The Distance Between Two Hearts

Rowan is two months!

2011-12-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Rowan turned two months old! Today he is nine weeks.

Today we went to the doctor and you weigh 9lbs 13oz! You are 22 inches long and in the 20th percentile! You are catching up now!

Monday night I had to go through your clothes and take out ones that don't fit. :( you are still in some newborns but they are starting to get pretty tight. I am using up the last few newborn diapers this week.

You like to "talk" a lot now. Usually in the mornings you like to have a conversation with mommy before you get your bottle. It is the cutest thing.

You are still having tummy issues. The doctor decided today to switch you from soy back to a milk based formula. Fingers crossed that this will help and you can stop taking that yucky green medicine.

You are a happy little guy.

You got some really cute Christmas gear from your great Aunt's Pat and Judy. You really like the reindeer. We are really looking forward to spending Christmas with you!!

Rowan, you're one month!!

2011-11-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Rowan-

Today you are one month old!

This month you weigh, 7lbs .9oz. At birth you weighed 6lbs 4oz.

This month you are 20.5 inches, at birth you were 19.5 inches.

Your growing slowly but surely.

This week the doctor told us you have acid reflux, because you spit up a lot. You are taking zantec now, and you seem to be doing better!

You are very strong and you can hold your head up well, and you push off of people and things with your legs!

You are sleeping in your room in your crib. You get up about three times during the night. I am hoping that changes soon!

You are a momma's boy, at least I think so anyway.

You are wearing newborn diapers, and newborn clothes, and still some preemies.

You have changed you mommy and daddy's life forever. We love you so very much!

I am looking forward to watching you grow and learn new things, but not to fast please!

Love you sweet boy- mommy.

Baby update, and a prayer request.

2011-07-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

So today I am 25 weeks and 4 days. Next week I have my glucose test and we will be on the downhill slide for sure. I am due in a little more than 3 months! I cannot belive that!

22 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

So on July 4 I woke up and I was having some pain in my ribs on the right side. I just though maybe I slept funny. We went on with our day and went to the movies and I got worse and worse, I was in horrible pain and contemplating telling Sam that we needed to go to the hospital. At the end of the movie I was hurting but thought maybe I needed to eat. We ate dinner and headed home. I moaned and groaned the whole time. I was still going back and fourth about going to the hospital, but I figured it was something with a rib and there wouldn't be much anyone could do for me anyway. I decided to tough it out and call my dr first thing in the morning. As I was getting into bed I was in complete agony and tears were rolling down my face, Sam asked again if I wanted to go to the ER but I kept telling myself that I didn't want to pay 400 dollars for something that I could pay 50 if I could just wait to see my dr. (stubborn I know) So when I woke up Tuesday I called my doctor and I was shocked when they told me to head to the hospital and go to labor and delivery. Apparently what I described could have been a gall bladder attack!! I had no idea! So I was admitted and hooked up to an IV and given pain killer and they did an ultrasound. After about 4 hours in the hospital, to our relief I was not having gallbladder issues. My doctor decided it was most likely a "muscoskelton" issue. Rib out of place most likely. I was put on bed rest for four days. By Saturday I was able to get up and move around and Monday I got to come back to work. It was really painful but I am so glad it wasn't something more severe, and Rowan was just fine the whole time.

In other news, please pray for my friend Candice. She just learned yesterday that she has Lymphoma. She is young and strong and has a great support of family and friends, but every prayer counts.

22 Weeks!

2011-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ok so actually this is last week, 21 weeks, but I skipped last weeks so im combining. Not to much bigger, so your not missing out.

So what is new in the baby world...

I have an appointment next week, having another ultrasound. Last month the dr told me that the baby was measuring small, but he didnt seem to concerned. He said I will have another ultrasound and most likey he will be above the 50th percentile and that is what he wants. I am TERRIBLE about asking questions at that moment, but of course as soon as I left I had a MILLION questions in my mind. My husband is the same way, I am better off taking my mom to every appointment! Anyone else have that problem??

We started painting the crib last weekend, but ran out of paint. We are using my crib from when I was a baby, its a Jenny Lind. I really love it. I have a bookshelf and mirror for the room, and the dresser is in storgare and needs to be painted also. UGH. I hate painting. But its saving us lots of money so that is worth it. I am thinking that I will probably just do the drop cloth drapes. I really like them and they are inexpensive. I might add a little color by painting something on them.

I have TONS of clothes already thanks to my sister in law giving me all of Jacksons clothes. I bet for the first year Rowan never wears anything more than once!

I mentioned that I have a new job. I started in March, and I had only found out that I was pregnant after taking then job and about two weeks before I started. So now of course I have no leave time saved up. I am trying to decide how much time to take off, and I am even wondering how much they will allow since I have not been with the company for over one year. There is also the issue of my health insurance. I am hoping that I get to keep it, but I figure I will most likely have to pay for it while I am off. (right now the company pays it)

I seem to be getting over my ice cream craving. Now I want snow cones. Truly I want the ice part only, I guess that is way better! I still want fruit all the time. It seems that lately I have been craving things that are more greasy, which is not good. I try to eat well. I know that I don't want an unhealthy baby, and I dont want to have 100 pounds to loose!!

Its HOT in Oklahoma. That makes doing anything, even just going in and out of places HORRIBLE. My parking spot at work is the second to last one at the opposite end. I told my boss today that either they would need to move me up for a while, or I would have to ask for a handicap sticker!! I have a feeling any outside time will be spent in a pool. Otherwise this summer I will be INDOORS!

That is about it for this week! Have a good weekend! :)

-Meg

The BIGGEST news.

2011-06-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

So the BIGGEST news, well I say that because next to getting married it was pretty much the biggest news of my life, not to mention the biggest surprise!! So what is this news you ask?

Yup, that is a baby. My baby! Ok ok OUR BABY! Yes that is right, to our shock and surprise, I am pregnant. But that picture...well our little bean was 12 weeks. And now, he is 20!!!

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

At 19 weeks we found out we are having a baby BOY, who we are naming Rowan Ramsey Gill. We had a reveal party to surprise everyone, and that was a big hit.

"Meg's cravings"

I just saw the blue

Sam eating his blue cake

Sarah, myself and Kaylee, who hosted the party for us

After the party, for our friends and family who werent at the party they got a text message from our baby boy Bert... he was excited. Molly wasn't interested, I guess she wanted a little girl.

We are so so excited to welcome this baby into our lives, even if he snuck up on us.

Looking forward to the next twenty weeks and the arrival of our baby boy!

Prayers

2011-05-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Please pray for the Hamil family as they face the coming days and months after the death of their two young sons. Please visit this facebook page for information on how you can donate to the family and also updates on the mother and young daughters condition, who were injured in the tornadoes that ripped through Okalahoma on Tuesday.

Catching Up, Professional Wedding photos

2011-05-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well, its been a very long time since I have posted a blog... clsoe to five months. Holy Moley. So I have ALOT to tell you. If anyone is still reading this....

So to start how about the long over-due wedding pictures.

As you can see from the last two pictures, we had fun! A little more on the lighter picture.... Sam's father passed away when he was only 13, so he was not with us on this special day. The morning of our wedding Sam's uncle and aunt brought down several tubs of stuff that belonged to Sam's dad, and this lighted was in there. It turns out that Sam's dad fought with the 26th Engineer Batallion in Vietnam, and Sam fought with them when he was deployed in Iraq. Sam never knew until our wedding day. How amazing is that??? I thought it was the coolest thing and I didn't know that he had the lighted until that moment and our photgrapher was able to capture the moment of him telling me. It was so awesome.

Our pictures were done by Melissa Claborn. www.melissaclaborn.com

In other news, the reason that I haven't been blogging is because I quit my job early in February. I have started another one, and with LOTS of other big things going on I just havent had the time. Please stay tuned for more BIG news!

Happy Birthday Edie! and some reflection

2011-01-04T06:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Happy Birthday to a dear wonderful lady. My heart is so heavy for you and your family. It is so strange that we "bloggers" can feel so sad for someone that we have never even met, but it seems like I have met Edie. I told you once previously how Edie was a part of my blogging journey. It seems like we chatted over coffee, and exchanged recipes. The Frangelico Rum cake that Edie shared is the ultimate favorite in my family now. My heart broke, no it actually shattered when I read the new about Edie's home. I wish that I could re-create it all for them. But since I cannot, I call out and ask for blessings for the whole family.Edie if you are reading this, I hope that despite the circumstances, you have a wonderful birthday filled with more love than you could ever imagine. "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot protect you"

On another note, 4 years ago today I received a phone call that forever changed my life. Please please please think before you drink and drive. We love and miss you Jeremy. I am thinking about you today!

2010 Christmas Tour

2010-12-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Gill Home!!

Linking to The Nester's Christmas Tour & Kelly's Show Us Your Life.

(warning-LOTS of pictures!)

Living Room

Small tree in the kitchen

Dollar store bells, and Wal-Mart ornaments in jars, easy and pretty.

and another look at our formal tree

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

Black Friday

2010-11-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

Last year was my very first year to go Black Friday shopping. At the very last minute my best friend/cousin/sister-in-law saw that the Dyson Vacuum I was wanting was for sale at Target for $299.00. I was up at 3 a.m. and we set out to Target. I got my vacuum and I was hooked. I was really looking forward to going this year. The plan was to go to Target at 4 a.m. Again at the last minute we decided to go to Kohl's at 3 a.m. and then at the very very last second we decided to brave Wal-Mart at midnight.

Wal-Mart was by far the craziest, but still nothing outrageous. I got pots and pans and dishes for my sister who is moving into her first house soon. I also got some toys for the kiddos in the family, and the best part, we were in and out in less than 30 minutes.

Next we headed to Tulsa, about a 45 minute drive from where we live. We got to Kohls at about 2:30. The line was SO LONG. So we decided to wait in the car and go in once the line started moving. Somehow we ended up getting in toward the front of the line, we didnt cut they just opened the doors and no one was using that one so we took advantage. I was sucessful again and get several scarf sets, and some really cute slippers, and the pillows I wanted. Again in and out in 30 minutes!!!

Target was next. We decided to split up there and get what we needed. I got the best stuff at Target!

I was able to get the Kitchenaid knife set for my step dad for $24.99, and I got the red kitchenaid pots and pans for myself for $99!! I registered for these for our wedding and I was bummed that I didn't get them! I love them, although I haven't had the chance to use them yet.

All in all my Back Friday was a success, and I actually encountered nice, polite people. I will keep doing it as long as I keep finding good deals! Its fun!

In other news, Thanksgiving was delicious. Small gathering of immediate family. My Christmas decorations are up, but I am still tweaking so it will be another week ago before I share. I am excited because the exterior of our house is complete this year, so I am able to do a little decorating outside. I can't seem to get the husband on board with putting lights on the house, but I haven't given up yet!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

10.16.2010

2010-10-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. I am officially married!! And I am so happy to say it went PERFECT. We had beautiful, actually almost hot, weather. The decor was fabulous, the cake tasted great, and I wish I could tell you how good the food was, but I didn't get any! Here are a few candid photos that Sam's aunt Judy took.

Mrs. and Mrs.

It truly was the best day of my life thus far. I am so blessed. I will be back with honeymoon and professional wedding pictures in the coming weeks!!

On another note, I am so happy that it is Halloween Week!!! The weather is really changing here and I even got to wear my boots for the first time today! I am so excited! I hope to do some baking and hand out lots of candy this weekend!

In case you are interested:
1.bridesmaid dresses- David's Bridal here
2.hair piece handmade by my friend Robyn and myself
3.our cakes- Ms. Laura's Cakes
4.Handmade "Mr. and Mrs." sign etsy The Back Porch Shoppe
5.centerpices DIY myself and bridesmaids I used the Decor Chicks idea seen here. The vases are filled with leaves from the dollar tree and the small orange votive holders are from garden ridge.

Show us your life Kitchens

2010-10-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

Kelly at Kelly's Corner is hosting "Show us your life" and today its kitchens! My kitchen is probably my favorite room in our house and I love how its open to our family room. Its still not totally finished, but believe me it has come a LONG way.

Here is our kitchen before the remodel, and after the previous owners said they were moved out, however as you can tell, they lied.

from the front living room looking in {before}

After

before

after

before


after

This last picture is my hutch that I redid and its full of all my great-grandmothers Fiesta dishes, as well as some new ones.

As you can clearly tell there is still a lot to be done, but its safe to say the difference is night and day! Thanks for looking!!

Love-Meg

note: Paint color is Valspar Lyndhurst Timber

Wood Laminate Flooring from Lowes

Cabinets in stock at Lowes

countertops in stock at Lowes

Master Bedroom, if you wanna call it that....

2010-10-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I got some new things for our bedroom. This room has definitely come a long way from how we first saw it.

before

after several coats of primer


after wall color

If you are wondering why we painted over the hardwood floors, we had no choice. Unfortunately the previous tenants allowed their animals to pee and poo all over the floors, this was our only choice and I really hated to do it. Sigh.

Anyway so here is our bedroom currently

So, what is new?? I got this duvet set from Target. Its was VERY inexpensive, but overall I think that it is great quality and I love the look. YHL even had it listed as their "We're diggin'" section! I didn't notice it there until after I ordered it! Bonus!! :)I also added the white nightstands. They were only $15 bucks a piece at Target. They arent anything special but pretty sturdy for the price. For the longest time we had ugly mismatched tables by the bed, I think this definitely makes the room appear cleaner. I received one of these wicker milk crate baskets at our wedding shower. While I was mulling over purchasing the tables it occurred to me that the milk crate would fit under the table perfectly, so I went a bought another one. I love the way that turned out! They are great for storage!! What are in mine?? Have a look!

Sam's


Mine

I am loving the progress, but there is still a lot more to do, starting with a headboard. I am trying to decide if I should buy one, or make one? Any suggestions??

I hope that everyone is having a great week so far!!

Love,
Meg

paint color- Valspar Lyndhurst Timber
Lamps and shades, Target last year.
bedskirt- Shabby Chic, Target

Shades and drop cloth drapes

2010-09-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

So our house is almost done! This weekend I had to go out and buy new blinds and drapes for several of the windows. Now was the worst time budget-wise since our wedding is less than three weeks away, but I am not the type of person who can throw a sheet on a window and call it good. Ick. So I searched the internet for cheaper alternative as I needed 5 blinds and a huge one for the family room window. I ended up finding two that were very affordable and that I liked. I liked these and they were very similar to ones that we had in the mater bedroom. My other option were these bamboo roman shades. I really like the fabric shades because they do block out a lot of sunlight which is great for sleeping in on the weekends, however I really hate how you can see the seams and strings from the outside looking in, and since these were going on the front of the house I went with the bamboo. I was able to get 5 shades for about $130.00.

Please excuse the messy rooms, one is wedding central and the other is just a mess, I have no excuse for that!

I like how they look. They do let in quite a bit of light, and I think that they look pretty in the daytime, but I am not sure how much people can see in. I need to test that. For now they are fine because no one is in either room.

This monster was another story, there is no way that I could find a shade to cover this for less than $100.00. I thought about getting an outdoor shade, but the choices really looked cheap. Then as my luck would have it a stumbled upon The Walton's post on YHL. She used painters drop cloths on her windows and they looked so good! Needless to say I was at Lowes that afternoon!

Here is my very nicely {inexpensively} dressed window!

They are a little more wrinkly than I realized, but I love them! The drapes are 6x9 foot 8 oz painters drop clothes from lowes, mine were 9.79 each and I bought the drapery rings for about 6.00 each at Target because I had a gift card. You just need to wash and dry them and then hang them up with the drapery rings. It best to start with the outside and work your way in. I discovered that some were actually longer than others so I just folded mine over at the top, absolutely no sewing. If you are a major perfectionist you could use the iron hem and go that route, but folding them over was quick and easy and if I made one to short I just let it out a little. I loved the drapes so much that I went out and got more for the front living room!

I will have more pictures to come of my house transformation. They should be all done by tomorrow. The outside looks so good that I have been sprucing up the inside some more to match!

Progress

2010-09-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

{before}

They started on our house yesterday

and I am happy to report that ALL the windows have been installed!!


{after windows}

There isn't that much of a difference now, but by Friday it should be dramatic! I am so excited! I have been waiting for a year!! They are starting the siding today and tomorrow the carpenter comes to install the new front door, which is white at the moment but hopefully I will get it painted before this winter. Here are a few more pictures.


{before bay window}


{after. no more bay window!}

{before}


{after}

Hopefully this weekend I will be able to show off the finished product! :)

Happenings....

2010-09-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

So, a few things today. One, has anyone tried out Tumblr?? It seems like something that I could get into. I am not a fan a Twitter, but I love Facebook and I am trying to get into the blogging thing, and Tumblr seems like a very easy way to do that. I like that the app for iPhone is very easy. I decided to start one up and see how it does, check me out here.

What I wore for the shower, the only pic that I got!

My wedding is in three weeks and four days!!! ahhhh! We had our wedding shower this past Saturday, and somehow I didnt get one. single. picture. Not one. Luckily my sister took some, but I dont think that she got a whole lot. It is so easy to get caught up and forget, I feel like I need a photographer following me around for these last few weeks before. Hopefully I don't forget to take a lot of pictures at the bachelorette party and the rehearsal dinner.

The only picture that I have from the shower is one that I snapped with my phone of what I wore, along with these babies that I got Friday .........

I also wanted to share with you my new thing....I have always gotten acrylic nails when I wanted manicures. They tore up my nails SO SO bad. And I could never even go two weeks without needing a fill. I actually don't think I was ever able to get a fill, they were always to badly damaged and they would have to take them off and put on a new set which would leave my nails so thin that they were throbbing. Really ladies?? The things we do for beauty. So I discovered Brisa Gel Nails.

Brisa gel is a gel that they brush on over you existing nail and then they use a uv light to "bake" them on. They are strong and they look great!!! AND I can go at least 10 days without needing a fill!!! The only problem is, I have not been able to find alot of people who are doing this yet, and it is a bit more expensive than the traditional acrylic, but so far I am finding that it is worth it!

Another huge thing happening in our world is that they are putting new windows and siding on our house this week!!! If you read my blog you know that the inside was so bad, well the outside is bad too.

This is what I pull up to EVERYDAY!!! minus the junk on the porch and the overgrown trees. We have been here for almost one year and I have lived with this for that long, to say that I am excited would be an understatement!!! I CAN NOT wait to get this done! I think that It will look great!!

I hope that everyone has a great day!! I will be back with after pictures of the house when it is done.

Me on Blogging

2010-09-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Ok so, I have been blogging, ok well I have had a blogger account, for almost one year now. I decided to start the blog because at the time Sam (my FI) was gone (see why here). But I have not really used the blogging world to its fullest potential. I have really been a silent person here in the blog world. I read my blogs every morning, and scour over fashion, decor, and ministry. I stumbled into the bloggy world when I googled "painting kitchen cabinets black". When I did that I discovered this. Emily was the first blogger that I stumbled upon and I was smitten! I read every post of hers. And then, I found her sister, you may know her as The Nester. At the point I was hooked. I kept on reading and my horizons broadened, I found Edie, and I fell in love with her quirky style, then when my life was really in a dark place I found Kelly, and read Harper's story and I was so inspired and aware of how great God's grace truly is. From there I have stumbled upon so many more, I loved reading about a Brooklyn Limestone Renovation, and I immediately wanted to move to New York and renovate a home, and walk everywhere!! I am constantly inspired to make my house my own by YHL. I cried and prayed for this sweet baby boy and his mommy Megan, she continues to be an inspiration.

I guess what I am really getting at is that I want to see what this blog world can do for me in my life. It has obviously been wonderful for so many people in one way or another. I just often wonder who really cares what I did this weekend, or What I Wore Wednesday, but someone might. Right? I guess we will just have to see! :)

Oh and did I mention I am getting married in THIRTY DAYS?!?! That's right one month. I anticipate things will begin to get crazy oh, NOW. Hope you are having a great day!!

Ode To Autumn

2010-09-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Autumn,

You are truly a magical time of year! The cooler temperatures, the falling leaves, and of course Football!!!
So as the supermarkets stock up on pumpkin and mums, I will start burning tons of pumpkin candles, and breaking out the cardigans.
I will drink a few hundred of these...
and maybe try out a new recipe??

I did not get to enjoy Autumn to its full potential last year, so we have some makin' up to do!! September 22, I will be waiting for you! :)

Carrot Cake Cookies

Makes 12 Sandwiched Cookies

FOR THE FILLING:

2 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

FOR THE COOKIES:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup packed, finely grated, peeled carrots
1/3 cup dried currants

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Make filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat until combined. Cover; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make cookies: In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and egg yolk. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until combined. Mix in oats, carrots, and currants.
Drop dough by level tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake until edges are crisp, rotating baking sheets halfway through, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Turn half the cookies over, bottom side up; dollop each with about 1 teaspoon chilled cream-cheese filling. Top with remaining cookies, pressing gently to spread filling to edges. Serve immediately.

I got this recipe here.

What I Wore Wednesday

2010-09-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

I decided to link up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy for her weekly WIWW. I thought it would be fun to see what I can come up with in my closet, because even though its packed full, I feel like I never have anything to wear. Also maybe this will inspire me to loose some weight.... esh. I hope so! So here is what I wore this past week! Be sure and head on over and see what everyone else is wearing too!
Wednesday-Work

Yes I can pretty much wear whatever I want to work, which is another reason that I am doing this, to dress more presentable.

Tank-Ross $8.99
Jean-Target $24.99-my favorite
Sandles-Cato $7.99 last year

Friday-Interview

Tank-Kohls $7.99
Cardi-NY&CO $29.00 (last year)
pants-Marshalls $15.99
you cant seem them since Molly is in the way, but super cute leopard flats-Belk $19.99

Friday evening-Dinner with friends

Tissue tee-Target-$11.99 ( I LOVE this shirt I hope they still have them so I can get every color)
Same Jeans from Thursday
different leopard flats- Payless $12.99

Saturday-errands and cleaning house

tanks-Target last year
Shorts-Kohls $15.99

Forgot Sunday---

Monday- Work

Black Dress -Ross $9.99
Cardi-Target $14.99-They have so many cute ones this year.

Tuesday-Work

Plaid tunic- Kohls-$ 19.99
Black Leggings- Kohls $ 10.99
Black Flip Flops-JC Penny-$ 8.99ish?

The list goes on and on and on and on

2010-08-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

So we moved into our new house almost one year ago. We worked so hard for weeks to get that place where we could move into it.

From this:

To this:

However, there was (is) still so much to be done. What you cant really see, is that only three out of the ten doors in the house have trim....including the bathroom door which can be very awkward with guests over because you can see right into the bathroom. The entire bathroom lacks trim because we replaced all of the drywall. The kitchen has no trim, the dining room has no trim. The lower trim in the Den is all missing. The laundry room desperately needs paint. And really the bottom line is I don't even like the decor choices that I made for most of the house. That is a definite problem....So now I am staring this house in the face wondering how on earth I am going to ever get this done while planning a wedding and working a full time job with a two hour per day commute....AND a fiance who could not care less about paint and furniture, and trim for that matter. I need some pep talks. And some advice. I have started the "list" of all that needs to be done and it is OVERWHELMING! I want a home that I love, and if I don't get started soon, all I will have is a house that I resent.

A little preview.....

2010-07-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

BEFORE.....

AFTER!

Engagements by Melissa Claborn

2010-07-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Our Engagement pictures are finally here!!! Meliss a Claborn did our photos on my great-grandparents farm. I am so thrilled! They turned our so great! I cannot wait for our wedding!

Here are a few of my favorites
To see more of Melissa's work visit here website, or her blog.

Cohen

2010-07-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Prayers for Cohen and his family.

A whole bunch of stuff.

2010-05-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

So I am not too good at this "blogging" apparently. I cant seem to get these posts about the house renovation together. Although, it may have more to do with the fact that all of my pictures are horribly unorganized. Its such a mess there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to it. The thought trying to sort through them and organize everything makes me cringe. SOOOO I put it off again and again and add more and more pictures to the mess. SIGH.
So yesterday was mothers day. I am not a mother, but I do have a wonderful mother, and I enjoyed celebrating her. I made this frangelico cake that I found on Edie's page. HOLEY MOLEY! This was probably the best cake I have ever eaten, my mom praised it, and even Sam who isn't the biggest sweet eater said "Babe this is the best cake you have ever made" with a mouth full of cake mind you. I am glad I let mom take it home because I may have eaten the whole thing without help. It really wasn't hard to make at all either!

Tonight is my Wedding Cake appointment @ Ms. Laura's Cakes. I am super excited to taste the cakes and pick something out!!!
Oh and also, I decided to redo out living room, I had to get all new furniture and paint it. I did it all for about 300.00, that includes paint, all the furniture, and accessories. I cant wait to show you!!! Its almost done!

Absence

2010-04-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't been here in a while because there has been so much going on, all good!! Wedding planning, work {okay well that part isn't good}, Jackson's 1st Birthday Party, and spending time with my Sam because he is HOME!!! So anyway, I plan to get back into my normal routine soon, which would include picking up where I left on on my House posts. I think that Sam and I are going to try and do a little work this weekend so we will see how it goes! See ya soon! :)

The Bathroom

2010-03-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Ok well I started going through the renovation pictures, and there were so many I thought this would be better split up into several smaller posts. So..... here is the bathroom transformation!!!

After we ripped out EVERYTHING (see why here) we were left with this.
That is my wonderful, and very helpful mom

Next we had to have a meeting of the minds to figure out how to get this bathtub in.

After alot of staring....
grunting....

pushing......

shoving......and perhaps even a few choice words....we ended up cutting the drywall out!! HA!and finally I could relax... lol except all I did was take pictures! ;)
Then my expert floor layer, who happens to be my sister, got to work!!

lookin' better!!

Vanity and toilet in!

paint and final touches!!!

And DONE!!!!

OK well its not exactly done....this is what it looks like today, but it still isn't trimmed out. I watch all those home improvement shows and wonder how people can live with all those small unfinished projects?!? I would think to myself, "doesn't that annoy them?" Well now I know, it sure does annoy you, but after going through this mess its hard to get those last few things done!!! We will get them done, just not sure when!!!!

Hope you enjoyed!!! The kitchen is up next!

Demolition!

2010-03-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hello there! I have had an incredibly trying day! I hope yours is going better than mine!!

Anyway, on to the home demolition. Let me say, we started the demo and got the house in "move in condition" in 8 weeks.

here we go!

Remember this??

Already looks better huh? Those cabinets were original to the house and hard as heck to get out!!!!
We ended up having to rip out all the drywall along one wall in the kitchen to move the plumbing for the new sink. The bathroom is on the other side of that wall.
Now we were going try try and salvage this cabinetry, and I was going to paint it. Then I decided that since the house has no dedicated dining room that this part should be the dining room. So all the cabinets had to come out. It really was a shame, good quality, ugly, but good quality. And again hard to get out!!!

No more cabinets and no more flooring!!
This is the opposite side of the kitchen. It had a tiny pantry. We decided that we would take the water heater from the bathroom and move it here. Dry wall over it and make it accessible from the garage. This may have been a bad decision to get rid of the pantry, but the water heater took up like half of the ONLY bathroom.

Snug in its new home.
eek. I cringe at the site.
already much better huh??

Next come the good stuff!!! Paint and these beauties
ohhh la la!! Can't wait to show you!

My Biggest Project!

2010-02-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

Back in August, 2009. Sam and I decided to buy a house from my mom. We knew that before we could live there we would basically need to GUT IT. Here is why.

Reason number one, it was just plain ugly. lol. This is the den.

Hallway from the living room looking down to the bedrooms. YIKES!!
And the kitchen from all angles....frightening. I know at this point you all must think that I am completely NUTS!!

The bathroom.....no words. Now at this point I should say my mom DID NOT live in this house in this condition. Just to clarify. Ha ha!
Smallest of three bedrooms.
What we call the "master". This house was built in the 50's. I think that it would be considered a "cookie cutter" All of the bedrooms are really small including this one. That is one downside. Also there is only one bathroom. :(I cant find before pictures of the living room. But the plus side to this house (beside the fact that it was dirt cheap) is the living space. The kitchen is completely open to the den, which was an add on in the late 70's early 80's. When they did the add on they added this little gem, or should i say BIG gem. The fireplace takes up almost the entire east wall of the den. I love it.
Phase two "gutting" will be the next post. I know the suspense will kill you!!

The Story

2010-02-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

The whole three or four of you that read my blog already know "the story" but Kelly @ Kelly's Korner is doing "Show Us Your Ministry" on her Show Us Your Life Friday's. SO I decided that now would be a great time to share this story with everyone, and maybe, just maybe, it might help one person. So here goes:

On January 3, 2008, two friends went out to a local bar to hang out and drink. Sam and Jeremy were close friends. Had been friends for years. Sam, fresh from fighting a war, was not working, and trying to catch up on the years that he missed while he was over seas, and all the rest us were turning 21, and experiencing college life. Jeremy worked at a casino, and was one of the few friends that Sam had that was not married, or tied down to a 9-5. They seemed to be a good fit. Sam said that he could talk to Jeremy. Jeremy was one of the only friends that ever asked him to talk about the war, or asked him about his father. (Sam's father took his own life when Sam was only 13). Anyway, both men drank to much that night. And somehow Sam ended up behind the wheel of his truck, with Jeremy in the passenger seat. There are several versions of what happened, but the facts are that Sam left the bar, traveled at an incredibly high rate of speed down a country road, lost control, and rolled the truck.

In the early morning hours of January 4, 2008, Jeremy "Head" Jones was ejected from that truck that Sam was driving, and was killed. He was found several feet away from where the truck came to rest. The first responders found Sam still in the truck. He was eventually life flighted to Saint Francis Hospital, and spent a day in ICU. When Sam awoke, he was surrounded by family and friends, who had to tell him that Jeremy was gone. Only Sam can tell you how he truly felt in that moment. Only I can imagine.

Sam, is my fiance. The love of my life. Jeremy, was a good friend. Jeremy was always so much fun, always making us laugh. That group of guys, they were all very close. It killed all of them to loose a friend. Sam began to pick up the pieces that were left of his life, he got a job and was working to keep his mind occupied. Late in January, Sam and I began dating. I though alot about it, I was worried about him, I was worried that a relationship at that point might not be a good idea. But it was the best thing that ever happened to both of us. Sam's medical bills began pouring in, they were well over $30,000.00, and he had no insurance. He was blessed to have money in savings to pay them. But it was an awful blow to have his savings depleted. In March he was served paperwork that he was being sued by Jeremy's mom. Of course, it was only a formality, they had to sue Sam to get his insurance money, but it was another blow to Sam. The state revoked his drivers license for 6 months. He had to take classes and pay fines, all in all it was well over 1000.00 to get his license back. In April 2008, the District Attorney filed First Degree Manslaughter charges against Sam. A felony punishable by up to Life in Prison. We all knew that it was coming, but still it was horrible. To loose your friend and carry that guilt with you. Sam had already sentenced himself to life.

The court case drug on and on. Finally in October 2009, nearly two years later, Sam pled guilty and agreed to a five year contract with the department of corrections. He would serve one year in the county jail and be on probation, supervised by the district attorney, for the remaining 4. But he will always have a felony. Currently, Sam is in jail. When he left it killed me. It was horrible. I could not stop crying. I was so worried about him. I was worried about what this would do to him mentally, physically, emotionally. I think I cried myself to sleep for about two weeks.

Sam has been through more than I could ever handle. His mom left when he was very young. His grandparents, whom he was very close to, passed away within two days of each other. His father took his own life when Sam was 13, leaving him to family the lived many states away. He had to start a whole new life, at a school ten times the size of what he was used to. As soon as he graduated High School, he moved back to his hometown, and eventually he joined the Army, at the height of the war. Sam served in Honduras, where they built a school. Then he also did a tour in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan. He received many awards, including two Purple Hearts. Sam was proud to serve his country. Now his whole life has changed. I cannot tell you how he feels about all this. I can only tell you how wonderful that he is. I can only tell you that he hates himself for what happened to Jeremy.

Sam has not had a drink since that night, January 3. He will never drink again. When I got the phone call about what happened, I remember I kept saying that I thought this would never happen to me. I knew that it could happen. I am also guilty of drinking and driving and I am ashamed that I can say that I have done that. I am disgusted that I would do that. I can say that I will NEVER do that again. Jail has been a blessing in many ways. Sam and I both have been reading the bible. Both of us have had time to think and meditate on all this. When I discovered the "blogging community" I was amazed by all the stories that people had to tell. When I read Kelly's blog I just cried and cried. Her story was amazing. I immediately wrote to Sam and shared the story with him. It really really made me think that God has a purpose for each and every one of us. And I began to look at this situation in an entirely different way.

Nothing that we do, or that the Court does will ever bring Jeremy back. It will never heal Jeremy's mother. I pray that one day she does find some kind of peace. I still struggle to figure our how his death fits into the bigger picture. I hope that one day I can be at peace with it. I hope that Sam can as well. What we can do is share this story with anyone willing to listen, or read it. maybe we can save just one person. Please, please, please do not drink and drive. It really can happen to you.
In loving memory of Jeremy "Head" Jones. Forever in our hearts.

Recently

2010-01-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Well its been a while since I have been on here. I told myself that I would keep up with this, much like I told myself that I would write in my diary. Yea right. I bet every diary that I ever started had no more than 5 entries. But actually I started one after Sam left and I think that one made it to about 20. Lets hope I have better luck with this. So what has been going on with me you ask?

Last time I wrote, we were recovering from a HUGE winter storm. Well we are yet again recovering from another. It was pretty crazy around here....All the lanes were open at Wal-Mart on Wednesday because they were forecasting the storm to be here by Thursday morning. Bread, milk, eggs, flashlights, all gone. The storm wasn't as bad as they thought that it would be, but better that way than worse than they thought it would be.

Thursday, it was freezing rain all day, and then Friday around 11 a.m. it started snowing. I am guessing that we probably got at least 5 inches, maybe 6. So we are snowed in again. Although, I don't think that the roads are as bad this time. Hopefully I will get my car thawed out tomorrow. For now, Miranda and I are hanging out at the house.

Great news, the ugly old pool table is gone!!!!I feel like I have a whole new house!!!!! Now I finally had room for a big chair and ottoman! So Miranda and I ventured out in search of the perfect chair. I wanted an accent chair, something with a print. BUT I also really wanted to only spend 300.00....that was pretty much impossible. Miranda and I looked and looked. FINALLY I found something that caught my eye in the discontinued room.So I ended up with this little gem! With tax and all it was 298.00!!! So needless to say, I have been planted in it for weeks!! Unfortunately it looks like I have some competition....Other happenings...

Put up some Valentines Day stuff

Unfortunately my Christmas stuff is still in the living room....Got these really cute lanterns at Garden RidgeAnd if you don't have a Scentsy Pot, you have got to get one of these!!!!

And, if you don't have one of theseGet one.

My birthday countdown officially begins on Tuesday!! Two weeks until the big 2-4! i can't believe it. Hopefully I get an awesome present!! ;)

Molly

2009-12-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is our baby girl on the day I brought her home. As soon as Sam saw this little face he couldn't say no... :)
She rolled off her pillow, so cute!
Taking a cat nap
One of my favorite pictures
She is getting big!!
She is all grown up now, and quickly approaching her 1st birthday!!! My sweet {mostly rotten} baby girl Molly-Moo.

A little more Christmas....

2009-12-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Santa is waiting to welcome you and take your keys, or sunglasses, or tape?? whatever you pull out of your pocket...
I was informed earlier today that this is in fact a greeting card holder, but I like it like this! :) This sits on the buffet in my dining room. That little guy in the picture, that is my oldest nephew Adain {I have three nephews, all within a few months of one another} you will meet them all soon.
Light over my table.
Added some ornaments to the lamp.
Dont mind me in the background, but I spruced up my Memaw's antique dresser with some $4.00 dollar Wal-Mart garland and cheap ornaments. I love how this turned out!

A dash of cheer in the bathroom!

Now overlook the box of tissues, but dont you love the milkglass ashtray? Another of my Memaw's treasures, sorry I got off track, this is the tree in my family room, I posted it on my home tour but got a much better picture last night. Merry Christmas!

Sweets and Treats!!

2009-12-14T19:46:00.001-08:00

Every year, I make lots of sweet treats for gifts, for co-workers, and family friends. So what did I bake up this year you ask? Well....

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars, this is a new one I tried out, and let me tell you the are to die for! You can find that recipe here. I am a sucker for the little cookbooks that they have at the checkout stands, I got this recipe from one. I bet I have 30 of those books!

Rum Balls, super easy. Here is that recipe. I decorated mine several ways, pecans, non pareils, and cute little candy snowflakes.

Also, you can't go wrong with chocolate covered pretzels!! Melt some almond bark throw em' in and decorate away. They are so easy, and they are my favorite!!

Then, box em' up and there you have it.

This year i got these cute tins at Target for $2.99 and the boxes came in packs of three for $3.99!

Phew, we were tired!!

Christmas Time is here!

2009-12-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

So its Christmas, which is easily my favorite Holiday, this year is a bit different, and i will eventually let you guys in on the reason why, but we gotta get to know each other first! :) So anyway, I wanted to share some of my Christmas with you, enjoy!
Gotta keep the presents up high, I have a very curious dog!

Big tree in the front Living Room

See why the presents go up high?? Molly has eaten 7 ornaments.

Welcome!

2009-12-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog! I have been following a couple of blogs, and loving it, and I thought that I would love to do this also! So here goes! I am working on gettin this all set up so check back soon, I will get some pictures up!