs.  We have a thing for books.  Lots of 'em.

Clay's bedroom!  Debating on his over-the-headboard decor.  Debating between some letters and signs I got and a big picture of a baseball stadium.  We can't decide, so we do nothing. ; )  Notice all those tshirts he's outgrown at the end of the bed!  Whew, growing kiddos! : )
I guess I forgot the laundry room and pool bath.  I'll catch them next time! : )  Ethan will be here in a few minutes, so I have to hurry.

And, yes, it's been totally rough having two kids with diabetes.  One more thing to keep up with.  AND they both got new pumps in late December (had to fit it in on 2013 insurance!), AND Mary Claire started the new Enlite sensor (Constant Glucose Monitor, or cgm for short).  That has been a learning experience, seriously.  We did training finally two weeks ago, and she's finally having better blood sugars as I learn where to adjust her basal and bolus ratios.  She also had a little cold while we were training, so I think that didn't help with numbers!

All in all, we are making it one day at a time with D, still unpacking, and only 1.5 storage units to go.  No yard yet (just flat dirt), but we are praying to see progress.  It's absolutely frigid here, but we're up to 23 degrees and a windchill of 14.  Whew.  We saw 68 on Sunday.  Amazing weather here.  Or weird. . .whateva.

Praying your little ducklings are healthy, and you don't have boxes bumping into you! : )
Hugs!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Ahh..Hawaii!

O me oh my!  Can we not house talk? (since I've been living and breathing it for so long?)  We DiD get to move on December 20th, kinda got half way settled, then we got out of town (not a moment too soon)!  The Polar Vortex landed right in the middle of us causing crazy low temperatures, ice, snow, and no school!



And we?  Landed in Hawaii!! : )


Flying over the Pacific.  I swear I saw whales/sharks/something with a white belly.  But Huge.

Circling, getting ready to land.

Headed out!  This is just gorgeous.  Waiting to turn onto the one way street, you get an inland body of water, city/mountain/palm tree combo.  Everywhere is beautiful.

Convention Center.  Glass to reflect all the beauty!

We chose Sacred Heart Parish, doesn't it look like Jesus' head is just glowing in the sun?!

Just looking up at the palms.  Love.

He does this EVERY day.  Just a new sculpture.  ..Did I mention EVERY day?!

Sitting on the beach waiting for sunrise.  Beautiful.

I had to write everyone's names in the sand..you know for frames in their rooms, and so they know I love them, and I'm thinking of them! : )

So..when you squat on the beach, your feet sink in really deep. ; )

I'm trusting the Lord right now.  With all my heart.

Mary Claire wanted me to write Hi! for her since we were facetiming!  It's also the abbreviation for Hawaii ; )

The sun coming up..peeking through the buildings!

I took pictures if there were couples/families trying to get a picture.  One older man watched me alone..and asked if he could take my picture.  I was holding a huge rock/shell conglomerate I'd found for the kids that morning.  He took about 40 pictures (he did a Burst?), and I was in the shadows, so I didn't know which one to pick.  Maybe my eyes are open in this one? : )

Looking to the west down the beach.  Just gorgeous.  Our language doesn't have adequate words.

Behind me.

I took this for a friend, but brave sums it up.  I walk to the beach every morning alone-about four blocks.  It's relatively quiet and beautiful.  I get first pick on the sand, and get to see the sun.  Thank God for these moments.  I think I'm saving them up for the days when I'm home. : )

This is for Clay!  He's eating shrimp every day, as often as he can get it!  Huge bags at a time.  Whoa.

Headed to lunch at Cheesecake Factory.  I had an amazing Luau salad-tons of fresh veggies and orange wontons with sesame seeds.  And too full for cheesecake! : )

We drove up Tantalus (inactive volcano/crater), the veiw was amazing!

We rented a Dodge Challenger.  I thought Ches would enjoy it..but it was brand new (13 miles on it), so he's stressed about it getting scratched or something.  It has a gauge that measures your 0-60 and 0-100 time, and even one for telling you how many G's you are pulling in the corners.  Wow.  Except there isn't anywhere to actually play with it!
At the top of the mountain/crater/look-out, there was a swing!  Of course, I had to swing in it.

Ches ready to go. : )

Look what they have in Hawaii!!  Kisses with macadamia nuts!  Yum.

This is where we see movies.  Cool, huh?

It's been a relaxing trip for us, and I know it's been hard for mom with the kids.  It's been freezing cold back home, and they've missed two days of school for weather, and too cold to play outside (below zero!).  Pray that she is strengthened, I know it's long hard days with four kids!

We'll get back to home making pretty quickly, and get those kids rooms settled and moved into..it's a lot of work.  And a lot of boxes!

Hope you are staying warm with your family, and that your heat is working! ; )
Hugs, Holly

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5