Big changes coming!

I have a couple "before" shots to share! (Pay no attention to the children on the driveway...) (Or the toys randomly strewn about...or the weeds!) I've been working on the front of my house this week. My husband has been away for business & I've been celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary all by myself. It involved paint samples & a trip to Lowe's! Stay tuned for the after pictures. I'll have to post "after" hubby connects the new porch light that I purchased for $3 on clearance!
White, white, white.

Notice there are no shutters on the front of my house. They blew off last year when we had a hurricane in Cincinnati. No kidding. There was no gas, no electric & no stores open! School was canceled for a week! And we lost our junky old composit shutters. But thankfully, that was all the damage.

Like I said, stay tuned for updates! Lots of big changes in store for my little brick ranch dream house.

Well, I'm still here!

I haven't been up to date on my postings, I've had trouble with my computer & the pictures. Hopefully now that I've gotten all that worked out I can post a little more often!

I can't think of anything more beautiful than Easter Morning. It always dawns with such promise & hope. I love everything to do with Easter, it's my favorite Holiday. I enjoy it more than Christmas because everything doesn't center around presents & being places, it's simply about our Risen Saviour. It's also a little bit about new Easter clothes & chunky baby legs & arms coming out of hiding from the winter... I can't get enough of the babies in these pictures. Can you even stand how cute he is standing there with his hands in his pockets and his little sleeves rolled up???
I caught my parents in a moment of togetherness & it truly made my day. They were watching their grandchildren, hence the smiles.

Hunting for eggs. We had such beautiful weather!

Can you believe that something that looks like ^this^ one morning can look like this *this* the very next morning? That's what Easter is all about, actually... Taking something stained and imperfect and washing it all anew.

I know it's late, but I hope you had a happy, Blessed Easter.

Tybee Island, our vacation

Every year, we go to Tybee Island, Georgia to the beach. Its just minutes from beautiful Savannah, and such a pretty drive to the Island from the center of the old city. You can see Fort Pulaski & the cockspur beacon, shrimp boats, marshes and the tybee lighthouse too.

This was the first time my parents have taken a real vacation & they're already planning the next trip with us!



Every year that we go to Tybee Island, we visit Mrs. Wilkes Boardinghouse restaurant on Jones St. in Savannah. We've been to Paula Deens & while it's not bad, it's not worth the wait or the money. Save yourself time & get a reliable, uncontested meal at http://www.mrswilkes.com/ (I don't know how to do that clever sneaky thing where you don't actually see the link, sorry!) This is my favorite restaurant, right next to Commander's Palace in New Orleans... Every dish you can imagine is laid out on the table when you walk in. They seat "family style" at a table with 10. Then after you've eaten til you "cain't eat no more", they bring out trays full of banana pudding and strawberry shortcake. They make the BEST sweet tea here, and that and coffee are your only options. Gotta love a restaurant that confidant! You can't go wrong with any of their food, and they have shirts that say "if the colonel fried chicken this good, he'd be a general!"
Look at all that food! Creamed corn, Okra & tomato gumbo, potatoes, cabbage, beef stew, rice & red beans, green beans, macaroni salad, apple salad, squash, pickled beets, meat loaf. Biscuits, corn bread. Oh, my!
This is the beautiful draping spanish moss in one of the famous Savannah squares. This is a walking friendly city & you can just literally sit and watch the wind blow.

Or you can watch the fish! My 2 year old thought this fish downspot was odd. He stopped at every one we walked past.

One of my favorite things about the south are the trees. My 3 year old in the blue dress is sitting on the root part, but the trunk grew across the ground rather than straight up.
Tybee's beach is one of the most naturally beautiful beaches I've ever seen. I love the dunes, the sea grass and the glittery sand. The sand is so smooth, but it glitters, like gold flakes. Even the water glitters because of all the sparkles in the sand. Nothing like it.
My parents met us at Tybee this year, it was their first time seeing the ocean. They were totally against the trip, we weren't a "vacationing" family when I was growing up. We went to visit relatives in the South, and followed my dad while he worked out of town, but we never took a week and went on vacation. They loved it though and my mom is making plans to go back with us next summer.

We also went to the top of the Tybee Island Lighthouse. 178 steps. My dad carried the baby all the way to the top! Then, when he set him down on the widows walk, Jack cried "bown, bown!" He was afraid to be up so high, it was incredibly windy!

Tybee is a beach that is almost empty at most times. It's not a really well know destination, and there isn't a whole lot of space. For us, with the kids, that is such a blessing. We don't have to look for our kids in the crowd, we can spot them right away. I always buy the girls matching BRIGHT green or orange suits so I can see them quickly. Its a little bit hard to keep track of 3 babies at the beach!

See that water sparkle? Love it.

They also have these swings every so often on the beach, so you can walk empty handed to the ocean, carrying nothing but a book. You don't even have to worry about a chair. Some of the swings have roofs. (Rooves? ;) ) If you've never been to the beach in the rain, you should try it at least once. The clouds, the waves and the sand are so different then.

We've been to other beaches and other places, but I do hold a special spot in my heart for Tybee. We can walk to anywhere on the island. You can just be still or you can see the many sights. I love seeing different historical things, so I love that Savannah is such a short distance away.

back to New Orleans

My husband is such a thoughtful fellow. He knew how much I missed New Orleans and how if we had a babysitter for 3 kids, and dog and a cat that I would love to go back. It's been a long time since I've had my New Orleans fix. So, being the spectacular man he is, he told me to go. Just GO. and he'd take care of the babies. I chose to take my oldest daughter and in the middle of July, I drug my six year old and my cousin to New Orleans for a long weekend. It was HOT. Sweltering hot. Southern humid hot. Yuck. But New Orleans was beautiful and I had missed it so badly since my husband and I took our last trip exactly 7 years ago.

My six year old had never been, of course. She was our "souvenir" from that previous trip. We named her after a plantation we fell in love with just outside of New Orleans. Here is a picture of her on the St. Charles streetcar. The streetcar was her favorite part of the city. I let her pick our seat and decide which stop to get off. She was so precious and really got the "feel" for the city. I could literally feel her soaking it all up. She also loved the beignets and cafe au late...Before we left, we took one final ride on the streetcar and she decided to get off at the Audubon Park, where we tossed pennies into this fountain and made wishes. It was so much fun to spend big girl time with her by myself. She's quite a little personality!
Isn't she just the prettiest little thing?

We also went on a carriage ride, since it was so hot. It was a good decision because our drivers name was our last name and Laura got a big kick out of that. She was able to feed his horse carrots and pet it. We got to see more of the French Quarter than we could have on foot, simply because it was so hot we couldn't stand to walk much more. Isn't this house pretty? I love all the different colors.
Here's another pretty house. I love the green of the ferns against the crisp salmon and white.
We ate like crazy people at the Camellia Grill. This is a little place at the very last stop on the St. Charles streetcar line in the Garden District. Laura was so impressed with the grill. That man made ONE huge omelet on the entire grill and it looked scrumptious. We had a pecan waffle, a cheeseburger and an orange freeze. It was all yummy.
But the best part was dessert. Look at that big scoop of ice cream! I have got to find a good recipe for pecan pie.

Here's a picture of some of the wrought iron fencing so gracefully surrounding Jackson Square.

This is the famous Cafe Du Monde in the French Market. This cafe has been in business since 1862! We find it charming and a nice spot to sit and cool off after going to the Preservation Hall concert. You haven't had coffee until you've had a cafe au late from here. And the beignets are things to dream of!
Even the shadows in New Orleans are dreamy. I love it here!
This is the nondescript sign for preservation hall. I could spend every night in New Orleans sitting right there on that little wooden bench listening to those "old timers" play true New Orleans jazz. It is worth the 13 hour drive to close your eyes and just listen to the music. Amazing.
Another part of New Orleans that I love is the surprises in each doorway. You never know what you're going to stumble onto! Look at that fountain and the spiral staircase. With the french quarter being so hot and dirty, there are always little secret places tucked away in these courtyards that look so lush and green.
We did have a great time. How can you not have a great time in New Orleans?!? I will go back every chance I get. My little one asked me if we could move there. Oh, if only! She also asked if she'd been there before, because it "felt" like she had. I got goosebumps on that one. My answer to her was no, not technically ;) . But I was so pleased that she really absorbed all the city had to offer and got a taste for it. Hopefully the next trip will come soon!

Getting creative

We're getting creative around here, even in the midst of the messiness. This heart is made up of rice, noodles, and pasta. We had an accident with the bags falling from the cabinets and this is what my little ones made out of the mess.

This picture is of our home the day we brought our 2nd daughter home. Our oldest made a sign that was so precious, welcoming the baby home. My mom hung the pink tulle bows. (It was February and for some reason, I had empty flower pots on the porch already.) But I remember being so happy, so peaceful that day. Everything was right in my world. The sun was shining, our house was full of visitors and love.

I've been having trouble lately with being content. I'm thankful, don't get me wrong. I appreciate all my husband does to provide for our family. He is a willing, wonderful provider who never complains about working for his family. I mean never. He enjoys his job most of the time and wants to stay home with us all day, but still willingly goes to work. Sometimes he has to go away and stay in a hotel for what seems like days upon end. He misses us, and it shows. I am very grateful for him.

What I'm having trouble with is vanity regarding my house. I want it to look neat all the time, to be beautiful for everyone who stops over. It's not. Keeping our home clean is primarily my job. I've always said my children are the biggest reflection of me, instead of my home being the biggest reflection. Somehow, though I say that and think that, my actions don't really show it. I tend to be jealous of people who are able to be tidy all the time and have their home looking like a magazine. There are so many unfinished projects and tasks around my home it's almost overwhelming. The thing I need to realize is that I have so many things to be happy about and thankful for that the way my house LOOKS isn't the priority in any way.

These babies are the priority. (And the 3rd one who wasn't around at the time this picture was taken...) They need clean floors, they need a nurturing home. They need food and fun. They need a mommy who isn't worried about being in Better Homes & Gardens. How do you stay on top of a home and still have time to play? Will that come as my kids get older? Where is the balance? How to you maintain a home & all the projects without being extreme? I want our home to be welcoming and clean. I want my husband to feel like he can come home to a peaceful sanctuary and know his kids and wife are happy. I know we're blessed and I want my home to be at it's best. But I want my kids to remember me playing with them, not cleaning constantly!

This morning as I try to get finished with projects, I want to take time out to thank God that he has blessed me with a happy family, a comfortable home, beautiful cool weather in June, a husband who more than takes care of us... I could go on & on. What blessings are you counting today?

Imperfect Beautifulmess. I mean beautifulness...

Ok, this isn't fair. My favorite blog, Nestingplace, is having some Linky-Doo thing today. I haven't even had a blog long enough to rope you guys in with my craftiness and clean house and cute kids. And I have to show you my imperfections already!

Ok, for the most part, I'm blaming the messes on him. Below. This is my 3rd child. My son. Spitting image of his daddy, except for the blonde hair and blue eyes. They aren't really all his messes, but he's cuter than me, so I'm sticking to my story. This is my idea of perfection. My husband had just returned from a working out of town and we took the kids for ice cream. Looks like a perfect day for ice cream, doesn't it? It turned out to be one of the best times!
This is a very bright, very uncomplementary picture of my mistreatment on my kitchen window. It's really pretty in "person". When we moved into this house, the cabinets were original and very brown, very 1950's ugly. Bluh. I painted them white and put on brushed silver pulls. Much more perfect now, don't you agree?
This is the big plate shelf in my kitchen. Yes, it's RED. My grandpa made it for me and when I took him the paint he about fell over. He hated the red. I think that's just hilarious and think of him every time I look at this. He also "carved" that rolling pin. The rooster bowl belonged to my mom's grandmother. The white and red plate belonged to my dad's grandmother.
This is my "master bedroom". I just finished painting it, and now I'm searching for the perfect material for pillows and mistreatments... I'm also on the hunt for any ideas on how to treat the imbalanced windows. My least favorite thing about a ranch house is the long skinny windows. Do you like the scrap of fabric above the blonde 1950's nightstand? I'm trying to convince my husband this scrap is beautiful and I should buy loads of this fabric...
This is my before shot. I was inspired by Nester to paint my husband's grandma's very dated shelving. Man, it looks good now. Wait till you see the after. It comes out
way
down
there
because I'm new to blogging and can't figure out how to post pictures where I want them.

This is my perfect dining room table with my kids and their Ninna painting Perfect Derby Day shirts. Beautiful, isn't it?

This is my perfect living room.
This, now this is really perfect. This IS the after...


Have I convinced you to come back and see my decorating/housekeeping skills with all those pictures? Hopefully, cause there's much more perfection in store! By the way, it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful, right?

Oh, P.S., if anyone has any thoughts on the Master Bedroom or the big black dog cage in the living room, please share.

Sleeping babies

Sometimes I miss my kids when they're sleeping. I know, crazy, huh? But I do. I miss touching on them. I could-- and sometimes do--just rub on their little faces and hands until they're practically begging me to stop. I worry that they're growing up and I won't get to hold them on my lap when they're grown. There is nothing in this world better than a sleeping child to cuddle on. Nothing better than a warm little palm to kiss on, or the side of their temple where the hair turns to babysoft fuzz. Even on the absolute most chaotic of days, I have a hard time resisting picking them up and cuddling when I go in to check on them.

All 3 of my children sleep in the same room. We have 2 bedrooms and one bathroom in our 1950's ranch. It's a beautiful house to raise kids in. A nice flat yard, lots of light, hardwood floors & nothing too fancy for them to mess up. The only complaint I might have is the storage--there is none. I have decluttered and organized until I just can't anymore and that's frustrating for a crafty person. I can't leave well enough alone and I always like to try it another way. But when you've run out of space that's hard to do. It clutters up my creativity and makes me feel stressed. We've gotten too big for our little house. I'm hoping my kids don't get too big for me. Sometimes I ask them as we're cuddling: "please don't get too big too quick", and I get the cutest responses from them... "I promise I will only grow a little bit right now. Like this much" and she'll show me about 6 inches. Too funny.

Introducing...chaos!

See that handsome groom? He's smiling as *I* come down the isle. Me! He was that happy because of me! Anyways, he started it all. All the chaos that the last 12 years have been. But, boy oh boy, has it all been such terrifically sweet chaos. We met our Senior year in highschool. The one month anniversary was our Senior prom. First, there was the dating. He lived a half hour away from me--highway only. My parents (who were raised in "the valley" and met each other when they were about 5, and who still to this day live a block away from where they met way back then) were fit to be tied. Their only daughter, driving like that, 2 times a day & most of the weekend! Chaos! Then, there was the dating again, but even farther! Now my fella decided to go away to school--3.5 hours away. Then he proposed! Then, boom, we were pregnant for our first anniversary. Our first daughter was perfect, there was no chaos there. Then came number 2. She was perfect also. But two was a little harder... Then, surprise! Here comes our bouncing baby boy and wow, the chaos. We found out about him before #2 was even 10 months old, but didn't tell anyone for a while.

Our 3 babies have always been blessings to us. They are each perfect and flawless. I wouldn't trade them for the all the world. And right now they're sleeping. In about 7 hours, I'll begin to wonder if there are Indians in my neck of the woods that could be coerced into trading a teepee for a blonde haired child or two. Or three...

I try to keep in mind that each moment with my children is special and not to be taken for granted. I try to make their days beautiful and teach them about God's word. I know that this stage in our lives is flying by and I need to cherish each little hug and kiss. I realize all too soon I'll want this stage back, even if it doesn't seem like it when they're all 3 crying about something different. But I have a lap big enough, and hugs big enough and a Father who can settle me down and give me the strength to take care of my blessings. He is there with me and I can cherish the chaos, the sweet chaos that comes with being given these perfect blessings.