A Letter to Calista

My Dearest Calista Kay,

As we anxiously await your arrival as a new member of our family I thought I would share with you a little story.
A week before Christmas Daddy and Mommy got the surprising news that we were going to have another baby. Although we wanted more children we didn't expect it to be so soon. At first we were very scared. But we realized that God has His own plans for our lives and in His own timing, He saw fit to bless us with another child. We felt overwhelmed and honored that God trusted us with another one of His children to raise as our own.
Fear and joy was replaced by worry when, in January, Mommy got so sick that nurses had to come to our house and hook me up to IVs and give me special medicine so that I could eat and drink to keep you healthy and safe. It was a very hard time but we got through it and by March Mommy started to feel better. We were relieved when we got to have an ultrasound and found out that you were healthy and growing as you should be! Mommy and Daddy both cried when we got to see you floating around inside my belly, kicking your legs and closing your fists!
I have watched as my belly has gotten bigger and bigger and when I first felt your little kicks from inside I was immediately overwhelmed with joy and tears of happiness. Your kicks have gotten stronger and stronger and I have become more and more excited about meeting you, welcoming you into the world and holding you in my arms for the first time.
I am sure that you know Daddy's voice very well by now. You get so excited and move all around when he talks to Mommy's belly or reads you a story. Your big brother Kyle is so excited to meet you too! I am sure you have heard him sing to you and felt his kisses and hugs. He has to kiss Mommy's belly at least a hundred times a day! Kyle has already told Mommy and Daddy that he wants to hold you, read his favorite books to you and teach you how to play with his trains. Your big sister Bella may not quite understand that she will be welcoming a new baby sister but I know that she will be very excited when you arrive. I think you and Bella will be very good friends. You will be playing dress-up and having tea parties and someday will paint each others fingernails and do each others hair. You may fight with your brother and sister from time to time but always remember that they love you and will also be the first ones to come to your aid and be there to support you.
Your clothes have been washed and lovingly placed in your dresser drawers. Your bed has been made and awaits your tiny little self to lay there and dream. Mommy is finishing up a quilt that we will wrap you in and bring you home from the hospital. There are so many family members and friends that have so much love for you already and can not wait to meet you.
You are coming in to a family that loves you already and has since the moment they heard about you. Our entire family believes in the importance of family, support, and unconditional love. Our ties to the Lord are strong and He is the center of our home and our lives! He will be with us to guide us as we raise you so that we can give you the best possible life that you deserve. Now I will tell you that your Mommy and Daddy are not perfect. Far from it actually......but we work hard everyday to be better. Just as you will grow, learn, and make mistakes- so will we. Mommy and Daddy will be learning everyday, right along side you. It is so very important to trust in each other, forgive each other for our short comings, and continue loving each other- unconditionally- no matter what. That is all part of being a family.
Your Daddy and Mommy have so many plans for you and your future. We hope to give you the guidance, the love, the support, the encouragement, and the tools for you to make your own decisions and be successful in whatever makes you happy. We pray that you will be healthy and that your heart be filled with joy. We pray that you will have good friends, be a positive influence to those around you, and have the courage to follow your dreams. We pray that you will know your worth- in our eyes, in God's, and in your own, and that you never let anyone make you feel less than amazing.
Jeremiah 1:5 says "I knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world."
You have been beautifully and wonderfully made Calista!!!!! You have been formed by the gracious and loving hands of God- and that alone makes you incredible! Do not let anyone ever try and tell you any different.
Almost nine months ago I was worried about how I would care for you. If I would have enough love in my heart to share with you. But just as God has expanded my belly to allow you to grow inside of me..........He has also expanded my heart to allow me to love you as you deserve to be loved. It is amazing how I can rest my hand on my belly and feel you move and be so overwhelmed with love for you already. A big part of me wants to keep you inside so that I can continue to protect you and keep you safe. But a bigger part of me can not wait to bring you into this world, hold you in my arms to nurse you, kiss your sweet soft skin and look into your eyes as you discover so many things for the first time. I am anxious to see you play with your big brother and sister, watch you be carried on Daddy's shoulders, playing in the swimming pool, taking your first steps, sucking your thumb, throwing your peas across the table........... and someday to be there for you when you have a fight with your best friend, learn how to drive, help you ace that English test, and give you a shoulder to cry on when you get your first broken heart.
No matter what joys and sorrows life may bring you I want you to always remember that Daddy and Mommy love you very much and we will be there for you no matter what. You can fall down and make mistakes and we will be there to pick you up, dust you off and help you learn and try again. We are here to love you, guide you, support and encourage you. We will love you regardless of your successes or your failures because you are our child and we all must succeed and fail in order to become who God wants us to be.
We can not wait to meet you Calista Kay! We can not wait to welcome you into our family and be your guides through this wonderful and sometimes crazy life! We are praying that God brings you to us safely, healthy and whole. We will see you soon my little angel.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

I wanted to give a very special thanks to Rhonda at Scooterblu's Whimsy for hosting a virtual baby shower for Cali and I and for all of you who are participating and to those who stop by and leave comments. I am still overwhelmed that Rhonda would do something like this. My eyes fill up every time I think of how sweet it is! I have been blessed with wonderful friends in the "real world" and NOW in the Blogging World. Words could never express how grateful I am for this beautiful sentiment and the wonderful opportunity to get to know fellow bloggers more- and meet new friends as well. Thank You so much! I am truly touched.

Love to All of You!

~Heather :)

The Pressure Is ON!

I feel like I have been away from the blogging world forever! It has only been a few days but I am soooooo far behind and am afraid I am going to fall even further behind now. I had my doctor's appointment with my OBGYN Dr. "R" today. The problem I have been having with my leg is not a major issue. Praise God! They did not find a blood clot which is what they were fearing. Basically the way baby Cali is laying- and the size of my belly!- is putting pressure on some veins that run through that area. The blood is flowing downward but moving slower coming back up because of the weight compressing on the veins. The blood has no where else to go so it kind of disperses in the low areas of the body which causes the swelling. I hope I understood and explained that correctly. When I sleep I have to do so on my left side and pay attention to my position when I sit as well- other than that everything is fine!
Dr. R also "checked" me today........ and I was shocked to hear that I have already started to dilate! My initial due date was set for August 19th. My last ultrasound (which was months ago) showed around August 9th . Right now I am only dilated around a one. Technically I could stay at a one for weeks, however, being that this is my third pregnancy and how I have done in the last two................ it could be any day. To make things worse my doctor will be out of the office next week so I have to see one of his associates. That makes me nervous. My doctor told me today to take it eeeeeeeeeasy for the next week. I asked him what he meant by that (expecting him to give me stipulations or restrictions) and his response was "Don't go into labor." Hmmm... that's reassuring. He said at this point in my pregnancy if I were to go into labor that they would not stop it. My husband and I are very nervous. We were nervous thinking we still had twenty some days left and now............. it could be any day??????? AHHHHHHHHH!!!! I started realizing that we needed a plan. We had a plan A already set in place. I was going to be induced on a certain day, my sister would come up for a week- she has already scheduled her vacation around it, and everything was going to go smoothly. We didn't have a plan B. We didn't think we needed a plan B. The problem that we face is that we don't have many people close to us. Marc has an aunt that is a half hour away but she has two small children of her own and works full time. Other than that the rest of our family- Marc's side and my side- are all over two hours away. So I talked to my sister and Marc's aunt this evening and we came up with a plan B. I feel better but still nervous. This has scared me enough though that I will be taking it very easy for at least the next week until my doctor is back in town and the longer Cali stays put the more thrilled I will be. I have so much to do and wrap up around the house before her arrival but I am too afraid to try and get it all done. I am going to concentrate on the most important things and let the rest go. Marc and I will be going shopping tomorrow for the all important items: diapers, onesies, sleepers, receiving blankets, etc. We'll set up the crib and put her clothes in the dresser. I am going to pack my bag for the hospital and pack a bag for the kids as well so it's ready if we have to drop them off at their Aunt's in a hurry. I will have Marc finish organizing the master closet (with supervision of course!) and I will put the finishing touches on Cali's quilt. The master bedroom redecorating project is just going to have to wait for now. :(

I thought I would share a funny story with you. If you find illegal acts funny that is. After my ultrasound appointment last Friday Marc and I drove by a house that is on the market. We pulled in the driveway and looked around. It is an old house and we love old houses. We dream of buying an old house some day. The house was vacant so we felt it was okay to be nosey! As I was peeking in one of the windows Kyle ran up and said "Hi Mommy!" Here my son was INSIDE the house! Marc walked up behind him and was just laughing away! Yes, my husband not only broke in to this house (it was unlocked) but he was using our son as an accomplice!! So we toured the old house and fantasized about how it looked in it's glory days and what it could someday look like again. It was so sad to see the years of neglect and "mistreatment" this house has suffered. All of the original charm and details were there but it was a total mess. And someone had removed all of the plumbing- we are assuming to sell it for scrap. Awful. Here is a picture of the outside..........

Isn't it precious? We said goodbye to the cute little house and prayed that someone would find her, love her, and take the time to bring her back to her original beauty. And that someone better have a whole lot of money!! It was a fun little side trip...... especially since we weren't hauled off to jail!

And since I don't foresee any big reveal of the completed master bedroom in the near future I decided to go ahead and show you the bedding that I ordered. This is the picture from the Pottery Barn website..................

It is the most beautiful toile in a light powder blue. The blue is so neutral though- almost a weird blue. Sometimes it looks blue, sometimes it looks gray, and sometimes it looks sage green. I really like it. I have never spent so much money on bedding before and actually felt guilty after ordering it, but when it arrived I was more than pleased. The quality is excellent and it is exactly what I wanted and had envisioned for the room. Plus, with this color..........I could paint my walls any color I want and it would match them all!! LOL!!! I was going to wait to dress the bed when the room was finished but...........maybe I'll actually put it on my bed now so that I at least have pretty bed!

That's it for now. I hope to get around to visit everyone within the next couple of days! See ya'll soon!

~Heather :)

SO SORRY!

I am so sorry I have not been around to visit you all! We are having an extremely busy few days- actually the last few and the next few are busy busy busy! I will be back to regular blogging hopefully by Monday and will be catching up with all of you wonderful friends!! I am having withdrawal from your blogs!!
See ya'll soon!
~Heather :)

When the Dog Bites, When the Bee Stings.........

When I'm feeling sad............
I wasn't actually sad today. Just bored again. How am I supposed to come up with exciting posts when all I have been doing is laying on my couch and trying to behave?? Today I still had a substantial amount of swelling in my leg and foot. Although it looks much better than it did on Wednesday it was still bad. And it was only the right leg! Not that I want both of them to be swollen but I found it odd that it is staying in one spot. So I called my doctor's office. My doctor is always at the hospital on Fridays so I knew it would be awhile before I got a call back from a nurse if I heard anything back at all today. They are really good about call backs but I assumed for a swollen foot...........eh? Thinking it was not really a huge deal- just concerning- I did continue to rest even though the Goodwill was calling my name today!! Maybe tomorrow. Much to my surprise I got a call back from the Vascular Surgery department. They were told by my doctor that I was to come in today for an ultrasound.............

Nope. Not that kind of ultrasound. An ultrasound on my leg. The scheduler was trying to find an appointment for me and I said "I'm coming up that way Monday, could I just..." and then she cut me off- "He said TODAY." Oh. Okay, umm, today works. She told me to be there in 50 minutes as they could squeeze me in. 50 minutes! Oh my! The office is about a half hour away, Bella is sleeping and I have to get ready and get two kids ready? Sure!!! I rushed around like a crazy chicken with it's head cut off and was walking both kids to the van within 15 minutes. Darn I am good! Kyle went around to his side of the van and hoped in. Good boy! I opened Bella's door and went to grab her to put her in her seat- OUCH!!!!!! What in the world......... I heard noise and felt pain. Looked down at my arm............and...........HORNETS!!!!!!!!!!! I swatted without thinking, saw one hit the ground and squished him with my shoe. Oh my there's another one! I threw Bella in the van and went to close the door- there on the inside of the van- where the door closes against metal was a small hornets nest! How in the world?!?! Those little boogers squeezed through the crack of the door and were building a nest in my van??? Apparently they are really ticked off at us for knocking down their dream home from the balcony a week ago! Paybacks?!?! I took my water bottle and knocked the nest away from the van (who's the THK now Rue?), slammed the door and ran and got in to the driver's seat. Then I crawled back to put Bella in her seat checking all over the van for any site of bees or sound of buzzing. Luckily they were all swarming around the outside. I sat back in my seat, breathless and in pain. It felt like I just been shot with a 22 gage shotgun! Alright- I have never been shot with a 22 gage or any other kind of gun but this is what I imagine that would feel like! Okay Heather think........ first aid kit would be where? Oh yeah! Cleeeeeeear in the back of the van. Like I can really climb back there! Forget it. So I grabbed a baby wipe and a pony tail holder and wrapped my arm. Pretty McGyver, huh?? Hey- baby wipes have alcohol in them! Look at the clock and I have exactly 16 minutes to make my appointment. We take off and head to the appointment. I'm late and I could care less because my arm hurts so bad by now it feels like it weighs 500 pounds and will drop off of my body at any minute. I would rather go through labor than this! I see my husband walking toward the van. Uh oh! Someone looks concerned that I am 15 minutes late!! Panic clear across his face. I hop out of the van and tell him to drive around and try and get Bella to fall asleep- I'll call him when I'm done. He looks at my McGyver bandage "What did you do!?"
"I got attacked by some ticked off hornets!"
"Hornets?"
"Uh huh......Hornets. You know those nasty bees we just thought we got rid of."
"Where?"
"In the garage."
"The garage?"
"Yes, more specifically in our van."
"In the van?"
"They were starting to build a nest inside the door."
"Inside the door?"
"Yes!"
"What do you mean inside the......"
"I'll explain later! I'm late!"
"Hey, wait! Are you allergic?"
"Don't know. I've never been stung. But that's okay we're at the hospital!" I joke- he doesn't think it's funny.
And by this time I'm really late! I walk as fast as I can, take the elevator to the third floor and run inside. The ultrasound doctor was actually waiting in the reception area. Oops! I explain that I was late because I got stung by a bee.
"You got stung? What kind of bee?"
"A hornet."
"A hornet?"
"Yeah, a hornet." (seriously people?!?)
"Wow. That must hurt."
"Yeah, it really does." (dar!)
"Are you allergic?"
"Don't know. Never been stung by a bee."
"Yes. Alright then. Let me know if you start feeling funny or if your tongue swells." (He looks nervous)
Well, that's reassuring. Go down the long winding hall and lay down on the uncomfortable bed. The ultrasound took over an hour to perform. The doctor and his tech were very nice and explained everything they were doing and why. They answered a lot of my questions. Some they weren't allowed to until my doctor sees the report, apparently. It was fascinating. I got to hear the blood flowing through my veins! Very cool indeed!!! And I got to spend over an hour laying down, in almost total silence. It was like being at the spa! Super! The reason my doctor ordered such an urgent ultrasound was to check for a blood clot. I know they didn't find a blood clot because #1 I overheard them talking but #2 they didn't send me to the actual hospital. There was however an "underlying issue" as they told me and to just continue to take it easy until I hear from my doctor. Do what makes me most comfortable. Hmmm... can I hang out here for a little while longer and take a nap? I go see my doctor on Monday. I am really not worried about it so much. I know a lot of people would think I was nuts but my doctor is incredible. He works for one of the best hospitals in the country and he is very, very cautious. I have trusted him with my life before and he did not fail me. If it were anything remotely close to halfway serious I would be laying in the hospital right now wearing one of those fancy gowns that lets your butt hang out. Instead, I am here at home. So I will continue to take it "easy" this weekend. It doesn't matter if I lay down, sit still or walk around- the swelling and discomfort is about the same. I actually feel better when I walk around because my back and leg doesn't cramp up. We'll see what Monday brings.
And as much as I know you probably don't want to stare at my pasty arms I thought I would go ahead and show you my war injury.........


See that red spot that looks like a tiny little hickey? That is the sting site. My husband tried to take the picture but he is worse with the camera than I am! It's actually on the inside of my arm right below my armpit. Great spot! It is probably about a half an inch in diameter and then there is redness around it that is more widespread. It looks a lot better in the picture here than it did. This was taken 7 or 8 hours after I got stung. Marc talked to his mom to find out what to do for the pain and she suggested baking soda paste. I did it and man does it feel better! It still hurts but oh what relief!!!!!!!! I can not get over how this little sting can make my entire arm hurt sooo bad! Those hornets are nasty little creatures. They need anger management!
So that was my excitement for today. I'll think twice the next time I complain about not having exciting stuff to post. Either that or I will be more specific with my requests!
Have a great weekend!
-Heather :)

This Is Not My Leg!

Today was another strange day in Cali-land! My first two pregnancies were pretty darn smooth but this third one............ oh that is another story altogether. It has not been terrible compared to what many women go through but it hasn't been a field trip either. For the first three months of the pregnancy I was so sick that I not only couldn't eat, but it got to a point where I couldn't even swallow or keep down any liquids. I was diagnosed Hyperemesis Gravaderum- translation: severe morning sickness that lasted 24 hours a day. I had to have in-home nurses come to my home (Thank God for that program!) and hook me up to IVs. One in my hand to keep me from getting dehydrated and one in my leg that was connected to a pump. The pump (which had to be running 24 hours a day) was contained in a little fanny pack that I had to wear around my waist and held anti-nausea medication that was supposed to enable me to eat. Now I have to tell you that I HATE needles. I really really hate needles. The nurse came, showed me how to do this IV thing and then informed me I had to change the needle/IV site every day- myself. HUH!?!?! Oh my goodness NO! Uh huh. Had to do it. Being the protective mommy that I am I did it. It was not easy and my poor husband saw me suffering and volunteered to do it for me. So, one night I showed him how to do it and he turned ten shades of white and hit the floor. So, back to doing it myself. Got through that stage and that was the worst of it. Praise God! It has just been one small thing after another the last several months but nothing too severe. Today I woke up and my right foot hurt. It was swollen- no biggie. Well, as the day progressed it got worse and worse and the swelling went from my hip to my toes! About three times it's normal size. Oh my! Then my entire leg started going numb. Must call doctor. Apparently the way my precious baby Cali is laying is putting pressure on a very important vein and blocking circulation. I had to lay on my side and drink lots of water. The kids cooperated and I did as I was told. Bored stiff........... but I would rather be bored stiff at home than bored stiff at the hospital.
So instead of working more on this.............


(I told you that master closet was a nightmare! Ya'll didn't believe me did ya? So embarrassing. Poor closet. )
And instead of finishing this..............


I was laying on this....................

But hey! It's cute and comfy!! So I decided to show off some of the pillows I have been making for the sofa and living room. I have a few more to do still but you get the idea. I tried to make them pretty simple- fringe and fancy trim doesn't last too long with my kids!!

It was fun to mix all of the fabrics. Kyle has claimed the toile pillow he made and you are lucky if you get to lay on it!! That's okay though, he worked hard on that pillow!

The ones done are mostly red. I had more with other colors but took them off the couch because they just didn't look right. This looks better.

My leg is still swollen but it has gone down a lot. Still doesn't look like my leg though. I am really bummed though- I just had my husband convinced to let me go on a little field trip tomorrow but after this.............. the drive is probably gonna be too much. :( Ah Pickles!! I was really looking forward to it too. He tried to sooth me by telling me to fulfill my need to shop by checking out the Goodwill tomorrow. They sent me a coupon for 35% off my entire purchase. But, if I am still disproportionate tomorrow I will be staying home and spending more time with my pretty pillows.

Hope you all have a great day!

-Heather :)

Dreaming & Fluffing

Saturday when we were at The Home Depot I spotted the most recent issue of House Beautiful and snagged it up. I used to buy magazines all of the time and kind of got out of the habit. Recently I have been buying them again and literally wear out the pages looking through them at all of the great ideas. Dreaming of how and where I could use the ideas for little vignettes, pieces of furniture, dreaming of my "someday garden" and how I could fill that antique urn with fuchsia to attract butterflies and all things whimsical.
This is the July 2008 issue of House Beautiful and my goodness is it packed with ideas!


I LOVE THIS!!! It reminded me of Jo and something she would do for one of her bridal showers. Isn't it gorgeous???

I want to host a shower or a party just so I can decorate the table this way! Ah who cares, maybe I will just do it on a Tuesday and shock my husband! All of those flowers are being held inside of a big birch log- can you see it?

I used to collect silver pieces. I stopped awhile ago because the pieces got harder to find and the prices got ridiculous. I have been finding more and more lately. In fact, I passed on some great pieces Saturday while we were at the Flea Market because I was trying to be good with the budget. Now, after seeing this picture I am kicking myself................

Guess where I will be when the Flea Market opens Saturday morning?? LOL!!

I just loved this sofa........... covered in black and white ticking fabric. It has an elegance in the form but a relaxed feel through the fabric. It is by Ralph Lauren. That name usually means it is way out of my budget..................

Marc loves this kitchen. I do too, but I can also see little feet and legs getting stuck in the springs of those bar stools!!

And the bed! Oh my what drama! The bed is another Ralph Lauren piece and they have just paired it with old, over sized columns on all four corners. The bedding is Pottery Barn. Pretty impressive statement. I love the old telescope on the chippy trunk sitting at the foot of the bed.........

Sunday evening I decided to do some fluffing. Marc hung my chandelier in the bedroom for me. I had a hard time getting a good picture of it though. It is a lot prettier in person. I made the sleeve for the chain to add some softness and polished up the crystal prisms..........

Here is a picture of it when it is on......................

It adds a lot of romance to the room. I think I could have a chandelier in every room if I could get away with it. I love the effect they have.

Then I decided to hang some stuff on the walls. Is the room ready for stuff on the walls? No. Not even close. This bedroom is taking for-e-ver but I am not a very patient girl so I figured I could at least get this stuff off the floor...........if I have to make more holes later then so be it!!

This is on my side of the bed. I found some old frames from my girl Ruthie at the flea market and painted them white. Then I hung them on the wall and hung another picture inside. I love the look of this but poor Kyle couldn't grasp the idea. He kept saying "But mommy they don't fit! They're not big enough! That doesn't make sense." SO I had to tell him that not everything mommy does makes sense. In fact, the majority of what mommy does....... doesn't make sense!!!

This one is on Marc's side of the bed..........................

So fun!! I am assuming that by now you all know I chose blue for the wall color in the bedroom!! Secret's out. I'm busted. I picked the softest shade of blue with just a hint of grey in it. Blue's with grey are the best choice if you want a soft effect that bounces light the best. Well, we tried a brand we have never used before and I was not impressed with it. It was runny, we had to keep stirring to blend the color because it kept separating from the base, it smelled like dirty feet, it was terrible. The end result? NOT the color I chose. But once we started putting things into the room I decided I could live with it. I refer to it as "cartoon blue" Marc likes it. Then again he is colorblind. But it is growing on me.

Marc brought one of the dressers home last night that he has been painting. It did not go well and he was frustrated so he brought it home for me to "fix". Marc is a perfectionist. He does things 150% all of the time. He usually sits and thinks about a project for 2 or 3 hours before he even starts it. And the project usually takes less than an hour! He has taught me to be more patient so that things go smoother and you get better results. He says "it's good to have a plan" Well, I kinda like livin' on the edge and flyin' by the seat of my pants. When he wheeled the dresser in last night he had disgrace all over his face. 2 coats of primer and 7 coats of spray paint............ and he wasn't happy with it. I LOVED IT! It is a little splotchy in places so I will hit those but for the most part it is fantastic. This dresser looks like he picked it up at some high end french antiques store and paid a bazillion dollars for it! It has the distressed look.........it is fantastic. When I was expressing my excitement he just looked at me like I was nuts "Do you just not want to paint it?" he asks. Again, Mommy doesn't always do things that make sense!!

Anywho...................that's my dreaming and fluffing for today. Now I have to go tackle my dreaded project. The master bedroom closet is desperate for attention and I have abandoned and avoided her for long enough. Time to face the mess head on and see what miracle I can work today! Oh! But before I go if you don't hear from me for the next couple of days you may want to send in the Search and Rescue team! Yeah, the closet is that bad.

Have a great day!!

~Heather :)

Bad Day

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and just know things aren't gonna go right?? Days where you feel like this inside.......................


Days where whoever you come in contact with acts like this...............

Days where you get so tense and stressed out that you feel like you are running a fever and like your skin gets so tight it feels as though it has been shrink- wrapped to your bones??? Yeah, today was one of those days. We are selling our old house............. that is located almost 3 hours away............. and things are not going well. It has been one "road block" after another for the last 4 months now. We are down to the wire and NO ONE seems to understand the urgency that I feel. I am doing work for the realtor, for the appraiser, and for the bank. I am exhausted and sick and tired of being on the phone for hours and hours a day (most of which is spent on hold) and talking to less than motivated people. I hate to admit it but I did not handle myself today as a Christian woman should. Stress paired with illness and discomforts of pregnancy met head on today and I left many people behind in my trail of destruction.

Later this evening a friend emailed me and attached this poem:

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong, as they
sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems
all up hill,
When the funds are low
and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you
have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with it's twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a person turns about
When they might have won had they
stuck it out
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the
victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night
came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out-
So stick to the fight when you're
hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that
you mustn't quit.

Thanks Sweetie...............I needed that.

Hopefully tomorrow will be more like this..............

Hear my prayer, O Lord- let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.

Psalm 102 Verse 1 & 2 Old Testament

~Heather

I Feel So Special!!!!

I feel so honored!!!!! Dot (aka Picket) over at Picket's Place gave me the Brillante Weblog award!! How cool is that?? Wow! I don't even know what to say. I was doing my happy dance when I found out! I first "met" Picket through Rate My Space. She was one of the first comments on my rooms and is just THE sweetest, funniest, most sincere woman......... I would love to meet her in person. I think she would be such a hoot to be around! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU PICKET!! You made my week sweetie!!

Rules for everyone who accept this award are:

1) Display logo and the link of who gave it.
2) Nominate at least 7 blogs.
3) Add links to those 7 blogs.
4) Leave the nominees a message that they received the award.

So, this is always hard because there are SO MANY wonderful blogs that I think are deserving of this award. Here are my nominees in no particular order:

1) LeAnn at Pink Icing on the Cake
2) Sheila at Note Songs
3) Nikki at The Scarlett Rose Garden
4) Jo at To A Pretty Life
5) Susie at Bienvenue
6) Marie at Watch the Wind Blow By
7) Rue at Rue's Peanut Butter & Jelly Life

All of these ladies just make my day and I enjoy their blogs so much. If you haven't been to these blogs you really do need to pay them a visit!!

Again, Picket- Thank You SO VERY MUCH! You have no idea what this means to me!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!
~Heather :)

A FUN FAMILY DAY

Today was a fun day. Marc was actually off for the first time in.............well, in a long time!! It was way too hot and humid outside. I mean it was awful. The kind of the day where you sit outside and just sweat. Yuck. So we went to Home Depot to look at materials. I designed a bed for our room as I want Marc to build me one and he has graciously agreed. We looked around at different mouldings and trim and tried to figure out the best way to do it. We left empty handed until we could make a final decision.
We also went to our local Flea Market. The kids love the flea market almost as much as I do and actually get excited and start squealing when we pull into the parking lot!! I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not!! LOL!!!
First stop of the day was the toy isle where the kids always walk away with more free stuff than things we have to buy. The guy that runs the booth thinks they are so cute and tends to spoil them with more stuff that they really do not need!! But they have fun.


Luke............We are your fathers!!!

My little princess found a dump truck!!
And I found lots of treasures today! God bless my husband....... he spoils me too!

This is a little silver wine bottle trivet.....

And surprise surprise I came home with more milk glass!! Harry really hooked me up with some deals today.......... (he is my milk glass supplier!! LOL!!)

I came away with all of this.............. and these cute little cream pieces Harry insisted I add to my collection!! He even gave me the cute little crate to carry it all home!

And I got this little precious teapot for $3!! Isn't she a beauty??
The little bunch of hydrangeas came from another booth............. my girl Ruthie. She is a doll and a true shabby chic queen. Is it sad that I am on a first name basis with vendors at the flea market??? LOL!!

Ruthie gave me great deals on some beautiful artwork today. I picked up these two floral prints for $20. They are old and signed and numbered. They are titled "Scabiosa and Apple Blossoms" from New York by Countess Zichy. A Countess? How fun!

These will go in our new master bedroom! They caught my eye as soon as we walked over to Ruthie's booth and I just had to have them! And then she showed me another one she thought I would like..................

Oh she is gooood!!!!It is a beautiful painting with the cutest frame! I couldn't pass this one up either. Although I originally bought it to go in our bedroom also it looked so good when I hung it in the living room for the picture Marc and I have decided it just might have to stay there!! This picture really doesn't do it justice though- it is lovely!

Here is another treasure I got from Harry's booth. I have no idea where it is going to go but it is so cute! I may have to fight Kyle for it though because he is insisting I put it in his room!! See this picture? This is Kyle saying "PLLEEEASE Mommy! I need it really bad!" LOL!!!

The kids were sad when we had to leave the flea market but they were once again turning the lights out on us!! That seems to happen every time we go there!

So when we came home I got to enjoy my new treasures and played around where everything was going to go and the kids played around with their treasures too...........

Although I am not sure what the fascination is with these masks.....especially since we have never let them watch the movie.............. it was fun to watch them play and the masks have entertained them for hours this evening!!


Hope you all had a great Saturday and found ways to stay cool!!

~Heather :)

Mystery Room Revealed.........

Okay ladies (and gentlemen brave enough to read my blog) It's the moment you have all been waiting for........................ The grand reveal of the Mystery Room!!!!! Oh I feel like Ty on an episode of Extreme Home Makeover!! he he he
Ta Duh!!!!!!!!



Our new Den/ Sewing & Craft Room!!!!! Now this room was supposed to be the new baby nursery. However, after a lot of thought and going back and forth we realized that this room would not be ideal (or even close) for a nursery for several reasons. Most importantly this den is on the far opposite side of the apartment from our master bedroom. Our apartment is pretty big so it would be quite a distance. We admitted that we are clingy parents and couldn't see having a newborn that far away from us. There is no closet, the HVAC isn't really adequate in this room, and- honestly, we need an office. This room has acted as a storage and project room for some time now which has proven that we need a place to get and stay organized and not have important paperwork and bills scattered in every room throughout our home. After spending 3 hours looking for an electric bill a couple of weeks ago we realized what needed to be done. I am disappointed that I don't get to decorate that dreamy nursery and that Cali won't have her own room but for the first few months she will be rooming with us like our first two children did. After that she will be sharing a room with Bella until they are old enough to tell us they don't like that arrangement. We'll see how that works out! Until then we have a fab new space that Marc and I are both IN LOVE with! He says it is "Better Homes and Gardens worthy". He is so cute!
Best of all we did this room without spending hardly any money! The cabinets were a dumpster save!! They didn't match which was fine with me because I wanted them white anyways. They fit into the space pretty darn perfect- Marc just had to trim a little off the sides. The counter top was a clearance item at Lowe's because it had a couple tiny scratches on it- which you can't even see because they are covered with the shelving. The shelving is just prefab bookshelves that we have had. We flipped them upside down and bolted them together and to the wall. (We still have to install crown mould at the top) I found the black pulls marked down to 67 cents!! The walls were already blue and everything else in the room was stuff we already had!


The office "stuff" is all pretty much contained on the shelving/cabinet side and my sewing is off to the left here...............

I made the little skirt for the front of the vanity because Marc and I didn't like the "exposed" look. It turned out pretty cute. The dresser holds my many pieces of fabric, trims and bobbles. I had made the window treatments sometime last summer and liked how they turned out but they were so heavy. We ended up finding a black wooden rod at Wal-Mart that would hold the weight!

And what office would be complete without a quiet little sitting nook? Well, I don't know about quiet in this house!! We moved Marc's grandfather's paintings in here because they looked better with the blue walls. The painting on the right is an old one that was given to us by a former resident of Marc's. The chair belonged to my grandmother and I just recovered it in the toile. The little stand is actually a file cabinet we picked up at the JCPenny outlet!

Another view of the "work station"...............

The entire family pitched in to get this project done! Tonight after dinner Marc drilled all the holes for the hardware and Kyle installed all the pulls!! He is such a great helper!!

We have a variety of stuff on the shelves now: CDs, movies, old books, office supplies, sewing supplies and art supplies. The room definitely needs tweaked and accessorized still but I just couldn't wait to post!!!

My little collage of photos. This is in the "sewing area" so I can look up at my little angels while I am doing my sewing. The basket hanging on the wall holds my scissors and permanent markers.......... things you want out of reach of the children!!

Storage bins we picked up at a yard sale that hold all of our movies..............

And my favorite storage containers by far............. my Ball jars!! I picked these cuties up at the same yard sale. I have kids craft supplies in some and sewing supplies in others. How fun is that?? You can see what you are looking for and they are super cute!

Of course we are still tweaking and putzing as we feel the room out and discover exactly how we will use it, what works and what doesn't. But for now we are excited that it is done. I love being in this room and can not wait to actually have a place to sit and do bills or write a letter. Even better- sew without sitting the machine (and myself) on the floor!!! Now that is exciting!!
And here is little Miss Bella.................. making final touches to the angle of the picture frame.......... she knows it's all in the details!!!

Hope you all enjoyed seeing the reveal and hopefully it was worth the wait!! It was for me- and let me tell ya I HATE waiting!!

Now we turn our focus on to the master bedroom. Now that is a project. Ugh. I'll keep ya posted. LOL!!!

Have a great day everybody!!

~Heather :)