Change is A Comin'

Actually change is here. It has been a busy couple of days. Bella seems to have grown up all at once. She went from being our baby/toddler to a big girl overnight. Within the last couple of days she has decided on her own to start potty training and give up her crib and sleep in her big girl bed!! When I got her up from her nap the other day she was sitting on the floor, had taken her diaper off and was putting on her Tinkerbell training pants!! So, every 20 minutes I was taking her to the bathroom and sitting her on the potty. We praised her for trying when she didn't go and praised her for peeing when she did go!! Last night she ran to the bathroom on her own so Marc followed her...........she sat on the potty and peed!!!!!! Marc, Kyle and I were screaming and clapping and jumping up and down and she was soaking it all in. Just seeing her walking around in her "big girl" panties kind of made me sad. I am glad she is healthy and smart and growing up but at the same time I wondered where all the time has gone. My kids are getting bigger and learning so much every day. It is truly a bittersweet time. As if it weren't hard enough watching her go pee on the potty.............yesterday at nap I tried to lay her down in her crib and she told me "No Mommy!" Bella walked over and climbed into her big bed. I tucked her in, sang her song, rubbed her back and walked out of the room. I stood outside the door expecting to hear her jump out of bed but she didn't. She fell asleep within 10 minutes and napped in her big bed for the first time. Last night when Marc and I were putting her down she again said no to the crib so we tucked her in to her big girl bed. She was so proud of her self and said "I Big." I wanted to cry but instead embraced her independence and looked at it as a very proud moment. We took a picture of her............her first night in her big girl bed............


She looked so tiny in her full size antique bed.................and so happy to be at this milestone. Later I went to check on the kids and this is what I found..............

Her big nightlight had burned out so she fell asleep over by the door and her little night light. Bless her heart. I picked her up and laid her back in her bed and rubbed her back until she was back to sleep. And she stayed in her bed all night!!

Speaking of my kids growing up........................

I was snapping pictures the other day of Cali while the older kids were napping. I can not believe how fast she is growing! They don't stay a tiny newborn forever. I can't believe that 8 weeks ago today Cali came into our lives. It seems like last week!!! 8 weeks already!?! Where does the time go?

She is so alert and loves looking around. She laughs a lot!

She is a very happy girl.................except the colicky times!! LOL!! For the most part though she is always smiling and laughing- at everything. She laughs at me and Marc and her big brother and big sister............she laughs at things on the wall, lamps, and whatever else grabs her attention. I love to see her smile. Whatever I am feeling, whatever I may be worrying about or mad about...........one smile from Cali lights up my heart and everything is forgotten.

Cali can even support her weight when you stand her on her feet..........and then she really gets to laughing because she thinks she is such cool stuff!!

As promised (albeit a couple days late) here are some of the fabrics that I will be using in Cali's nursery...............

We will be painting her walls a cheery yellow..........and I am scared. I love yellow walls but have always had a hard time with yellow. It has got to be the hardest color to paint. But I think I've got it now. We'll see! I want to accent with fabrics in pink, green and purple to pull out the colors of this adorable Bunny print from Jane Churchill. I got this designer fabric at an estate sale- the woman had been a buyer for a major designers only fabric warehouse. Steal!!

So much fun. Of course we have a lot to do before Cali's room can all come together but I will be working on the sewing every chance I can because there is a lot of it!!

See the Monkey fabric in the background? That's another Jane Churchill fabric from the same sale! Double steal!! After I get Kyle's room (now the den) done we will be starting Cali's room. After that, if I have enough energy left, we'll be working on the master bedroom.............finally! I think it's safe to say we will have enough projects to carry us through the winter!!! And I'll actually have exciting decorating stories and pictures to post about! LOL!!!

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

~Heather:)

Martha, Noise & Soup

Better take that potty break and grab a cup of coffee now- this may be a long post!

Martha, Martha, Martha.....................Stewart that is! My cousin "K" sent me an email the other day telling me about something she saw on the Martha Stewart Show that day about blogging and how she thought I should participate. I went to Martha's blog and checked it out. Her show that day was all about blogging! Martha will be featuring several blogs on her blog- all you have to do is leave your name and blog address in her comment section. How cool would that be to be featured on Martha's blog?!?!
I don't know about any of you but I adore Martha Stewart and have for years. When my sister or I would do some kind of project (craft, sewing, cooking, etc.) and the other liked it we would say "You are so Martha!" or "That is so Martha!" Hey- we were striving for greatness!! LOL! Martha is, after all, the original Domestic Diva and a role model for women everywhere. I can not tell you the countless tips and projects I have done after being inspired by something I saw or read via Martha Stewart. If you have never been to Martha's blog I encourage you to check it out.........prepare to be inspired.

Okay, I have to get something off my chest. Last night was not a good night. Marc had only been home for about 20 minutes, I was desperately trying to get dinner on the table while the kids were begging for sippy cups, diaper changes and Diego. Marc was holding Cali and trying to soothe her through her fussy spell of the day when there was a knock at the door. When I opened the door I saw our maintenance man standing there. He was there to tell us that the neighbors downstairs had called to complain about the level of noise coming from our apartment. Although I felt that the past 20 minutes had been chaotic and probably a little noisy I knew it wasn't any different than any other day...........and it was 5:30 in the afternoon! Through my embarrassment I jokingly asked "Could you be more specific?!" (As Cali is crying and the kids are running around screaming "Rescue pack! Comin' to the rescue!") He did think it was funny and chuckled at my attempt at humor. I thanked him for coming and asked if the neighbors did call again to ask them what exactly they were complaining about so that we could try and take measures to correct it. After he left I looked at Marc puzzled, he looked back at me puzzled. Now I will admit that some days I wonder why our neighbors don't have a UHaul parked outside of their apartment in a desperate attempt to get away from us..........but today wasn't even close to one of those days. In fact there have been three other families living in the apartment below us (in the 18 months we have been here) before these people moved in and not one of them ever complained! In fact, we have always tried to introduce ourselves to new neighbors, asking what time they go to bed so that we can make sure the kids are quiet and respectful of other people's schedules, and tell our neighbors to please let us know if we are ever being too loud. EVERY ONE of those neighbors have always told us that they never hear us. 5:30 in the afternoon??? I can not explain how I felt after being complained about. I was embarrassed, I was hurt, and I suddenly felt unwelcome in my own home. It was horrible. For the rest of the night I cringed every time Kyle or Bella would walk too hard down the hall, drop a toy or laugh too loud. Every time Cali would start getting fussy I would grab her up immediately and try and soothe her with whatever it took. What makes this whole situation worse is that Marc is an employee of the company who owns the apartments we live in. I don't want him to look bad in the eyes of management. But how am I supposed to keep three kids quiet 24 hours a day? AM I supposed to strap them to a chair and put duct tape on their mouths?? I feel like I can't even let my kids be kids in their own home! Seriously, that is no way to live. All night last night I had nightmares about being kicked out of our apartment. Where would we go? Where would we live? I love my apartment and we have put so much work into it with paint and built-ins and decor............we have tried to make it "ours" as best we could...........and the thought of losing it is just too much. Sorry, I just had to vent. This really has me upset.

Okay, now on to the soup! Let's warm our bellies and our hearts with this fabulous recipe. This recipe came from my Aunt Deb (the one that has the Etsy store-see the link on my sidebar). Deb is a fabulous cook and this recipe is no exception. I made it for dinner last night and decided to share. It is a huge hit every time I make it.......my kids even ask for seconds which is rare!! LOL!!!

Aunt Hilda's Stuffed Pepper Soup

2 pounds ground beef
2-3 cups green bell pepper- chopped
1 large onion- chopped
10 beef bouillon cubes
6 cups water
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked rice

Brown ground beef; drain. Add bell pepper and onions. Cook until tender. Add bouillon cubes, water, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 hours on low heat. Add the two cups of rice to the soup and heat through.

Now, if you are lazy or in a hurry like me you can brown the hamburger and then throw everything in a big pot all at once (I use instant rice and throw it in at the beginning with everything else). It ends up tasting the same.

This is the finished result.........

MMMMMMMMMMMM...........it's making me hungry all over again. Last night at dinner Kyle said "Yummy soup mommy, I like possibilities!" Marc and I were cracking up. Apparently he does pay attention to commercials! It is a good hearty meal perfect for cooler months. Gee, I could have at least cleaned that off the side of the bowl before snapping the picture, huh? That is so not Martha! LOL!! So I get an "F" for presentation today.

There you have it............3 completely separate subjects jammed into one post. You will have to stop by tomorrow- I am going to be giving you all a sneak peek at some of the fabrics and accessories that will be going into Cali's room. I am so excited!

~Heather:)

It's Sweepy Time

It has been a crazy- busy couple of weeks. Not because I'm getting anything done......no.........because I have NOT been getting anything done. You know how I said I have been LOOKING for a balance? Yeah, well, I still haven't found it. In fact the other day I decided to just stop looking for it altogether. I decided, instead, to force my life back into balance. It was the best thing to do. I realized in order to find a balance I had to make it happen. Cali is not much of a sleeper.............there are days where she may only sleep for 5 or 10 minutes at a time and be fussy the rest of the day and insist on being held. 9 pounds ends up feeling like a lot by the end of the day! Usually my lower back hurts so bad that I feel if I bend backwards just a hair that it will literally snap in half. Now I am not used to sitting still so this has been a tad difficult. It's not that I don't love holding my baby girl.......I actually enjoy it..........but I am getting nothing done. I have learned to do a lot of things with one hand: laundry, cooking, dishes, etc. But some things just can not been done with a solitary hand. At least not by me. The doctor seemed to think colick was the culprit but after analyzing things the other day I realized it wasn't so much colick as much as sidekicks. My little sidekicks Kyle and Bella. They are noisy! And as much as I would love to provide a completely silent environment for Cali I just can't. It's not fair to the kids and it's never gonna happen anyways. Cali is going to have to get used to falling and staying asleep with the ever present noise that echos through our walls. The other day I looked around at my apartment that had barely been touched in the last 7 weeks and it was starting to make me very itchy. I needed to get something done. The mail had not been filed, the carpets had not been swept, there were last nights dishes piled on the counter (and the night before that too) and there were 8 loads of laundry that were clean but not put away, etc, etc, etc. Not to mention I was determined to make a nice dinner for my husband and have it ready when he walked through the door. So I thought and thought and then................EUREKA!!!!!! No, not that great , earth-shaking idea that will change the world and all who live in it for now and eternity... Eureka as in my vacuum cleaner. I laid Cali on her blanket, turned the sweeper on and she was instantly calm. Within 2 minutes she was sleeping soundly and I went to work. The next three hours were more productive that the past 3 weeks!!! Yes, I left my vacuum running for three hours. Hope my neighbors don't hate me but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. And I did. I felt fantastic! My house was cleaner and I felt lighter! I felt like I had just climbed to the top of Mt Everest. And my laundry pile was getting about that high so maybe I climbed my own mountain in that way! Cali woke up rested and happy and smiled at me with that big gummy smile that just melts my heart!!!! The three hours was good for me and good for her as well. Thank You vacuum cleaner! Woohoo!!
We are getting ready to do some projects here soon so I want to try and get all the prep stuff out of the way one day at a time so it will make the projects easier. We will be turning our den into Kyle's room............after all that work we put into that den! Oh well, Kyle asked to have the den for his room so we agreed. Then we will be turning Kyle's current room into Cali's nursery. I think all of the changes will work out perfectly and everyone is excited about the changes. Kyle is also insisting that Santa will be so excited about Kyle's new room that he will be bringing Kyle a Lightening McQueen tv for Christmas. Hmmmmmmm.........talk about pressure.
With all of this change going on it got me thinking about the other rooms in our home. I don't know if it is the fact that fall is officially here or what but I am craving the warm coziness that the winter months bring. Evenings in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine, warm fuzzy blankets, candles, and hot soups on a Sunday afternoon. I want our home to feel like a warm fuzzy blanket that wraps itself around you as you enter it's doors. I have always been drawn to the warmer colors of decorating and I veered off of that recently. My husband blames it on the hormones when I was pregnant. I long for wood furniture in rich tones, warm wall colors and draperies in reds, golds, greens and browns. Area rugs, velvet bedding, soft chenille sofas and leather club chairs. I went surfing on the web the other day looking for inspiration and boy did I find it! RMS is full of talented decorators and beautiful rooms. Better Homes & Gardens, Ethan Allen and Arhaus had a ton of ideas as well. Decor that gently called "Come in from the cold, relax and enjoy these decadent months."
I thought I would share some of the rooms I found. I didn't copy RMS rooms here because I didn't ask permission but these pics are from BHG.com, Ethan Allen and Arhaus websites...

Look at these throw pillows...........

I love the multiple fabrics on this sofa and the dark wood tones on the coffee table............

This is how I would like my master bedroom to look...............

Or this.............

And this is the bedding that I am just in love with................

Velvet bedding. How amazing would that feel to cover up in velvet in the cold winter months?? I would never want to get out of bed!

Lastly I wanted to share my new beauty with you. My new dining room set! Oh I am head over heels for this furniture!!! I haven't been this excited over furniture in a long time. It is solid cherry (my favorite wood) and shining like a new penny! The table and chairs are heavy!!! We sit down for dinner now and don't want to get back up!!! With our old chairs we always jumped up from the table almost as soon as we ate because they were not comfortable to sit on!

We purchased this set after finding it on Craig's List! I saw the ad and fell in love with it. Marc told me we could get it if I sold my old set first. I listed our set, sold it within 48 hours and went and picked this set up the next day! The woman selling it had downsized and it was too large for her new dining room. She was sad to sell it and I felt bad for her. She did tell me that she felt better about letting it go after seeing how excited I was about it. She had only had the set a few months!! We got the set for $500. Table and six chairs. When we got home we looked online and they are still selling this set in the stores for $2,200.00!!!!!! We got the entire set for what you could buy two chairs for. Needless to say we got a good deal and couldn't be happier with our purchase. I LOVE Craig's List!!!!!!!

I have a lot to do with the switching of rooms, painting and sewing. We are going to do a window bench in Cali's room with lots of pillows. I am also making all of her crib bedding and window treatments. If it turns out half as cute as it is in my head I will be thrilled! We also have to build a closet in the den for Kyle because there isn't one in there now. I have designed the perfect one that my oh-so-talented husband will be building. Everything takes longer recently so what would normally take a couple of weekends to complete will probably take a couple of months. It will be a fun process though. So we may be having more "sweepy time" for little Miss Cali. Maybe I could record the noise of the vacuum and burn it to a CD??? What is it about "white noise" that calms babies?

~Heather :)