Weekend Rewind

Happy Monday!  I hope you link up with us today!

Let's dive right in.  Starting off with Friday -- Baby Girl's crib arrived!!!  I can't tell you how darn excited I am to have it!  I walked out to the garage and there it was -- darn people didn't even ring my bell to let me know they'd dropped anything off!

That's what it looks like now.  Here's what it'll look like when it's all put together!

Eeee!!!! So girly and so perfect!  I love it and can't wait to get it put together and in her sweet little room. :)

I was checking Facebook Friday morning when my back door neighbor started posting a ton of pictures of her daughter's outgrown clothes, all size 2T.  I started commenting right and left on the ones I wanted, then just texted her and told her I'd run over quick and just go through her pile and grab what I liked.  Made the process so much easier and fun!  I came back home with this big stack - all for $40!  2 jackets, 5 dresses, 4 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of Under Armor comfy pants, 1 pair of leggings and a ton of shirts.  I also snagged 2 shorts and t-shirt outfits that were Under Armor - one still had the tags on it!  Score!

Friday night we started priming the walls in the basement -- the mudders came last Monday and finished with the texture coat on Thursday.  Andy got started as soon as he came home from work Friday.  I went down and helped as much as I could, got supper around, then we went back down to prime. Andy's folks arrived around 6:30 and they both grabbed rollers and dug in.  While they finished priming the bathroom Andy and I started painting the bedroom ceilings. We had just enough ceiling paint from a prior job to get one coat on both boys' bedrooms.  We finished up just before 10:00, then all came upstairs to sit and relax and gab for a bit.  I was exhausted and my feet were screaming at me!  But, it got done and wow did that change the looks of things down there!  So exciting!

Saturday morning started with an early run to town to get more paint at Wal-Mart.  What should have been a quick 20 minute stop turned into a 45 minute one.  But FINALLY, I got out of there and hurried home with a package of donuts for breakfast and 3 cans of paint.  As soon as the donuts were down the hatch we headed back to the basement for a day of painting.

We have some of the best kids around -- the big boys each grabbed a roller and helped paint all day long.  And Tate, he kept himself busy pushing tractors around and staying out of the way.

Andy and I started with the hallway ceiling, then putting a second coat on all the ceilings.  I painted a coat of super awful, stinky paint in the closets, then had Andy do the second coat because that paint was so darn strong smelling!  Finally we were ready for the walls, which is when the kids came into things.  We stopped for a quick 15 minute lunch and to put Tate down for his nap before heading back downstairs to finish up painting the first coat.  Whew, we were all glad that was done for the day!

We finished up about 2:00, then I hustled to get a batch of Ree's Chocolate Sheet Cake made for Andy's family reunion that night.  Quickly jumped into the shower, had the boys take theirs and then we were off to town and the supper.

We were at the supper for about 2 hours before my battery totally wore out.  I must have looked like a zombie sitting there, ha ha!  We ended up leaving there just before 8:00.  Tate barely made it 3 blocks before he was zonked out -- I wished I could have been sleeping then, too!

Sunday, same thing/different day.  We ate breakfast then headed down to paint.  Andy and I did the second coat ourselves, just to be sure it was covered really well and there weren't any streaks or runs.  We got it all done in about 2 1/2 hours -- the second coat always goes faster.  During one of the quick water breaks Andy drew this:

Sweet and disgusting, all at the same time - lol!

We ran to town quick, grabbed some lunch, then headed back home to get started hanging the bedroom doors.  Of course the first one didn't go as smooth as we'd hoped, but the second one went much quicker and easier.  Amazing how much more like a finished product those doors made it look! Now to get them sanded and painted.

While Andy was slaving away in the basement (ha!) our neighbor and her daughter, who is the mom of our summer friends, came over with gifts.  So so sweet of them!  Our first gifts for the baby!  Just look how sweet these are!

We finally stopped working in the basement with just enough time to get showers before the NFL Hall of Fame game started.  FOOTBALL!!!  It's finally here!!! Yay yay yay!!!  Da'Bears play Thursday night, can't wait!

Tonight we'll start working on the closet door jambs, then it'll be the casing around the doors, then finally the base trim.  We are focusing solely on getting the bedrooms all trimmed out so the carpet layers can come either end of this week or beginning of next. The hallway won't have carpet until next year when we do the big living area so that it's exactly the same thing/matches.  So, we have time to dilly with that trim and the doors to the storage room and bathroom.  The bathroom we will focus on as soon as the boy's rooms are down, which should be middle of next week.  They just can't wait to get moved down there!

That's my weekend recap - link up yours so I can read all about what you did!

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Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  How was your first week of August?  I have been syncing my wall calendar and purse calendar and can tsk off what's going on every week for the rest of the month, which always makes the month feel shorter.  For instance, next Friday we are going to the State Fair. That following Monday the boys and I are going to visit my cousin's new baby with my aunt, cousin and mom.  The next week school starts on Wednesday, then that Friday I am finally going to go to one of those huge consignment sales. And so on and so forth.  August will be over before I even knew it was here!

Now for my Friday Favorites.

First up, Pinterest.  I created a 'Back to School' board this week to pin lunch ideas and tips on.  I have the hardest time coming up with good, healthy, FILLING lunch ideas for the boys.  Our daily hot lunches at school cost $3 here.  That's $30 per week to feed both boys at school.  That seems like a lot to me, even if they are healthy, good meals.  So I send the boys to school with their lunches 4 times a week and they get to choose one day to eat the school lunch.  The boys' favorite lunch last year consisted up tortilla roll ups, but you need to make those the night before so they kind of set up and hold together once you've cut them, so I rarely made them.  This year I want to be better and try to prepare as much of their lunches as I can on Sunday's so during the week they can just pull out what they need that day and hopefully that will make mornings go smoother.  Check out my board for some ideas for your own kids' lunches!

Next up, I'm am totally craving Fall these days and this picture made me that much more anxious.  All those leaves on the ground, the gray skies and the cooler temps - ahhh, heavenly!

Favorite #3, Missouri Peaches!  Folks, they are in the stores here and they are dee-LICIOUS!  They are by far my favorite peach. So big, so juicy, so flavorful.  I cut one up and had it for lunch this week.  Mmm mmm mmm!

My most favorite of all favorites this week is my dear friend, Jenny.  Recently she hosted a Younique make up party online and I was too cheap to buy anything, even though I really really wanted to.  Out of nowhere she sent me my very own 3D Fiberlashes mascara!  She took pity on me and didn't want me to miss out on the awesomeness that is this mascara.  How sweet is she??  She moved last Thanksgiving and we don't see each other nearly often enough now - she was my go-to girl date and we always had such a great time gabbing with each other.  I have missed her so much.  She is so sweet to share.

What are your Friday Favorites this week?

Don't forget to come back Monday and link up with me and 3 other fab bloggers for the Weekend Rewind!

Baby Girl - Week 24

This week is picture week!  I had planned from the beginning to take a picture in the same fitted tank each month so comparing my progress would be easier. Well, I quickly realized my gray tank blended in with the wall color so I threw that idea out the window.  Here we are at 24 week.

I thought it'd be fun to compare Baby Girl's 24 week picture with Tate's.  Here they are.

Too bad they aren't the same closeness.  But, I think they actually look pretty close in size.  And in the same place, as far as carrying high or low goes.

How far along: 24 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: Ready to move on to the cuter fall stuff and jeans.

Sleep: Hasn't been too bad this week but the dreams! They are so crazy and so real, very detailed.  

Best moment of this week: When I stopped at the pharmacy to get med's for Tate's ear infection two of the gals there made a special point to stop by the drive up window and wish me congrats on the baby and that she's a girl.  That excitement is so sweet of everyone, makes me feel so special!  

Miss anything: Not really.  I can still get up and go so haven't had any 'bug stuck on it's back' moments yet.  I can still get on the floor and play with Tate. 

Movement: Yes, she's very active.  We tease that she does the Royal Horses kick thing in my belly, which is when the horses jump up in the air and kick their back feet out at the same time. Saw it on some PBS special one time - the first time she kicked really hard I had just seen a commercial for those horses that were to be in the States touring and doing a show. Part of that commercial showed their famous kick, so it's what I've envisioned ever since. Andy asked me the other night if the Princess had been doing her Royal Horse kicks that day.  Made me laugh. :)  Baby Girl is a very strong little lady and in the past week I have been able to watch her kick as well as feel it.  It's fun to see my belly pop and jump. These movements are one of the best parts of pregnancy, hands down!

Food cravings: None, although I prefer sweet to salty hands down.

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!    

Labor signs: No Braxton Hicks this week.

Looking forward to: Getting her crib!  I ordered it last week on Amazon and can't wait for it to come!  I also ordered that baby bonnet I told you about Monday, it has shipped so should arrive in the next week or so -- can't wait to see it!  I'm also looking forward to going to a friend's house next week to go through her baby girl clothes. She's going to go through my baby boy clothes as a swap - her sweet little guy was born 3 weeks ago.  

Symptoms/Side effects:  I've started having a little bit of RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome).  It's not too bothersome ... yet ... and I notice it at night when relaxing and laying in bed.  Just mild little twitches but if it's anything like my previous pregnancies they'll get worse.  With Tate I took Magnesium pills and that helped a ton!  I've also been experiencing the feeling of all that weight out front.  Sometimes it just feels so heavy that the only relief I can get is to lay on my left side and relax.  Laying on my right doesn't help for some odd reason. Probably all in my head but I do have a left side that is just as easy to get to as my right (ha!) so I get the relief I am looking for.  
I have mentioned that I feel like a cow sometimes, really big and huge.  I've come to discover that I feel like this in certain outfits. So guess what - those shirts have been buried at the bottom of my dresser and I hope to never see them on me again!  Problem solved!

Name:    You guys!!!  Still no name!  Andy is totally sold on one in particular.  I, however, am not convinced.  I keep saying it's not a real name, it's made up.  I don't know what we'll do about it.  I did hear back from my friend in Ireland and here are the names she suggested based on family names - Erin, Lili, Realtin, Sinead, Roisin, Lara and Fiona.  All pretty, but none jump out at me as 'the one'. Thank goodness the middle name is settled, that's half the battle.  And maybe Andy's name will suit me better after she's born - that's what happened with Brennan's name.  

That's where things stand this week.  16 weeks - 4 MONTHS! - to go!  Two more weeks until my next check up.  I wish those things came quicker, I always love mine.  It helps that I love my doctor, too. :)

Kindergarten Memory Book

I have to admit something - I can be a bit of a pack rat.  As a kid I NEVER threw anything away, everything held a memory for me.  You can imagine all the junk I accumulated over the years!  As an adult I have tried hard not to continue to do this but it seems when I finally decide to purge, whether it be my closet or my craft room, I come to regret getting rid of something as time goes by.  Keeping vs. pitching - it's a fine balancing act.

I really thought as a mom I'd want to  keep everything.  Surprisingly, I don't!  I have kept their first scribbles on paper, and I have kept their best art work from school and their first 100% on a test.  Besides that, it all goes to the recycling cart.

To keep that niggling feeling of "I'm being a bad mom by throwing this out" I make photo books of all their Kindergarten art projects.  In preschool there are a lot of scribbley drawings brought home, nothing too noteworthy. But in Kindergarten they bring home actual cut and paste and color projects. At the end of a unit they have each brought home grocery sacks full of their projects.  I pull those out, take a picture of each one, and at the end of the school year compile them all into photo books.  I ordered mine from Shutterfly but so many online and instore photo companies offer them.

I got smarter with Brennan's and added some pictures his teacher took of the class, plus a few pictures of him I took myself.  I am so happy with how his turned out!

I put their first day of school picture on the front cover, and their last day of school picture on the back cover.  Then I can open it flat and compare the difference, and there is a big difference in Brennan's!

Here are some of the pages.

I love looking at these books, they make me smile every time!  "Like" Shutterfly on Facebook, they post sales on their photo books often, and you can make your own, too!

This is not a sponsored post, just telling you what I use.

Weekend Rewind

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first week of our weekly link up. All you have to do is blog about your weekend and then link up using the link tool below!

Our weekend consisted of working on the basement remodel.  But we weren't in the basement at all. Confused??  It started Saturday morning with what I thought would be a semi-quick trip to Menards but lasted 2 hours. Ugh!  :)  Thank goodness our boys know how to handle themselves in a store.  Tate even did really well.  We picked up a new furnace filter because ours is shot after all the dust we've created.  The drywallers are coming today (YIPPEE!!!) and we know by the end of the week we'll finally be all done with all of the extra dust so got the filter so we could breathe clean air again. Ha!

We also got all the of the base and casing trim, plus paint for that and primer for the walls.  As we were leaving we picked up the rest of our doors, too.  I am praying that we might be finally close to not buying that store out every weekend. Fingers xxxx'd!

We grabbed some lunch before heading out of town.  When we got home Andy and Aiden started sanding the trim while I hopped on the mower.

Got the lawn all mowed and Andy and Aiden were ready for a break so we grabbed the lawn chairs and sat under the shade tree out front.  Sitting under a shade tree always makes me think of Sunday dinners at my Grandma's - it's a lost pasttime I think, sitting under shade trees.  With a glass of tea.  And company. So we didn't have the tea, or company, but we had the chairs and the shade. :)

I then loaded Brennan up with sunscreen and drove him over to his little friend's house for his pool birthday party.  It went from 2-7, bless his mom!  I'm a 2 hours tops kind of party gal when it comes to the boys' friends coming over.  (Lame mom!)  We finished up with the trim, cleaned ourselves up a bit then headed to town to grab a few more things at WalMart.  We swung by the local ice cream store and each got a couple of scoops of the good stuff!  Aiden got 2 scoops of bubble gum ice cream, which actually has gum in it!  Andy got 2 scoops of Cherry Rum, which he said he wouldn't get again. And I got 1 scoop of Peanut Butter Campfire Crunch (holy yum!) and 1 scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  Tate sampled/ate mine and Andy's.  Then home we came for supper.  Guys, I made what might have been the world's best tasting hamburgers, ever!!!  They were so dang good, even Tate ate a hamburger, and that kid hates the texture of ground beef!  Nothing super fancy, just mixed them up with a little seasoning and a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce for some moisture, then grilled them up.  Added some fresh tomatoes from the garden, some lettuce and voila, delicious!  After that amazing supper I bombed over to the friend's house to grab Brennie.  It was a fun, busy day.

Sunday was a tad more relaxed.  We were forecasted to have 90 degree temps and super high humidity so we went out early to get started painting all of that trim.  We worked pretty consistently on the trim until noon.  While Andy and I were painting, the boys were playing with their summer friends.  Guys, these kids are SO great and SO fun and the boys just LOVE them!  We have looked forward to them coming ALL SUMMER!  They arrived early last week and leave end of this week, so the boys are making the most of their time with them.  Seriously, GREAT kids!  And they say y'all because they're from Texas. :)

After lunch it was back to the grind. You guys, that HEAT and HUMIDITY!  Add to it I'm 24 weeks pregnant and wow did it take a lot out of me.  We finally finished painting just before 3:00.  The air conditioning felt amazing!  I plunked myself in front of the TV to cool off and watch Making The Team - Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.  I have loved this show from day one, season 10 starts Thursday night and I can't wait!

After I cooled off it was time for a shower for me and the boys so I could take them to Vacation Bible School. It started last night and runs every night this week through Thursday.  2 1/2 hours of just Andy, Tate and I - quiet!!!  Plus the big boys have fun, which is most important!  Just before I was to go pick them up a really neat rain came through. We were on the Northeast side of a nasty thunderstorm, so the rain we got was pretty neat.  The sun was shining through the clouds a little so it lit everything up..  It also brought wind and cooler, less humid temperatures - heaven!  On the way home from VBS I snapped a picture of this cool cloud.

I had to share this picture of Tate.  Friday our neighbor posted that she was giving away a bunch of toys because they are moving and she doesn't want to pack them all.  Tater Tot snagged a FREE cozy coupe!!!  OMG, this boy LOVES this car!!!  We have to drag him out of it!  It's hilarious how much he likes this thing!  Sunday morning Tate and the big boys got our rags and some soapy water and washed it down really good.  Tate had a blast!

And one more thing.  I made a friend in Ireland!  I have always been a huge fan of Ireland and have always wanted to go visit there.  Well, I've been looking for a crocheted bonnet for sweet baby girl to wear this winter to keep her sweet little soft head warm.  I found one on Etsy but it was sold out. Then I found a few patterns that I was going to choose from, then ask my grandma to crochet one for me.  Well, lo and behold, Etsy suggested a few to me Saturday and I found *thee one* I've been wanting!  I stopped everything and quickly ordered it! The best part?  It's from IRELAND!!!  So I added a message to the owner of the shop and she replied back!  With Irish girl name suggestions!  Eee!  So I was floating high after that! :)  Here's a picture of the pretty little bonnet my sweet girl will be showing off this winter. (I ordered the sweet pea's in white.)

Up this week: the drywallers are coming!!!  Tuesday the boys and I are going to meet my mom for lunch.  VBS every night.  Aiden has 2 nights of football camp, Monday and Tuesday.  And cooler temps!!!

Have a great week, all! And don't forget to link up!

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