Christmas 2014

Christmas is almost here!

This Christmas is so fun with Leo and Cece! Not that other Christmas's haven't been fun, but this is the 1st Christmas where BOTH of them understand the concept.... somewhat.

We have adopted an elf from the north pole named Ceceil. Leo could care less that Ceceil "watches" him and reports back to Santa on his behavior. Leo has told me several times that he's gonna "spank that Cecil". Nice.

Cece liked Ceceil at first, then suddenly got scared of him. But.... she always is the first to find him and then dramatically waves her hand to summon people over to where he is, all while screaming "comehere comehere!"

They both have visited Santa twice. Leo just wanted the free candy cane and Cece was terrified.  Very typical for them right now.

The list for Santa this year was not very demanding.

All Leo wants is "presents" and Cece wants "the purple one". (??)

After many discussions with Santa himself, we have decided that Leo and Cece will receive the following gifts this year......

Leo



Santa's goal with this gift is to improve Leo's foul shots AND cure his fear of the dark.

It was on sale. He will love it. We have a basement now.

 




Kid could eat these allllll day. Everyday.


 

















Cece

Girl is obsessed with this movie. And is jealous of her brothers big wheel.

It was part of a BYGO free. She will love the hair.

This is also an attempt to prevent her fear of the dark.

1 gift for 2 kids

just plain cool and much cleaner than Play Dough. Thanks, Santa.

with our new house also comes a new pond. With fish.

Both of them love this cartoon. When they are 16 years old Im gonna make them watch it over and over and over and over so they finally realize how annoying this kid actually is.

They both love to paint, color, cut, and draw. This will be a good gift.

Another BOGO free. Good movie and I know they will like it.
 

So there you have it! Santa's sack for 2014! There is not enough room to post all the things Nonnie, Jilly, Grandma, and Grandpa are getting the kids.  Thank goodness we have a basement!!!  

THAT kind of week.... (by: Jess)

Have you ever had "THAT" kind of week?

The kind of week where you ask God, "Is this a joke?"

I mean......really..... this week has been hilarious!

I FINALLY scheduled myself a full body massage that my mother-in-law got me for my birthday back in August.

I told the  bone crusher massage therapist not to be scared to be firm.

WOW! I couldn't move my neck for 3 days and I think I held my breath for the full hour of the massage. So much for relaxation.

I guess I could have spoken up and politely let her know that my body was not made of silly puddy and I was on the verge of tears from the immense pain she was causing me..... but I didn't want to be rude.


(2) people cancelled their scheduled jewelry shows this week. Good-bye new jeans and brown ankle boots from JCP that I had my eye on.

I went to exercise class on Wednesday night and to my surprise we were scheduled to run a mile....

Outside.

 I didn't have a coat. Or my ear-buds. Or my phone. And I just ate dinner.

THAT was a pleasant jog.

 NOT.

 (yes.... I just slipped some 90s slang in there.... cause that's how I roll...)

Oh..... and the nightly janitor coming out of the courthouse carrying 2 giant bags of trash who I TOTALLY plowed into was a nice addition.

Wow.... the look on his face when I came barreling towards him. Priceless.

Ummm, let's see... what else......

Oh yeah, I backed into crashed into my boss's car on Thursday night. Severe damage on my end.... moderate on his. That was a nice touch to the week.

I had parent/teacher conferences 2 nights this week which resulted in (2) 13 hrs work days.

Actually.... that's not really fair.... the conferences went really well. I have awesome students this year and all the parents who came into talk with me couldn't have been nicer.


Leo told me (again) that he "hated me" and then added this little gem... "Mom, you need to take a shower".

Nice.

I put a flavor packet in my bottle of water and shook it up to mix it.

The cap wasn't on tight enough.

AWESOME!

Speaking of water... I told myself that I was going to start drinking more water. So I researched exactly how much water I need to consume daily in order to loose weight.

There is NO WAY on God's green earth that I am going to be able to drink 80oz of water a day. "Ain't nobody got time for that".

Seriously contemplating replacing water with wine at this point.

You think I'm kidding?

I am kidding!! Seriously.... I DO have some class.....

 I meant to say vodka.

There was a lice outbreak in the HS this week. #cantstopitching

I thought I was being a real BA and over-achiever and planned, typed, and submitted lesson plans all the way up through Christmas break.

THEN I remembered that I forgot to include my mid-term exam. #re-do

I got my 1st formal evaluation this week from the man whose car I crashed into. It went well. We played a review game to prepare for a big unit test coming up. The kids did a good job and it actually was a fun game. This COULD HAVE BEEN the highlight of my week. The sunny spot among all the gray fog.

COULD. HAVE. BEEN.

After the observation, I checked my email and read a message that was sent to the staff at 7:30am, from the man whose car I crashed into. It said this..... "please do not allow students to sit on top of counter tops, desks, or tables".

  The review game we just finished playing that the man whose car I crashed into just got done observing required students to sit on top of their desks.

Nice.

I found time to cook dinner on Wednesday night.

Burnt on the bottom.

I woke up Monday morning to the realization we were out of coffee creamer.

Almost cried.

Speaking of coffee... since I didn't get to enjoy my steaming hot pumpkin spice cup o joe Monday morning, I figured I'd just wait and get a cup at work. No biggie.

Got to school. Poured a mug, Added my sugar packet and dry creamer that I had to settle for. Took a careful sip so not to scold my mouth.

Ice cold.

Yesterday's coffee.

Nice.

Someone left a bag of whoppers (candy) in the teacher's lounge to share with everyone. My eyes lit up. I took some.

Stale.

I got weighed and measured at my 24fit class this week.

Based on "my numbers" I'm in the 1st stage of obesity.

Sweet!

Based on this week.... things can only go up from here. Right?

Anyway, even though this week has (for the most part) sucked eggs, I still have this....

family
support
love
shelter
food
faith
life
health
a dog
a job
sanity

So I can't complain too much.... ;)

It's STILL a Guy Thing (By: Jess)

Update on whether or not Leo loves me:

Nope.

Ok. Dramatic I know, but my son is a total daddy's boy and I HATE IT!

If you are confused, please refer back to this post: It's a Guy Thing

If I'm being honest, I honestly feel at times that Leo does not love me. (unless I'm holding suckers, cookies, a sippy cup of milk, or his blankie... then he likes me a little.)

I joke about it and I laugh about it, but in reality it breaks my heart.

2 situations happened the other day and I wanted to drown myself in the toilet.

The other night Toby, I, and Leo were laying in bed. Leo was watching scooby-doo on the ipad, Toby was watching a horse sale on his ipad, and I was pinning pictures on pintrest for what I want my headstone to look like.

Leo started flopping his arm over on my face. Over and over and over and over. Literally smacking me in the face every time.

It's safe to say at this point, I was pissed. (obviously I had told him to stop 18 times prior)

I finally had had enough! I kicked the covers off, stood straight up, told him that, "I'm leaving! I am going to sleep in the guestroom! Wake me up when my alarm goes off!"

Then I stomp off.....slowly....expecting Leo to beg me to stay with him and that he was sorry.

Not the case.

He says this to me:

"Bye."

Stab. In the heart.

As I sulk off to the guestroom and get into bed (because I had to follow through with my threat), I hear this from my bedroom.....

"good night daddy. I love you!"

Stab. In the eyeball.

Ugh! I went to bed with a heavy heart.  and the most beautiful headstone picked out for when I finally jump off a cliff.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... but it doesn't end there, my friends.....

So I go to pick the kids up from "school". Favorite part of my day! Sometimes I cant get out of the car van fast enough!

SO I go pick them up and, like normal, they are excited to see me! Hugs and kisses are given, artwork is collected from Leo's mailbox, they both get a drink from the water fountain, Cece wants to take her shirt off cause it's now soaking from the water fountain, and we all head out the door, waving good-bye to Miss Cindy on the way out.

I strap them both in their seats and we are off.

Then I hear this from the backseat.....

"Mom, I don't like you. I want my daddy."

Stab. Into the top of my own head. While the theme song from "Psyco" plays in the background.

The rest of the ride home I didn't mutter a word, as I was trying to keep my face from falling apart.

Whoever said that "All little boys are mama's boys" can go suck an egg.

If You Build It, They Will Come (By: Jessica)

A line from one of my favorite movies......
"If you build it, they will come"

"They" being "us".

Our family.

Me, Tobias, Leo, Cece, and Gertie.

We are building our forever home. The home in which we will grow up and old in.

Cece will have her 1st sleepover in this house.
Leo will practice basketball in this home's driveway
I will help Cece get ready for prom in this house....maybe even her wedding?
All future birthdays will be celebrated in this kitchen
Toby and I will retire in this house
Gertie will find new hiding spots in this house and this backyard will be where she will be buried.

This home is allllll ours. Toby and I designed it ourselves. We I scoured pintrest and magazines for the exact way we I wanted every room, nook, and cranny to look and be set up..

We put things in this house that we have always wanted.

A built in office/desk
A bench/table eating area
A jack-and-jill bathroom
The perfect size master closet...not too big or small
A basement with a guest room and bathroom
French doors.
A spot for a double oven.
A toy room
A mud area... not a mud room.
Storage. Storage. Storage.
A garage that is a little too big
A fire pit area by the water
An open floor plan where you can see straight through that house upon entering the front door.
One level

As of NOW (October, 2014) we have almost all the framing up. No roof, no walls, but designated rooms. Last night  the kids and I walked through the house as Toby explained where each room started and ended. It was so fun and exciting! It made things seem more real and it gave me hope that, "yes! someday we actually will have our own home again!"  It helped me stay positive, which is hard.

I have a picture in my head for what I want every room in our house to look like. I have a vision. Will our home end up looking like my vision? I don't know. I hope so. Regardless of how it ends up looking..... I think it will be fun to go back and see what I originally pictured in my head.

Here are my "visions" that I am hoping to make realities. Or at least close. I am very practical and I know what we can afford and what we cant, contrary to what Toby may think. It is safe to say that "I know what I want". I have a plan for every room of this house. I've had time to think about it, research, and make decision after decision. Will all my "visions" happen? Probably not. But maybe so.....

Lets start with the basement. Something that I am SO THRILLED to have! I've NEVER had a basement, EVER! This room will be for storage, entertaining, and playing. It will also serve as our guest room and guest bathroom. Toby would like the decor to be "horse theme" and I agreed but will not over-do it. The basement will also hold my Dad's work desk. SOmething that I inherited after he died. It will be my work space for my jewelry business. THAT area will not be horse themed.  Here are some visions..

Basement Visions

Cute!

Love this idea! Especially for people (me) who fall down stairs often. Which also reminds me...I want the stairs to be carpeted. 

really want to be able to do this! 

My next project!! Have already found an old armoire on Craigslist! 

looks simple, right? 

Door leading to the basement, Just cause its pretty and different 

Oh the kitchen. My favorite room in any house. I knew I wanted white cabinets that looked like bead board. Ive always loved that look and really wanted to have that in our kitchen!1 I also knew that I really really really wanted a double oven and an eat in breakfast area. It's happening!!! Eek!!

Kitchen Visions.....

have always wanted one! 

Love this style of light

I have a slight obsession with coffee cups! Love this idea! Just hope I have a good spot for this. 

Backsplash 

pulls and knobs for cabinets 

a must!!

Leo and Cece's rooms are so fun!! I know that they wont be fun for long. Eventually they are going to be teenagers and want to re-decorate their rooms in God-know-what type of theme! For now, I'm gonna enjoy decorating their rooms myself.

Kids bedroom visions

My mother-in-law has given me a beautiful vanity. I want to paint it My aunt is gonna paint it and give it to Cece. Similar to this. 

Color scheme for Cece's room 

because I always wanted one....

Color scheme for Leo's room 

Love! Want to make one for Leo's room 

Their bathroom is another important room.....to me. I initially wanted them to have their own... but then realized that we didn't have the space for that. So, I compromised. If they HAD to share a bathroom, I at least wanted them to have their own sinks. Done. Oh, and I tried to pick a gender friendly decor to last at least the next 7-8 years.

Kids bathroom vision

Love this idea and so easy to do!

color scheme for bathroom. (Primary colors) 

just cute. Will do. 

Our bedroom in our last (3) homes has always been the same decor. Dark brown and crisp white. I love it and Im sticking with it.

Master Bedroom vision 

dark brown and white

will put a picture similar to this above our bed. **WILL NOT be taken by Hawkeye Photography

My bathroom is always the first room I design/decorate. I dont know why.... but I like to spend a lot of time making the bathroom a "decorated" place. My vision for our master bath was the very first one I started with. I love mint green and coral. I feel like it's "spa like", yet not too womanly for a man. Here are my thoughts.....

Master bathroom vision

maybe minus the pattern rugs....

When I started thinking of the laundry room, I immediately thought WALL PAPER! I love love love wallpaper! I am a little scared of it being "too much",  so the laundry room is the perfect place for it. Its small and not as noticeable. Im going out on a limb here with the wallpaper. Im gonna try a patterned wallpaper. I have faith that it will be sharp! Not sure of color yet. Still debating if I wanna stay neutral or go bold...like navy blue or mustard yellow. We will see.  I also know that this room is not THAT big and it's gonna also serve as our half-bath. Here's what I'd thinking.... 

Laundry room/half bathroom vision

pretty sure our washer and dryer will be front loading so we can have a counter and storage above. 

The outside of the house was the easiest part. I knew (in my own mind) what I wanted it to look like The shape was hard to decide because we only had so much "lot". Do I love the shape of the house? I guess. It's not my 1st or 2nd choice, but it is what would fit and I'm OK with it. BUT.... there are a few details that I am going to add to the front of the house to make it "ours". 

Exterior vision

I love the detail molding above the window

this is what our front door will look like. Except with black hardware

I love a little detail that's different and unique. "A conversation piece" my mom would say. I WILL find the most unique and cute door knocker. Not too silly or gaudy... still classy, but stands out a little bit when people come up to our door.

love this style of window box and shutter. Same colors and all. Maybe even the same flowers!

this is the garage door we picked out. Minus the top part. 

Another room Ive always wanted was a mud room. But we dont have the space, so I had to settle for a mud "area". Here are my thoughts on this little nook..... 

Mud Area vision

The toy room was a MUST! Never had one in the other homes and always talked about how much we needed/wanted one.  When the kids get older and no longer need a toy room, it will serve as a great TV room. 

Toy room vision

wall color

already have my boards!!! 

very clever and looks nice

love the rug

what I'm looking for as far as toy storage

doors going into the toy room

The living room is the largest room and the most used. I wanted it to be open. That's about all I requested. OH... and french doors leading outside. Im a sucker for french doors! 

Living room vision

this pict is more of a wish than anything! LOVE that ceiling. Crossing my fingers.... 

pretty much how our living room will be set up. french doors on each side of a faux fireplace

There you have it. My visions on our forever home. Stay tuned (January?)  for what it really ended up looking like.  :)