Brianna's 4th Birthday!!

Had you asked me two years ago if I was a party person, I would have emphatically stated, "NO, I am so not a party person." To me, a party represented a whole lot of effort, time and money which yielded a few short hours of enjoyment, followed by more time and effort to clean up and put everything in it's place again. But, as it has in every other area of my life, motherhood has changed me.  I now have two little ladies in my life who come unglued at the mention of a party.  And as I gradually started putting more effort into making their birthdays special, I watched in amazement at the sheer joy on my girls' faces during those few short hours of party time.  I began learning that while parties may not necessarily the best use of my time and resources, they create special memories for my children, my husband, extended family and even for me.   As I was browsing through these pictures, I realized how glad I am that I took the time and effort to plan a party for my sweet girl.  So many treasured memories...

Sparkle shoes!

Thrilled with new toy horses. 

Emmie was a little sad when she realized the new horses weren't for her...

Bri and Papa

Papa and his grandbabies 

 

Aunt Jen with the girls

The parties I plan are not extravagant, super crafty or Pinterest worthy, but I think they make my girls feel special and loved and that's all that matters. Happy 4th birthday, Brianna Elizabeth!!

Family Photos - Nov. 2012

I absolutely ADORE family photos in general, but I particularly adore my family's "family photos." There is something so perfect about them...and since I struggle with being a perfectionist, it positively feeds my soul to see a perfect, lovely family photo.  We all look so happy, the girls aren't messy, their hair is fixed, Nick and I are dressed up (kind of), the lighting is golden and, there's that word again, perfect. 

A sweet friend took these photos for us and did an amazing job. I think they are pretty much my favorite family pics ever.  

Silver Dollar City - Fall 2012

Last fall, we spent a long weekend in Branson, Missouri and took the kids to Silver Dollar City.  We also went last Christmas (when it was about 15 degrees) and I just have to say, it was FAR more enjoyable in October!

Brianna: 3 years old     Emmie: 2 years old

A random stranger offered to snap a pic of the girls and I in front of the particularly scenic men's restroom (waiting on Daddy)! 

These girls love horses!

The petting zoo was the biggest hit of the entire amusement park and we spent at least an hour petting all the smelly animals. Nick and I gladly bid farewell to the petting zoo, only to realize the girls were far from satisfied. After we had circled the park and eaten lunch, we were bombarded with requests to go see the animals (again). So we did...

Pretty girl waiting to ride the choo choo train!

Train rides are a blast! The shrill train whistle, billowing steam and wind in our hair made for an thrilling ride for two little ladies.  It was refreshing to spend time enjoying each other as a family without all the distractions of home. Definitely need to do it again!

Our House

According to the stats on this blog, no one reads it.  So I've decided that it will be just for me to look back on.  I've pretty much given up scrapbooking since I don't have much time to devote to it.  So, this will take the place of scrapbooking for now.  

Since we're DIYers, it's fun to take current pics of our house and compare them to it's move-in condition seven years ago.  We bought it as a fixer upper and for the longest time, I seriously regretted having done so.  I wished for a more modern home with a bigger pantry, a real laundry room, a garage, etc. 

But, with lots of hard work and TLC, it has turned into a cute, updated house with plenty of room for our little family.  There are still lots of projects left (like a new roof and tiling the basement) but it's come a long way.  

Living Room - Before

I'll be the first to admit this doesn't look like a horrific before.  However, once we started looking closely, we notice tons of cables stapled around the windows, TONS of staples in the floor from old carpet, chipped sheet rock, wallpaper under paint that needed to be stripped...I'm tired just remembering all this. 

Living Room - After

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - Before

Again, this doesn't look too terrible. BUT, this was unquestionably the worst room in the house.
Cabinets - All were original to the house (1952) and the bottom ones were falling apart.  None of the drawers had tracks and were a chore to open and shut.
Oven - See in the first picture on the left side of the oven? There was a 12 inch space between it and the cabinet where the garbage can was shoved. This hole provided a charming view of the gas line, three layers of linoleum and several layers of wallpaper and paint. And the kitchen stunk because of the massive accumulation of grease residue and dried food on every surface in the vicinity of the oven.  Disgusting.  (Have I mentioned that this house was filthy when we moved in and smelled of urine and wet dog? It did.)
Counters - Cheap laminate with a built-in backslash that covered half of every outlet. The previous owners further accentuated this issue by buying wooden outlet covers, cutting them in half and attaching to the exposed half of each outlet and light switch. Lovely! Who wants to use both plugs on an outlet anyway!

Kitchen - After (love that Emmie is modeling her new panties) 

New oven, backsplash, refrigerator and bottom cabinets.

New sink, faucet, dishwasher and a bigger window to let in more natural light. Please also notice the outlets which are now fully exposed!

Kitchen - After
The green paint isn't nearly that bright. I couldn't get a picture that showed the accurate wall color.

Dining Room - Before (super funtional, no?)

Dining Room - After

We hung a chandelier and doubled the size of the original window. It let in so much beautiful light! It's not the fanciest dinning room on the planet, but it's a small space and doesn't lend itself to much more than this. 

Guest bath - Before

Guest bath - After

Emmie's room - Before

Emmie's room - After

Bri's Room - Before

Bri's Room - After

Playroom - After (no before pic of this one)

I still need to take after pics of the basement. Maybe in another post!