Victoria's Projects

PROJECT #1:
My mom passed down her childhood doll bed to me when I was a little girl.  When Tori was born, it got passed down to her.  It is the perfect size for Lacey, Tori's American Girl doll.  Tori has never been overly enthused about this doll bed and has asked for the real American Girl bed.  I couldn't justify spending that money when we had a nice one already.  So, since we are wanting to paint her room furniture white, I thought this would be good practice.  I called my mom and gently asked if she cared if I painted the bed.  Honestly I cringed to paint it, because I think that it is so neat that it has lasted three generations.  But what good is it to anyone if it doesn't get used?  It was either put it in the attic or paint it to jazz it up.  My mom gave her blessings and so the project began.  Lacey's gonna get a new and improved bed!!

Here is documentation of the before.  It is really sweet, but just not very current.

First coat of primer

Second coat of primer.  Tori would KILL me if she knew I was telling you this, but she told Robert that she needed to paint on the second jacket.  Get it?  She was getting jacket and coat confused.  I love seeing the world through the newness of children's eyes.  The second jacket makes just as much sense as the second coat. 
Sometimes our language is so confusing.

It has been too cold the past few days to work on finishing it, but we will post the final product.  You may remember that a few weekends ago we were supposed to paint Tori's furniture.  Well, that Friday night Carson started running a high fever during the night, so my mom didn't come.  I spent Saturday loving and snuggling with a little sick man.  Hopefully, we will eventually get around to the big painting project.

PROJECT #2:
Tori had to make a Valentine box for her school party.  My mom, Nana, helped her while she was here celebrating my birthday.  I will also post a completed picture of this project.  It turned out really cute.

Who Needs Toys When You Have Bath Soap?

3-O in the Snow!

So, Friday was my birthday.  It was one of the big milestones.....it was the 3-0 milestone.  Up until now all the milestones have been exciting.  You know, 13--you are a teenager; 16--you get to drive, 18--you are officially an adult, 21--you can drink legally (have to admit I didn't really run out and use this new advantage).  But can someone older than me please explain how it gets any better from 30 on!!  I see no major milestones to look forward to....guess that's part of getting older that I will just have to accept.  My mom put it in to perspective for me when she asked me, "Well Ellen, what's the alternative to turning 30?"  Yeh, I should be thanking God for giving me another year of life in which I have my health and so many blessings!!  So, it's really not that bad.  I'm actually fine now and embracing this new decade with grace!! :)

But on Friday?  Not so much.  I have to admit it was a very tough day! Let me explain.  You see, it snowed on my birthday and that would have been super fun if it had been on any normal non-milestone birthday and if it hadn't already snowed tons this winter.  But on Friday, that meant that I was stuck in the house......and my brain had no distractions from the blaring truth.  Yes, I was getting older and yes, I was entering into my 30s.  See, I would have been fine if I could have just gotten out and done something fun to keep me busy.  Instead I was stuck in my house with laundry that needed to be folded, clutter that needed to be straightened, and kiddos that were bored out of their mind that needed to be occupied. It was quite depressing. 

You see, my husband had anticipated my birthday and had been planning something special for me.  What he did not anticipate was the snow.  So, his special plans that he had been planning for weeks got thrown out the window.  He quickly rescheduled the plans for Saturday night and called several of my close friends to let them know that the changes had been changed.  Well, they didn't want to spoil the surprise and let something slip, so they basically avoided talking to me on Friday.  Again, I did not know about any of these plans.  So, imagine me, in the depressive state that I was.  I really needed a friend and all my close friends were avoiding me.  I may or may not have gone in the closet and cried several times during the day.  I'm telling you, it was a bad day.  On Saturday night when I learned the surprise, it all made since why my friends had avoided me and I realized that indeed my husband and my friends did love me. 

Had it not snowed....my birthday would have been perfect, but through the experience I learned that my husband really loves me (or he would not put up with me when I am an emotional basket case) and I have really great friends!  I've heard people say that their 30s were their best years.  I'm banking on it!!

My mom got to spend several days with us to help celebrate my birthday!!

This is the "make-shift" celebration with just my mom and my immediate family on Friday.  We went to Wal-mart right before dinner and bought a cake mix.  My sweet husband did make me dinner and a cake. 
He was trying so hard to cheer me up!

Yeah, the celebration was a success!  Yes, that is a Twilight cake. 
It was just a joke....well, mainly!  ;)

The Amazing World of DVR

Ok, so I promised a post in which I shared what shows are regularly DVRed at our house.  Here are the top ten most watched shows at our house:
1.  The O'Reilly Factor (watching this is a nightly ritual for my husband)
2.  Castle (Love this on Mondays and are very sad when a new episode doesn't air)
3.  Chuck (This is not our favorite; it's a little more cheesy than we usually prefer)
4.  Human Target (We love this as much as Castle....which is A LOT!!)
5.  The Bachelor (Hey, just keeping it real....I know that it is trash, but it is very entertaining.  Plus, it makes me feel so lucky to have a man that loves me and I appreciate the fact that I found my Mr. Right.)
6.  Dancing with the Stars (when a season is being aired.  I will say that we used to watch this as a family, but it has continued every year to get more and more provocative.  It is no longer appropriate for my children to watch.)
7.  American Idol (I don't let my kids watch the first episodes when they are visiting the towns, because they make fun of people.  I usually will let them watch once they begin competing on stage.)
8.  Batman (This is the 1960s version with real people.  We have tried to record the more recent versions, but they are just too violent and scary for Carson).
9.  Full House (this is an afternoon must for Tori once she gets home from school)
10.  The Fresh Beat Band (another one of Tori's favorites)

There are numerous other kid shows that get DVRed regularly, but they don't always get watched.  The main thing I love about DVRing is it allows us to watch our shows whenever we want.  Plus we get to forward through the commercials, so we can watch things quicker.  We really are kind of like two old people; we have a schedule and love sticking to it.  I put the kids to bed around 7:30-8:00 every night while he is taking a shower.  Then he watches O'Reilly while he is ironing his clothes (yes, he irons his own clothes) for work the next day.  During that time I am doing my computer stuff and putting up any leftovers from dinner.  Then we get all ready for bed and snuggle up and enjoy one of our DVRed shows.  I honestly feel like I have a date with my husband every night and it is great!  Speaking of, it's time to go get my pjs on.  How did we ever manage without DVR?

Weekend Fun

In the middle of winter, we were blessed with a few warm days this weekend!  It felt so good outside!  The kids got to finally test out their new bikes that they got for Christmas!

Carson has a dilema.  His old bike is too small for him, but his new bike (which is only one step up from his old one) is too big.  He can ride it, but he can't reach to put his feet down.  So for now he has to use the training wheels.  He has been a good sport about having to have the "baby wheels" on it.   Hopefully his legs will grow fast!!

Our Lilly is Almost Three!



All the girls in our family have birthdays in February, including our cocker spaniel, Lilly Anne.  We got Lilly three years ago as a pup from my brother and his wife.  She has been a really good pet.  As a puppy she stayed inside the house, but moved outside once she got old enough.  On occasion we tried to teach her to be an inside dog.....even bought her some doggy diapers.  The problem with cocker spaniels is that when they get excited they pee.  So, every time the kids would convince me to let her come in, the first thing she would do is pee on the floor!!  It was a vicious cycle, because then I would just send her back out!  Well, this winter it has been super cold, so we started letting her come inside.  She lives in our fenced-in backyard and her kennel is up on our covered porch.  So, I got the bright idea that if I was going to let her inside I would immediately walk her out the front door and let her pee, so that she wouldn't pee on the floor.  It worked, lucky for her!!  So, this winter she has officially become an inside dog.  She barks at the front door when she needs to go out and do her business and then immediatley comes back in.  On a few pretty days recently I have let her out in the backyard for some fresh air.  The minute I let her in she runs to the front door to go outside and pee.  Isn't that funny?  She is outside, hanging out in the grass in the backyard, put she holds her pee for however long I leave her out there and waits to pee in the front yard!!  Anyway, she is so sweet and we have really gotten used to her being inside with us.  She even sleeps in her kennel in Tori's bedroom.

Lilly when she was a puppy

This is Lilly and Tori in 2008, the day that we got her.  She was a few weeks old.

  

Here she is a little older.  She was about to go into the pet store to get a haircut. 
You can tell that she needed it......she was really bushy!

This is her now (with Tori).

A few weeks ago when it snowed, she would look at the front window and bark at our snowgirl.
She barked at that "thief" in the front yard until it melted.  You'd think after awhile she'd give up the alarm!

She's a trickster!! Ha! Please excuse Superman in the background.

Our Sweet Lilly Anne.....HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY GIRL!!



Adoption Journey

I just wanted to share the news that our adoption file has officially been turned over to the adoption specialist in our county.  From what I understand of the process, this means that we are ready and eligible to adopt.  To read about our adoption journey you can look back at my previous post entitled, The CALL.  (I know there is a fancy way to  put a link here to that older post, but I don't know how to do that.)  It has taken us almost exactly a year to finish the process. 

And here are a few pictures, just for fun.

This is Tori with her cousin, Nora, when we went to visit them in Austin, TX over New Year's.

This is Carson playing with his Batman Cave.  And yes, my son has on shorts and a sleeveless shirt in the dead of winter.  The minute he gets home from anywhere, he immediately goes to his room and changes into summer clothes.  It drives me crazy, because then I have to wash all those clothes!!!  It must be a boy thing.  Does anybody else have that problem with their sons?



I took this picture of Tori tonight because she is about to loose one of her top front teeth.  It is so loose, that I was sure it was coming out tonight and I wanted one last picture of my baby with her two front baby teeth.  The tooth made it through supper, though, so I guess it's going to make it at least one more day.



Carson got a tool set for Christmas that the tools are real, just miniature.  I found him in his room with his safety goggles on unscrewing a screw in his wall that was left there from his old book cabinet.   I love this kid!!

Randomness

Nothing real exciting going on here to post about.  We are experimenting with Carson to see if he can drop his afternoon nap.  Ouch!  It's been painful.  By bedtime he is a bear.  Robert keeps saying that it will just take a few days for him to adjust.  He does go to sleep ALOT quicker at night and stays asleep instead of waking up during the night and wandering over to our room. 
I am very excited about a furniture project that I want to tackle this weekend.  Victoria's bedroom suit is old, antique I guess, but it could use some freshening up.  Last weekend we went to Lowe's and looked at different paint.  I'm thinking about either crackling it or painting it white and then going back over it and antiquing it.  Anyway, I'm ready to get serious about the project this weekend.  I've called my mom and begged her to come for reinforcements.  She is great with having an opinion when it comes to picking out paint, new pulls, etc.  So, I will take a picture of her room before and then an after picture.
On a different note, my 30th birthday is just around the corner.  A week from Friday to be exact.  When I turned 29 I began to prepare myself for 30, because I was so scared I was going to have a hard time seeing 30.  So far, I feel like it isn't going to be a big deal.  But, ask me again in another week!! Ha!
My hubby already bought me my birthday present!!  I have been wanting a high table (don't know the fancy name) for my breakfast nook.  It is super cute and it was actually fairly cheap!
I would also like to say that I am very tired right now, so if any of this post doesn't make sense I apologize.  I guess I'm going to stop there, because I am so ready to go get my pjs on and climb in bed and watch my DVRed shows.  Speaking of, that would be a great question.......What shows are currently programmed to record on your DVR.  Don't you think that tells a lot about a family?  Maybe I'll answer that question later.

Longing for warmer weather

Today it is freezing cold and I am longing for a warm day with the sun beaming hot!  I thought this picture illustrates my yearning pretty well.  Plus, it's hilarious!!  Please note that Carson put his towel over his face just like me.  LOL! 

I'm realizing that I am not a winter person.  A little cold is OK, but after awhile it starts getting old.  If all I had to do was wrap up in a blanket and drink hot chocolate then I would love the winter, but people actually expect me to get out of the house and go about my daily responsibilities.  Man, it's just too cold for that! 

"Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me."

Peru

Don't have a lot to say tonight, just thinking a lot about my friends who are in Peru right now.  They have been there for two weeks and will start the journey home soon to be back on Saturday.  You can read more about their trip at the Project Peru blog on the right.  I am praying that their trip went well and for their safety as they travel home.

During the summer of 2009, I went to Peru with a group from my church.  We worked in an orphanage as well as held medical clinics for the village people.  I have always had a passion for hispanics and have loved learning about different hispanic cultures and countries.  I quickly feel in love with these people.  After coming home, I convinced my husband that he had to go back with me the next year.  So, this past summer, Robert and I both got to go and spend a week with the people there in Cajamarca.  It is hard to describe and to put into words the emotions that I feel about these people and the experiences that I had there.   I would like to sometime try to explain here on my blog what I saw, heard, felt, tasted, smelled, etc.

This is my friend, Jhon, that I met at the orphanage in Cajamarca, Peru, summer 2009.

This is my friend, Jhon, and three of his friends that I got to hang out
with when I went back summer 2010.

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