You know how some things just don't come together?

Well finally, several years later, they have.

About 6-7 years ago I started tearing pictures out of magazines and collecting them in a file box. In the box are my decorating ideas along with paint samples, fabric samples and tons and tons of pictures.

I must have about 30 pictures of master bathrooms that I like. Certain things about each one that caught my eye.

When it was time to move into our house, my box and I were ready. The vision of what I wanted started falling together. The kitchen, perfect. Our bedroom, fantastic. Even later, our nursery, heavenly.

But that master bathroom just eluded me. I had the pictures and I put together what I wanted. Todd and I argued about the proper shade of blue in thebathroom and compromised. Our bathroom turned out to be a really bad example of a compromise. His navy blue and my slate blue met in the middle in the form of "Blue Chaise" by Behr. The sample card sure was pretty. But oh boy, at the holy electric blue bathroom that came out of it.

From day 1, we both hated it. But it was such a pain to paint, that we lived with it. And lived with it. It'll be 4 years next month.

But, on Christmas Eve, I got a fantastic present. Paint. Two gallons of it. And as I type, Todd is finishing up the second coat of paint. A soft, goldish-tan color. The bathroom is completely changed. No more blue! Hooray and Amen!

And a budget bonus - I decided to repurpose everything from the guest bathroom that was recently redecorated for Will and his brother. I'm using the rugs, towels, framed print and accessories in our master bath. Today we only needed to pick up 2 new bath towels and 2 hand towels in chocolate brown. The sage green I'd had didn't quite mesh with the walls. But the chocolate looks fantastic.

The decorating is just the first step in a long/slow process.

Eventually, the tile around the tub is being ripped out, the awful/cheap mirror glued to the wall is coming down, along with the hideous light fixture and the ugly fiberglass shower w/ the crappy sliding door is being gutted. Those are all long-term goals, of course. Heck, we haven't even found a tile we want to use.

But in the meantime, I can soak in my tub in a bathroom that doesn't look like the neon sign in front of a Blockbuster Video. And that makes me happy.

It's Christmas Eve

I'm sitting here, typing while watching my adorable 3 year old lay on the floor and play with "Banshee" which sounds a bit like "Bangie". His aunt and uncle gave it to him and he's completely enraptured with it. Including sleeping with it. Just to give you an idea of what my son is sleeping in bed with, here it is. Not exactly the sort of thing you'd think a kid would sleep with. But he loves it, for sure.

Anyway, so I'm enjoying my son playing in the family room while I type. How is that so? It's because I got to have my Christmas present a few days early. I'm typing on my new HP laptop. :) :) I'm so thrilled. I've wanted a laptop for years, but it was such a want item, not a need. We certainly didn't need it. But Todd came through and wowed me with a fantastic gift.

I think he's really going to like what he's getting, too. Thankfully he never reads the blog so I can say now what he's getting. :) We'll open presents tonight and he'll get the 3 gifts that are wrapped for him under the tree. He's getting PJ's, a new electric razor and a squeegie for the car (gets the water off after you've washed it). He'll be proud of me for getting good gifts for him, and for sticking to our budget. But tomorrow morning, he'll see that Santa has filled his stocking. And at the very bottom is going to be new Blackberry Curve. :) He's going to be thrilled. I love that he won't discover it until tomorrow morning.

It looks like we both scored blockbuster gifts this year. :)

I love seeing the magic of Christmas through my son's eyes. Watching Will get more and more excited about Santa coming makes me so happy. I cannot wait to take him to church tonight and to deliver cookies afterwards. And to open our PJs. We'll read Christmas stories tonight and put our cookies and milk for Santa.

Tomorrow morning is going to be wonderful. I cannot wait to see his face when he sees what Santa has brought for him. And when he opens all the wrapped presents from us under the tree. It's going to be great. Then we're off to Atlanta for the day (yes, long drive for 1 day) to celebrate Christmas with aunts and uncles and the rest of my family.

Less than 3 months to go

I'm about ready to flip my lid. This baby is due 3 months from today. Eep! That's soon! And since I'll be induced before my dute date, he'll actually be here in 3 months or less.

I feel like we're ready - the nursery is ready to go, he has some new clothes and diapers and the carseat is even out in the garage ready to be buckled into the car.

But, emotionally - not ready at all. I'm scared to death. Don't get me wrong, I cannot cannot wait to meet this tiny little man and love him with everything I've got. The idea of parenting two kids scares the tar out of me.

We're going tonight for a 3D/4D ultrasound - so we're getting our first good look at this little guy and what he looks like. Hopefully that'll help us come up with a name for him.

Kharma gets you every time

Just remember that, Brandy.

I can't stand petty, small, little people.

Jesus is better than Santa

Jesus is Better than Santa

Santa lives at the North Pole.

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year

JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited

JESUS stands at your door and knocks..

And then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is

"Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"

JESUS knew our name before we did.

Not only does He know our name,

He knows our address too.

He knows our history and future and He

even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me

for I care for you.

Santa's little helpers make toys

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts,

repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree

JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.

We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.

We need to keep Christ in Christmas.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

The Top 10 Reasons to Cloth Diaper

Top 10 Reasons to Cloth Diaper The Top Ten Reasons To Cloth Diaper by Susan K. Dodge-Doak http://www.BabyByYou.com #1. Your baby's comfort. Would you like to wear stiff paper (and/or plastic) underwear 24 hours a day? The comfort of cotton and knowing I was providing the best possible comfort for my daughter was the #1 reason I switched to cloth diapers, and why I still love them so much today. #2. The environment. Leave a cleaner world behind for your baby, and your grandchildren. Disposables leave behind an average of 2.7 tons of non-biodegradable waste (not to mention the waste produced by manufacturing them alone) per child. Compare that to a few dozen cotton diapers, and the responsible choice also becomes an easy one. #3. Save money. With disposables, some estimate you spend an average of $2000 per child. Cloth compares at only an average of $150-$350 per child (with the added but minimal cost of electricity and water to launder them). What a great excuse to start a college fund for your baby now, and you can rest assure that your money is being well-spent and not going to "waste" in a land-fill! #4. Potty training is easier, and happens earlier. It's a little-known fact that cloth diaper children potty train earlier, and with less effort on their parent's part. This has mostly to do with the fact that when a cloth diaper is wet, they can feel the sensation. Chemical laden disposables can feel so dry, your baby never gets a chance to understand what their body is doing. #5. Cotton diapers are gel free. Polyacrylate gel in diapers is a relatively new phenomenon, and no one really knows what the long term effects are. It also leaches moisture from your babies skin. Additionally, disposables are full of dioxins. While non-organic cotton cloth diapers can also have dioxins, they typically are washed out within the first few pre-washes (before your baby will ever wear them), however one-use-only disposables are never rid of them. Additionally, and perhaps the most compelling reason to use cloth diapers, is that disposable diapers containing polyacrylate gel are suspected of exacerbating, and even causing, asthma. #6. Cloth diapers are so much better looking. Photographers still traditionally photograph diapered babies in cloth diapers, simply because they are so much cuter! Today they are available in as many prints and colors as their are fabrics available, not to mention the combination of choices you have with twill, flannel, hemp, terry and more. Imagine how many classic baby photos would suddenly become less "quaint" with a baby wrapped in a disposable diaper. I prefer to bring my groceries home in paper and plastic, not my baby! #7. More fun for Mom. While not every mother (or woman, for that matter) is a born "shopaholic", most moms I know just love how fun it is to shop for cloth diapers. There are unlimited choices today in cloth diapering, like all-in-one, terry, flannel, contour, prefold, fitted and other contemporary-style cloth diapers. And when you are on a budget, swapping is a great, and economical, way to try the latest new "rage" in cloth diapers. #8. Better cushioning for baby's bum. We all know that babies and toddlers have their fair share of bumps and spills! Cushy cotton provides a much softer "landing pad" than a flat paper diaper. #9. Convenience. Convenience? Yes, convenience! You'll never have to worry about making another late-night trip to your grocery store for a package of disposable diapers.. You'll never have to hold your nose while emptying and re-bagging one of those complicated "Diaper Genie®" contraptions.. And you'll have approximately two bags less of garbage to haul to the curb every week! #10. Being a leader is much more fun than being a follower. Stand out from the crowd and show you care to give your baby the very best, including the way you diaper. It's so much more fun to share the joy of cloth diapering with other mothers (who are usually very curious!), than to waste time clipping the latest coupons for the cheapest disposable paper diaper. 8:27 PM 0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Edit Remove

Win an Ergo Baby Carrier

Win a Free Organic Embroidered Ergo Baby Carrier Hands Free System from Along for the Ride

Being a big fan of Ergo, this makes me very happy. :)

Homecoming

Daddy made it home safe and sound - and almost on time (only about 20 minutes late).

Will and I parked the car where we could watch the runway for daddy coming home. We were able to see them coming down the runway. Will started saying "That's my daddy's plane, my daddy's plane!"

Waiting for daddy
Here they come
Waving to daddy as they go by

Then only about 20 minutes after they landed did they clear customs and make it back to the squadron.

Welcome home, daddy.

T Minus 2 hours

Not that I'm counting or anything.

Todd told me yesterday that they may have to take off late out of RAF Mildenhall because of the 6-8 inches of predicted snow. I called the squadron this morning to confirm his landing time. Not only did they take off on time - they took off 15 minutes early.

That's my man. :) They're scheduled to arrive at 1:20.

I'm picking Will up from preschool an hour early and we'll head to the base. Apparently the Guard Unit is uptight about the way they do things and we can't go out to the ramp to meet the jet. WTF? So instead of going out to the plane, we'll wait at the squadron to meet the crew bus when it returns.

I was so hoping to take Will out to see Daddy get off his "big gray airplane", but no such luck. Apparently we're not allowed to be around while they clear customs. Heaven forbid he try and smuggle something into the country or something.

Anyway..........SOON!

I refuse to allow him to keep getting bigger

I went to dress Will and noticed that his 3T jeans are too short. I swear, they were too long when I bought them not even 2 months ago. He must have grown another 2-3 inches in the last few weeks.

This is killing me. He's getting too big, too quickly.

Thank goodness his little brother is on the way to give me a little one to snuggle again.

What will I do when he gets bigger, too? Must not think I need a 3rd baby. Must not.

Baby "sprinkle" fun

We had our mini-baby shower on Sunday - otherwise known as a sprinkle. ha I wanted to keep it super low key, so we just invited local people - my family and a couple of friends - and we went to a restaurant.

We went to the Cheesecake Factory. I had a Cobb Salad for lunch - divine. And then I had a slice of Oreo Mudslide cheesecake.......heavenly. And worth the insulin injection. We had 12 people attending, 13 if you count Baby Grace. :)

My grandmother

Melissa holding Grace Bekah and Grace
Opening a pressie

Cheesecake goodness - I even did something different and ordered chocolate for once


With Pearl, Melissa and Heather


With Heather
With Melissa
With Pearl
24 weeks pregnant
The "loot"
Clothes for our little man
The gorgeous diaper bag(s) Heather brought home from China

Visiting Santa Claus

So, we ended up keeping things simple yesterday and instead of going to the Aquarium, we went to Towne Center Mall and to the Varsity Jr. (hence where Todd's chili dogs came from). While at the mall, I decided to take Will to visit Santa.

He did better than I thought. He did sit in Santa's lap, but he didn't want to smile. Santa asked him what he wanted him to bring and he said "trains". But that was the only word he spoke the whole time.

We'll likely go again to visit him at our mall, so hopefully we can get a smile this year.

Birthday presents at Grammy and Pop's house

I somehow managed to not take a single picture at Thanksgiving. But I did get pictures of Will opening his birthday presents from my parents. They weren't going to see him on his birthday, so they decided to give him his gifts now. It helps with the separation of birthday and Christmas, I think.



From Grammy and Pop he received a front end loader, the Wonder Pets Fly Boat and a pair of binoculars. Then from Marie and Dennis, he received a Shake and Go Car (Ramone) and Madagascar on DVD.

My husband is going to love me

He arrives tomorrow - only 24 more hours. Happy, happy day.

I think he's going to be pleased. Here's what I've done for him:

Varsity - 12 chili dogs and 4 chili cheese burgers - brought fresh to him fresh from Atlanta.
Pecan pie - baking in the oven, as we speak.
Egg salad - 18 eggs worth
His favorite beer - fresh 12 pack in the fridge

He's gonna love me. :)

Ready to go home

Tomorrow we're off to the Georgia Aquarium. Our original plan was to try the Atlanta Zoo, but the weather is pretty crubby - we even saw snowflakes today. Which is usually cuase for a freakout in Atlanta. So instead, we're heading to the Aquarium to meet up with Heather and Grace. Will is so excited to see Heather and to finally meet baby Grace.

As ready as I was go get here, I am so ready to go back home. I'm heading back home tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to getting to sleep in my own bed again. I'm sure Will's ready to get home, too.

Wednesday we'll get unpacked, wash laundry and grocery shop.

And then THURSDAY IS THE DAY!!!!!! Daddy's coming home. Todd said they'd be arriving about 1 pm on Thursday. Will has school on Thursday, so I'll pull him out early - about lunch time and we'll head to the base to pick up Todd. Will's going to be beside himself with excitement.

Yesterday was our baby sprinkle (aka a mini-shower). I'll upload pictures and blog about it after we're back home.