Home "Improvements" (L)

Before I begin, I have to say that I think my husband is the hardest working man in the country.  He works so hard at his job and then he comes home and continues working on our house.  He is amazing and I could never have the drive to do what he does.

In December of 2013, my dear hubby and I began planning where we would put the baby that we're expecting.  Previous to that, we had been thinking about it, but we didn't make any real PLANS until December. We decided that my son would have to move into our "third" bedroom.  The trouble is that the other 2 bedrooms are on the second floor, and his would now be on the first floor.  He's so little to be so far away!!  But this is our only house, so here we go.

For the first 2 and a half years of owning our home (the time between buying the house and our son's birth), my husband and I lived in the third bedroom.  We were doing many, MANY renovations on our house v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y (until our son's due date was approaching) and the 2nd floor was not inhabitable. Now that it's time for the little man to move into the third bedroom, it's time to renovate it! It was good enough for us at the time, but it is not good enough for our baby boy! For one thing, the room is drafty.  We've torn out nearly every wall in our house and re-insulated because the insulation that was existing was no good.  It also needs new windows, and since everything is going to be opened up, we might as well redo the electrical and the lighting!

So on December 28th, my husband took the day off of work and did this:

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Here we go again... more demo dust followed by the promise of spackle dust and saw dust... my house will never be clean again!!!!!!!

Ok, that's enough drama... but there is a great anxiety that comes with the house being under construction.

Did I mention that my husband is the hardest working person I've ever met?  Well he is.  And because he works so hard, it took a little while to get things to a place where it felt like we were progressing.  Previous to December 28th, that room had been my son's playroom.  So when we started construction, the changing table and ALL of the toys had to come out of the room and the living room and dining room became the new playrooms! Since it was 3 days after Christmas, all of our Christmas decorations were still up and our furniture was in the "Christmas Configuration" to accommodate the 7-foot fir tree that is not typically in our dining room... So it was a wee bit crowded out there. We lived like that for a few months.

One month later, on January 29th, the windows were installed!

Hooray! Progress!

As you can see in the picture, my husband wasn't slacking!  He had cleaned up, re-insulated, re-run the electrical, added recessed lighting, added a proper bracket for the ceiling fan that we will be putting up (the one that had been in there was super scary.  We hadn't turned it on in about a year for fear that it would fall out of the ceiling....) and he got everything ready for Sheetrock once the new windows were in!

Looking back now, it's a lot easier to see how much work was actually done.  At the time, it felt like everything was taking FOREVER and that nothing would ever be completed.

Please keep in mind that all of this is taking place in the third trimester of my pregnancy, so I feel like I'm walking around in a sea of dust with a ticking time bomb strapped to my belly! LOL! It felt like we had so much to do and no time (OR MONEY!) to do it.

But my husband who has never let me down in the 11 years that I've known him, came through once again and created this amazing new bedroom for our little man:

On March 15th (4 days before our baby's due date!!) we moved our little guy into his new room. We need to put a few more things on the walls, but it's certainly getting there! And now that our little lady is on her way (aaaaaaaaany minute now........) we will all be sleeping in our own bedrooms.  He absolutely LOVES his room!  He wants to spend every minute in there!  He's not so fond of sleeping in there, but that's another blog for another day.

Impatiently Waiting (L)

I have 2 days before my little girl is "due." All that means is that I can't stand being pregnant anymore!!  We're in the "any day now" period, and I'm wishing that ANY day was TOday! I feel like a whale!  I'm so short of breath and running around after my little man is so draining.  He wants to play like we always do, but I just can't do it for the last few weeks.  Please don't get me wrong.  I do not mean to complain.  I love being pregnant and I feel completely blessed to get to bring these people into the world!  But the last few weeks of pregnancy are very difficult.

See the I'm-over-it look on my face?  That's not staged.  I took this pic for a friend of mine who lives far away.  I was trying to smile... 

The baby has dropped, but my cervix remains closed.  Some people say that it doesn't mean anything because cervical progression can be very quick when (if) you go into labor.  Well here's what it means to me:  I am not currently inducible.  While this may not be a big deal to many women, it is a big deal to me. My first baby was delivered via c-section after a "failed induction" 2 days after his due date.  I didn't know then what I know now, and I am trying for a VBAC with this baby.  Throughout my pregnancy, I've been working with a doctor and a midwife (and annoying the crap out of my poor husband) to make sure that I'm doing everything possible to have a healthy pregnancy and that we're leading towards a natural delivery.

For the first half of my pregnancy, I was going to the gym 3-4 times per week, taking spin classes, and eating anything I wanted!  As my belly grew, and my energy decreased, my trips to the gym became less frequent!  (I also partially blame the end of Daylight Savings Time... it's VERY difficult to get up at 5:30AM when it's pitch black outside!)

When I was 20 weeks pregnant, UNDER DOCTOR'S ORDERS I cut carbs from my diet.  I was put on a very healthy, Mediterranean-style diet with the intention that we keep the baby's weight down to make delivery easier.  According to my doctor, women who cut carbs have smaller babies. The smaller babies are not less healthy, but instead of having a 9lb baby, I'm aiming for a very healthy 7lb baby!  In any case, I did very well on the low-carb diet for about 2 months... and then the holidays came!  I fully intended to go back on my diet after New Year's (ain't it always the way?) but it just didn't happen.  But the good news is that at my 39 week appointment, my little lady was measuring 6lb. 7oz., so we're not in danger of having a 12 pounder anyway!  Phew.

I crave carbs and cheese... Italian food is "Mediterranean," right? 

Since I was 36 weeks, my midwife has had me taking Pulsatilla to try and help my mucus plug to fall away, Primrose Oil to soften the cervix, and Red Raspberry Leaf tea to push everything along.  At 38 weeks she upped the dosages because there had been no change in 2 weeks.  We also added Caulophyllum Thailctroides to try and stimulate Braxton Hicks contractions (not labor contractions) and using my breast pump once per day to stimulate contractions as well. I've been making a concerted effort to get to the gym to do some walking, and sex is always prescribed at this stage of pregnancy to help things along! (It's funny that you use the same method to get the baby into the womb that you do to get them out!! But I digress...)

I've been having lots of contractions, but nothing "real" is happening yet.  I know she'll be here some time in the next 2 weeks, I just wish I knew when!

Thankfully, as of yesterday, we're ready for her when she gets here!  

Sorry for the long complaint!
And Happy St. Paddy's Day!  

Erin Go Bragh, and soda bread too! (B)

I am very excited about St. Paddy's Day being right around the corner! I am even more excited for Parade Day though. It is just such a good time. We are planning to have a little get together at our house after the parade. It will be replete with all of the Irish fixings- corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and two kinds of soda bread. There will be other things too, like chicken nuggets (for the kiddos), cookies, salads- you know, party food. We will also have pre-parade brunch with my favorite muffins and personalized eggs. I am planning a fun craft for the kiddies too. I seriously can't wait!

Anyway, you may have noticed that I said we have two kinds of soda bread at our St. Paddy's feast. Every year I bake a traditional soda bread, using the same recipe my Grandma made, chock full of raisins and caraway seeds. But- do you know who's not a fan of caraway seeds? Kids. Kids do not care for them at all, in my experience. A lot of them aren't all that keen on raisins either. Do you know what kids (and grown ups, AKA me) do like? Chocolate chips. That's right. Along with my traditional, I make a chocolate chip soda bread! It's been an amazing hit with all ages. I tend to go with a slice from each loaf and so does my Dad!

The food is probably the most important part of the day... I mean, corned beef is SO freaking delicious, but you hardly ever get it outside of St. Pat's. I love making corned beef in the big pot and watching it soak up the beer, but you have to keep in mind- it's Parade Day! I don't want to miss the big show because I'm stuck home chained to the stove. Yet, good corned beef takes time. Last year I handled this by scouring Pinterest for a slow cooker recipe that would meet my admittedly high expectations. I was leery, I won't deny it, but let me tell you- it was perfect! I received a ton of compliments too. Here it is:

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage 

• 10 baby red potatoes, quartered 
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in pieces 
• 4 cups water
• 4lbs corned beef, with spice packet 
• 6 ounces of beer 
• 1/2 head of cabbage, coarsely chopped 

Place onions and potatoes in the crock pot and cover with the water. 

Add the brisket and then pour the beer and spices over top.

Cook on high for 8 hours.

1 hour before serving stir in chopped cabbage and re-cover. 

Last year I had to do the cabbage on the stovetop. As I mentioned, we like to have company post-parade and one brisket was NOT going to be enough corned beef! So I had to cram two into the slow cooker and there was just no room to stir in cabbage. I am getting so hungry thinking about this! Spicy mustard and fresh rye from the local bakery are all I need to be complete at this point... I hope everyone's St. Paddy's is just as wonderful. Share your traditions in the comments! I am always looking for fun new ways to celebrate. 
 

Slainte is Gaelic for "cheers!" 

A Disney Themed Bedroom (B)

So, we have had a very sick house. I was sick, and then little HJ got sick, and then I got sick AGAIN with what HJ had. Probably due to my already taxed immune system. That second one was a doozy too. We are both still congested, but it's getting better; at the least the fevers are gone. 

Anyway, as promised, Hubby Jr.'s Disney Themed Bedroom:

Did you know Home Depot used to carry a line of Disney paint colors? It's true. I was sad to see that is no longer the case, but it really isn't That big a deal. Hubby Jr's room would be just as cute if we painted the doors, both the entry and closet, "black" rather than "Mouse Ears."

All the trim is "Goofy Yellow." It's the color, in my opinion, of Mickey's shoes, but I remember thinking when we picked it, "what does yellow even have to do with Goofy?" His hat is green, his shoes are brown, his pants and shirt are blue and orange! I don't know, but it sure looks cute. 

Two of the walls are red and the other two are white. It's rather striking. Hubby Jr was over the moon the first time he saw it. Red is far and away his very favorite color, and it's the first thing that hits your eye when you walk in the door:

If you are wondering why the drum kit is up in the window box, you may remember from my snow post that we live in a condo. Just because kids like to get up and play at 7a does NOT mean the rest of the building is ready to hear it that early! The drums only come down when it is socially acceptable. 

I was really excited to find the Mickey Road Rally bed set since it's Mickey, but still racecar so it ties in Lightning McQueen.  He started out with a blue and red toddler bed featuring Lightning McQueen on the headboard, but as you can see, we've graduated to full McQueen, well twin, but you know what I mean:

The dressers are fun. The tall one was a pretty plain hand-me-down, until the new bed came with some extra stickers! The short dresser came from Ikea. It started out with pink drawers, but Hubby used the trim yellow to match the dresser to the room. You can't even tell they were once pink:

He also used extra red and trim yellow to paint two white shelves we picked up at Lowes. They are adorned with hats, a few stuffed animals (HJ doesn't really care to play with stuffed animals- he's such a BOY! Ha), his piggy bank, and one of his Potato Heads all decked out for Disney! 

His big bookcase of toys, train table, Lego table, art easel and circus tent round out the room!

Oh yeah, and if you are wondering about the snowflakes- they were a surprise from D.A. (his Elf on the Shelf). They are still up because HJ loves them, and it snowed here as recently as this week. They will be coming down with the time change though- at least until D.A. returns this winter (we can talk about Elves and my torn feelings on the subject then). 

As you can probably tell, all of this didn't happen over night. It's been about a year in the making for us to get here. A lot has changed in that year and HJ's room has evolved- big things like growing out of his toddler bed or getting his train table for Christmas and little things like figuring out a cute way to incorporate his art from school into the decor or adding a special space just for creating art at home. If you have fun theme ideas I'd love to hear about them in the comments (HJ probably won't love Disney forever- sadly). And feel free to leave suggestions!