Ivory or Brown? Discuss.

We figured out a way to grow our littlest cutie!  

..so yeah, it's an awful picture.  But, he was so happy!

He prefers chocolate, and then hugs it.  Don't even try to sneak a taste.  Good thing he doesn't finish it..there's always someone to help him out.

We go by the house to check things out, and then to Sonic..mmm...milkshakes!  We're all putting on pounds!  haha ; )  Seriously, I've stopped getting ANYthing.  It's really tough, but then I look down at the stress weight I've put on!  I eat to relieve the pressure.  Reese's when the big boy yells at me for not going straight home after school.  Coke as I'm exhausted making dinner.  Coco Loco yogurts at midnight as I push through more choices.  You get the weighty idea.  I'm not exactly using up as many calories as I'm stuffing in.  (Like worse than a bear storing up for the winter.)

So..less about me, more about the house.  We are watching it transmogrify right now!  Brick is done, sheetrock is finished and textured, and we met with the trim carpenter yesterday to plan all the trim.  He is excellent, so I can't wait to see it all finished!

He walked around and drew what we wanted on each wall in pencil.  He is amazing! (It doesn't hurt that he isn't that much taller than me, so um..we kinda bonded I think.)  (Short people stand together!)

Dining Room.  I want a coffered ceiling..and the choices are endless!  How wide are the beams?  How deep, anything you want, he says.  That makes it hard!!  I did decide on 9 squares.  That is totally something. ; )

Soo..the living room.  I dreamed up these beams that come down from the ceiling, but return since I can't go wall to wall since it's so open.  I just explained it, and I think we had a meeting of the minds.

Carter's bathroom window (also the guest bath).  Love the drawings!  I'd kinda be okay if they were drawn onto my paint.  Really.

We also walked through each closet and described what kind of space we needed.  This is the west wall of our closet.  Shelves, and rods, and shoes, and drawers.  Awesome!

Our bathroom mirror and sconces have been a huge dilemma.  I had large framed mirrors before (they were kinda beautiful and a hard act to follow), but this time I'm using all chrome lighting and bath fixtures and I couldn't decide what kind of frame to get..wood?  Not quite.  No to bronze.  Chrome would be too much.  Too tough!  So, I've decided to let him back it all with moulding and crown moulding around the mirrors and sconces.  This bath is all white and some grayish veined marble, so tans wouldn't really work.  Make sense?

Locker area.  Added dividers so no one gets cooties.  Or knocks someone else's coat down.  We at least aim for sanity and friendliness.

Ches decided post-walk-through to add some cabinets and a counter to this garage space.  Think I can take it over too? haha!

..and today was TEXTURE!!  Trim and paint coming soon.

I'm excited to see it coming together.  Sometimes I feel anxious and worry if we are doing it right (and if we'll be happy with our choices in a few years).  The brick is much more colorful than I thought it'd be so I'm deliberating over shutter color now.  Ivory to tone it down?  Dark brown (stained) to bring out the trim and make it more serious?  Remember the inside and back are all beachy colors.  Not so much serious.

My baby is feeling quite at home in the bricky, concretey, nasty yard.

So this is how you paint a stairway!

The brick is finished!  See how the side porch has a nice, gentle slope on the arch?  The front porch was supposed to be that way too..but not so much. : (  Still checking on how we can change it.

He had so much fun in the brick nastiness.  He even asks for a bath every night when we come home!  (I'd call it a success!)  So..what do you think: ivory or chocolate shutters..or another color?

I hope they play outside this much after we move.  Totally in love with sand and pallets and chicken wire.  And broken up brick chunks.

Dirty boy.  Love him.

We picked up some of the whole bricks they threw to the side, but I have a feeling a lot of this will be in our driveway and under our yard.  I hope I'm wrong. ; )

Slowly but surely.  We are still managing in the rental.  It's been kinda tight, and I'm missing some of my stuff.  I'm sure it's good for me..and character-building and all that.  I made meatloaf in an 8x8 last night.  But they ate it ALL, so it can't be too bad. ; )  My big, long barbeque tongs live in my bedroom (even after they are dishwashed), I finally found my iron, but the ironing board is in storage (maybe a good problem to have?), we don't have a ladder out to change the bulb in the front porch light.  I feel like one of those rental houses.  (And I'm reluctant to admit it's kinda freeing!  No responsibility.  No guilt over the dying ferns on my back deck, and the patio furniture sitting on grass..cars in the driveway, boxes of bath fixtures in the living room floor..you get the idea.)

Which reminds me!  We got our pedestal sink in the mail yesterday, and I love it!  I try to pretend I'm country, but I'm borderline traditional.  It kinda shows in the sink. ; )  Only thing is..that cool IKEA faucet?  It's kinda got too big of a neck on it.  I think it'd splash the hand-washers (and I pray we have at least a few!).  So..back to the drawing board.  I ordered a new faucet tonight.  Praying it works better!  It is shorter front to back (4.5"), and I never even thought of checking that at IKEA, I just bought it since I loved it.  Learn from my mistakes: carry measurements, my friend.  Oh, and..do you need a beautiful faucet?  For $50, I can set you up! : )

Part of me eating less, is sleeping more.  I eat sometimes to stay awake.  (Wrong, I know.)  so..this is me saying goodnight!  hugs! 
  

Just Fine

So..my babies are all back under the same roof.  The temporary roof, but our home for now. ; )

The house is moving along..slower now because of all the rain we've had!  I have to be thankful for the amazing green grass and lower temperatures in the middle of August though.

 

And y'all..I have to be honest here.  I am feeling super overwhelmed.  The house, school starting, and my kiddos have been s-i-c-k.  That awful four-letter-word that I hate to hate.  I even hate to say I hate it.  The boys have had coxsackie virus.  The ol' hand-foot-mouth disease.  They had fever.  Then two made it to the first day of school, then just one today.  We'll see about tomorrow when it gets here.  Ethan hasn't even been for his first day yet.  I feel sorry for him.  (and they are so excited at that age!!)

 

Anyway, it's tough to balance it all.  No one said four sweet kids was easy, nuh-uh.  They said it was possible.  But thank God, with Him, it's possible.  So, today I did have to drop to my knees to pray for the next hour, and the next minutes of each hour.  It's a hard road (that I've chosen!) to keep everyone on the right track, and make sure they are Godly tracks.  I prayed for wisdom, and grace, and mercy for all those minutes that I might not have the time to stop to pray.

 

All that to say, even in the racing to the school for the first child, then driving to the second school (back on the highway again..), and in front of the school, the little one shows me some dots on his arm.. and we go back home again.

Since Ches didn't have to leave for work until ten, he stayed while I ran Mary Claire's health management plan (for school) to the doctor's office in Bentonville, ran by the plumbing supply house in Springdale to pick out a new bathtub, then to Fayetteville to pick up two prescriptions, then by the school to drop some medicine..then back home knowing I was just beginning the day.

My lighting estimate (for all my indoor and outdoor light fixtures) is over by a wee bit.  (well..maybe a few thousand?) Remember all those gorgeous lights I found in all my research?  Well, they are certainly beautiful.  But the companies actually know it, so they charge more for all that amazingness.  So..I'm back to working on solutions. ; )

 

And thank goodness we have had a good builder..and that all the King's men are so responsive.  ; )  We are seeing work happen, and it's reassuring that they hear us.  Some things got fixed today, and our front doors are installed!  I didn't actually get to see them in the daylight, but they are there.  And we have some door knobs.  The framers are done.  And all the electrical and plumbing is pretty much finished.  The roof is on and shingled. (finally, hurray!)  Now, we await the city's approval to continue..then get insulation and drywall.  Brick begins on Monday, so we are definitely getting closer.

Every night I finish up those unfinished tasks, pray some more, and somehow am granted more mercy (and grace!) to continue the next day.  I'm wondering.  ..when we tell someone that we are just :fine: is it truth?  Does it make them feel like their lives are less than fine?  Does it make our lives sound better than theirs?

I think I'll just tell the truth.  My kids are sick (throats hurt, want to be held..bored at home..need attention), Mary Claire's pump is beeping (Low Reservoir, Low Reservoir), everyone is hungry, I'm pulling a rabbit out of a hat every minute and performing small miracles (maintaining patience at box/fort/house-stealing in the living room, name calling, and tongues touching people) ..but I'm fine.  See?  Not so perfect, so no need to feel less-than me.  Can't get lower than your knees.

 

Hope y'all are more than just fine.  But, just in case..I'll pray for you anyway. ; )

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:2
 

The Brave Mom

Once upon a time there was a cool brave mom.  She loved her daughter so much, that she let her go off with a friend and her mom to a concert.  A Taylor Swift concert.  Three and a half hours away, and overnight!  She read this article, about letting kids grow up and spread their wings.  With all its risks, opportunities, choices (Chicago with family or Kansas City with friend?!)...essentially about growing up!

Once this mom even went to a couple cool parties.  And she went to a concert, an R-E-O Speedwagon concert was her first, and it was awesome.  Back then, there were lighters to hold up.

And she once got to travel to New York City, with a friend.  And she went to the top of the Empire State Building and took pictures, and dreamed big dreams.  And, oh how she'd go back again one day to show her kids.

Sometimes this mom-as-a-girl would stay out past her 10:30 curfew and get grounded.  Sometimes it was even worth it.  But she learned about calculated risks.  And about her parents that cared about the things that happened out there after dark.

She learned about saving her money for a rainy day..because it was so worth those Guess jeans that zipped up at the ankle in eighth grade.  She thinks those things are so funny now..but it taught her to make good choices.  And sometimes she learned from those-not-so-good choices, like when she bought Sun-in to lighten her hair.  ('Cause you have to keep doing it every few weeks..and you can never stop) (well..you can but then you have that two-tone look.  And that's not good.) 

And she got to date.  To build her self-esteem, to see who she liked to keep company with, to see what she required in a mate, to learn to say no, to learn what she didn't like.  And she got to experience some free dinners and bowling and movies, and that's definitely a perk, friends.

And all that built her up!  She pretty much knew she could do anything.  She worked at a lumber yard, and she could tell those men (men!) what they needed to repair a toilet, or how many square feet a square of shingles could cover, or the difference in a stud and an 2x4-8' board.  She was built up because she had opportunities.  And now she has her own drill.  And chop saw.  And table saw.  And she can build things..and she tries to teach her kids they can do anything.

And..part of that is letting them go.  To Chicago with their daddy for the National Sports Collectors' Convention.  Or with a girlfriend to a Taylor Swift concert in another state.  They'll learn to be brave, bold humans.  And they'll be great parents too.  That momma learned from some pretty brave people how to let her kids go.

Cause it makes you cry to see them drive away after they've made their choice.

But then you get to look at all the benefits you are still reaping after you've taken advantage of your own opportunities.  And it's worth it.

Even when her daughter calls and her blood sugar is 49.  Just wait for all the stories she'll have to tell when she gets home tomorrow.  Be brave, and parent brave kids.  I've heard it's totally worth it. ; )

Windows and Stairs, Check!

..a little more progress!  I like when the boys come home and tell me what new things they've seen at the house site.  Today..we finally got our stairs!  The kids were all excited since it would be the first day to actually see their rooms.  They recognized them right away after studying the plans for so long! : )

ok..hate to start out negative.  But, Ethan's bathroom window up top is not the right one.  It's supposed to be rounded to match the front doors.  We'll work on that.

But at least they got the rounded roof part above it right!

The front side porch : )  ..we changed the double doors from the dining room into a window so we could place some furniture out there!

The arch for the front porch is currently in the dining room floor..it'll be there soon enough.

Looking into the living room..out into the back yard!

STAiRS are IN!!

Mary Claire's room!  She looks out over the garage roof..and the back porch & yard.

Lots of porch roof.  You never realize how it will really look until it gets built.  I never took this into consideration!

At this point, we still have x-ray vision!  Through the landing, through Mary Claire's closet, into her bathroom.

Still really thankful for our stairs!  So much easier than shimmy-ing up those boards. ; )

Can't wait to see the finish out on this one!  Looking into the kitchen : )  And they finally got my pantry wall right!!  Kudos!

Pantry and breakfast area.  ..that's making me hungry. ; )

Well, that's it!  I'm so glad to see it coming along.  We meet on Monday to do the electrical walk-through.  To mark where the kids will hang out with their iPods, where we'll locate a tv..or even plug a vacuum.  Fun!  Clay asked for two outlets in his closet.  So he can play games in the dark.  I think this is so he can play after bedtime.  Umm..we're onto you, Dude!

We also met on Thursday to do more tile-deciding.  But get this.  I'm supposed to pick floor tile, back splash tile, and the tile for my tub surround BEFORE I know my countertop.  They want me to pick granite..but I can't see the selections till I'm 30 days out, but I have to pick the other NOW and have them laid on my concrete before then!  Umm..not working for me!  I wanted whites and grays, but now that they are "in style/demand"..they cost more.  Wahhhh.  Tans, beiges, browns, etc. are now cheap.  Boo.  Even tan granite is cheaper than blah Corian.  I'm needing a direction (that's not too expensive!).  I'm ready to go back to that white cultured marble, but they would freak out.  I just love that clean, white look!  *gasp!* but they tell me it's not what's "expected" in a house like ours..and I need to do 3cm granite.  What to do?!

Also..trying to commit to room colors.  I've had to look for kids' bedding, and quiz them on color preference.  I think I'll do a stripe on Carter's back wall like this: 
 

ok..so I love this room.  But I'm thinking the stripes would be good in his room ; )

..and then solids for the big kids.  I'm just mixing it up since I may paint his room our neutral (Sherwin Williams Anew Gray) (my color of the moment).

Also, here are some tile choices I DiD make:

The top is the travertine "rock" I chose for my pool bath floor.  Cool, huh?

And this is what we switched Mary Claire's backsplash tile to..the one underneath it is her current floor tile.  Now if I can only find some granite to match so I won't ruin it all.

We also decided to make the bottom four feet of the pool bath James Hardie (Hardieplank) siding instead of subway tile..since I was using that tile in the kitchen!  I think it'll look cool and outdoor-like.  It was a chance to do something super different.  I will visit it in the winter, close the blinds, and pretend it's summer.  ; )  I hope it all comes together..and doesn't seem too crazy!  If it does..just don't tell me.  haha!

Oh, and also?  We are thinking about painting the dining room navy blue.  Yes, we are nuts like that.  I actually have a navy fabric I love (no place to put it), and so I thought I could put it in the room that has two double windows, an entryway opening, and a big hutch..that will reflect light!  I know..big chance to take.  But just maybe it'll be okay.  Heck, we hardly use that room anyway!  haha!

Hope you are having an awesome weekend!  I'm trying to relax..and gear up for Monday.  More charts and thinking..and pinning. ; )  any advice?