Little Navajo--34 Weeks/Baby Shower/Nursery Update

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

The cake at my shower included a blanket that matches the chevron colors in the nursery.

Size: Ryan is likely a little over 18 inches long and is almost 5 lbs--the size of an average cantalope.

The sweet ladies from my church who threw this shower went all out.
You ever feel like you've been blessed with people you don't deserve?
Me, too.  (And I really don't look pregnant from the front--I just look
like I have a gut.  Ha!)

Gender: It's a boy--Ryan Christopher!

The CCL (who is sitting beside me) sews.  Part of her gift included some really
sentimental items.  Then she cried and I refused to look at her so I wouldn't cry.
But among some of the really cool items was a wipes case with Ryan's initial.

Movement: He's so big and the skin across my stomach is stretched so tight, it's impossible for him to make a movement without us noticing.  Favorite is fascinated by this development and regularly insists on watching my belly dance.

Two Bumbo seats are totally going to be blessing.  We're keeping one
at home, and Favorite suggested we keep the other one at the car.  That
way, no matter where we are, Ryan will have some easy-to-transport gear.

Sleep: Most of the time, I don't sleep well for two days in a row, and then fall into an exhausted sleep on Day 3.  For the most part, I've been averaging around 5 hours.  So I may be a little out of it some days, but I'm totally functioning!

That hat?  Is a crochet hat complete with Yoda ears.  And my kid will wear it
until I can no longer jam it on his little head.  Oh, and there WILL be pictures.

Maternity Clothes: I wear them most days.  In fact, the picture above should be a pretty good indicator that my belly is approximately the size of a large watermelon and just as oblong.  It looks a little strange when I sit down.

Favorite's Nanny hand-quilted a blanket for Ryan.

This is Favorite's Nanny.

Symptoms: Pretty much all the normal symptoms of pregnancy--a huge belly with a clearly active human being inside, occasional difficulty sleeping, heartburn and slight back pain.  Nothing unmanagable or super-uncomfortable--oh, and if gratitude can be considered a symptom?  My heart is overflowing with it.

My mom shocked the beejeezus out of me by giving Ryan a quilt--her first ever.
I had no idea she was working on something like this, but the sweet people at a local
shop who have been guiding her through the baby bedding process helped her put this
together.  You can see the look on my face--I was so proud!

Aversions: Today I ate cereal and corn on the cob.  Nothing else really sounded good.

The CCL and I have a lot of similar facial expressions. 
After asking around A LOT and looking at different reviews, Favorite
and I registered for a Diaper Champ.  My MIL gave us this, and I think
it was probably the best choice for us.  We do intend to try cloth diapering;
however, most of the info we read indicated it will be about 8 weeks before
Ryan will fit the diapers well.  And even if cloth diapers work for us, we
will likely use disposables when we travel and if we get a bit behind on
laundry.  In the long run, the Diaper Champ should help with either--lined
with a trash bag or a wet bag.

Cravings: Still on a milk kick.  I can't explain it.

And baby boy clothes?  Can be so.cute.  We got a variety of sizes which was
super awesome.  On a slightly unrelated side note, we keep praying Ryan
will be Favorite's size and get his height from my brothers (who are both
at least 6').  That way a Division I Football scholarship might actually be
a possibility.  Well, unless he gets his coordination from me.  LOL.

What I miss: I'm so grateful to be pregnant. I can't think of one thing I should be missing.

Favorite even showed up for the end of the party to help load gifts and enjoy cake.
And for those wondering:  he's well on his way to losing all of his pregnancy weight :)

Feeling toward pregnancy: I cannot lie:  Joy, gratitude and dead panic.

I have an admission to make that I may have denied in the past:  I am a control freak.  There.  I said it.  And when it comes to my classroom?  I'm the worst kind of control freak.  It's not that I think others are incapable; I just have a hard time investing in a group of kids and then leaving six weeks of lessons in someone else's hands--especially when I know everyone has his/her own style of approaching material.

Will it be worse than my approach?  Probably not.  My sub is a seasoned teacher who could run circles around me--particularly when it comes to teaching the writing process.  But it's my classroom.  You know?

So I'm praying I can just write general plans for each week, leave the information and let it go.

Oh, and I'm still praying Ryan does not choose to come early...

We're hoping to instill a small amount of musical talent in him with cool presents
like this activity mat.  What baby doesn't want to kick at piano keys?

Best Moment this week: Sorting through all of our gifts and finally sitting down to read some of the notes in the cards.

Oh, and Favorite moved us out of the trailer officially.  I know that's not really pregnancy related, but now that Ryan's arrival is close, we both seem to feel the need to make our house as home-y as possible.  It's weird how a baby has pushed us to organize things and build furniture (a kitchen table--thoughts to come) in order to feel as comfy and at-home as possible.

Ryan's "bed" for the first 2-3 months.

Another first weeks home "bed."  Fun story:  This randomly showed up on
our doorstep on Saturday.  Favorite and I opened the box to discover BigBro
and SILSheena decided to send us more presents--not just because they're
awesome, but also because they need Ryan to have a comfy place to sleep
when we visit Ohio :)

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing the nursery. 

First on the list is washing clothes and diapers and organizing them in the closet.  I've ordered some cloth-diaper-friendly detergent online and it should be here next week.  That means closet organization starts next week.  But I did want to show you some of the progress we've made.  (This is for you, Aunt Sheena!)

A starting point:  changing table side of the room.

A starting point:  crib side of the room.

Curtains and the closet haven't changed much, so I'll leave those pictures for another day.

The changing table upgraded.  We added a pegboard and decorated with various
baskets and items.  Not all of these things are staying on the changing table (obviously),
but I'm still in the process of organizing and getting things together.  Most of the stuff
on the pegboard will probably say there.  Frankly, I think it was a really useful project
and it came together quite nicely.  We just spray painted and framed it out on the wall.

Mom is working on bumper pads this week.

A better bedding shot.

Still to come: 

1.  Some sort of glider.  They are pretty expensive; Favorite and I are trying to determine what would work best for the space while maintaining our financial sense.  (A $1200 chair is so not an option.)

2.  A couple of tables.  I haven't checked Goodwill yet, but we know we'll need a small table to put beside the glider for a lamp and other things as well as another table for the awesome, dragon humidifier and the super cute turtle night light.

3.  The women who threw my shower also gave me some of the decorations.  Favorite and I are going to hang a bouquet of chinese lanterns on one side of the room over the glider.

4.  Decorations over the crib.  I have no idea yet.

5.  Book slings.

6.  Something decorative for toy storage.  In the future we'll have to develop something a little more substantial, but for now?  Something decorative would be awesome.

7.  Curtains.  Mom and I have already discussed this issue, and we think we have a plan.

And that's about it for now.  I should've taken a picture of my diaper bag that arrived this week, too, but I'm feeling lazy right now. 

And completely excited for this new stage of life--well, when I finish feeling like I'm going to throw up over sub plans ;)

The Nursery Imagined

I've been working on some ideas for Navajo's nursery, and I thought I'd share the mood board I put together.  It's my first ever mood board, but you know what I've discovered?  It's kinda fun.  Granted, I would've probably picked most of this stuff even had I never put a mood board together.  But I'll admit the process has been fun so far.

So, here it is:

Feel free to share your thoughts.  Or tell me how I can get that rug (from Urban Outfitters) or the chair (from Target) for a little cheaper. 

In case you're interested, here's where I found the other products:

Crib:  Carter's Summer Infant (Amazon)
Table:  Kirkland's
Owl Lamp:  Target (I had to color the shade red.)
Material:  Etsy (Robert Kaufman Remix collection)

My mom is going to sew the bedding and the curtains out of those materials, but here are a few other things I found on etsy that would definitely match:

and this guy:

So now that I've cleared my mind, I need to go be a better wife.  So folding underwear it is.

No pictures of that.

The Elusive Curtains, Now With Actual Curtains

When Favorite and I built our house, I had certain requirements for a master suite.

1.  All of our clothes will go in the closet (possibly with the exception of underwear).
2.  There will be no dressers or chests of drawers in our bedroom.
3.  Our room will be as clutter-free as possible.
4.  We will paint the walls a dark color to make it as conducive to sleep as possible.
5.  I will be able to enter the closet from the master bathroom.

To date, we've really mastered all of those things.  The addition of curtains has brought a sense of coziness the room was really missing (not that it wasn't beautiful before).

Picture from the door before curtains--ignore those ugly, U-G-L-Y, curtains on the french doors.

Another shot of the ugly, mismatched curtains and the dog's corner.  I actually spray painted that desk with a stone-looking spray paint.  It works well for the room right now, but it's a temporary fix.

I know I've pointed out those ugly curtains, but Wow.  I mean, just wow.  They are hideous.  In my defense, I picked them up at Walmart praying they would match, but knowing that I just needed something to cover those french doors so I didn't imagine all sorts of things staring in my windows at night.  (You know, I'm quite the looker...)

Also, those curtains kept me from waking up completely freaked out because Barky (Hogamedes) spotted some deer/turkey/birds/foxes/etc. walking in the backyard and went absolutely crazy--barking, running into the glass.

We made do with the uncovered windows.  It was bright when there was a full moon, but it wasn't such a huge deal.  At least, I didn't think so until we finally put curtains up.



They actually match! (Ignore the spotty picture.  Not a photographer.  It's amazing I can work a camera at all.)

Isn't this a huge improvement from the blue, suede curtains?!

We're not entirely done.  And if you think I'm crazy because I'm excited over this much progress, you clearly don't know my decorative inabilities.  First of all, I'm shocked I finally found curtains to match ($86 for all four panels--did I mention that?!)  Secondly, I'm a little surprised we actually got them up.  I have had an entire collection of pictures laying on the rug in the front room since December.  I still can't commit to any sort of arrangement.

But I digress.

There are a few more things to do...like...

That empty space over my bed needs something.  I found a great mosaic-type picture in Kohl's.  It was a tree in various blues and grays.  While I think it would be perfect, I'm not willing to give $150 for it.  I've also considered doing something with the verse from our wedding:  "Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away" (Song of Songs 8:7).  Or we could even do six frames with various patterns or pictures.  I'm just not sure yet.

In addition, I eventually plan to move the dog's space and put a small chair and lamp in this corner of the room.  Favorite also wants to get rid of the desk, buy a small flat screen and mount it to the wall.  I'm not against that, but I like that I can hide cords in the drawer of the desk so I can charge things like my Nook. 

It's nothing I'll have to worry about in the near future, because we have other areas of the house (*ahem* sidewalk) that will require some attention before I can justify spending money on another flat screen television--especially since the only time we watch television in the bedroom is in the morning.

So there you have it--my bedroom curtains.  I'll keep you updated with more pictures from the house as we upgrade...slowly.  Very, very slowly.  (And likely with panic.)

A Paving Stone Sidewalk

Favorite and I are starting to turn our attention to the outside of our home.  We've lived here a year now, but we haven't spent much time on the outside appearnace of our house, because last year we had a few inside projects that really needed some love.

One of the first things we are going to tackle is a sidewalk.  I really want guests to use our front door, but it's silly to require them to walk through a soupy, muddy front yard to do so.  We also need to build up the dirt to our first step so people can reasonably climb the stairs.  (And it goes without mentioning that I am going to have to kill the spiders who are hanging out around my front door and clean the webs off, etc.)

So what do I want for a sidewalk?  Pavers.  I really like the idea of pavers, and I love how we-did-this-on-our-own they look.  See for yourself:

Source (This one is my favorite so far--
minus the different colors of pavers. 
We want all gray since our house is gray.)

Source

Eventually, I'd like a paving stone patio in the area between our wing walls...but all of that will depend on how easy it is to do this job.  The second picture shows the curve our sidewalk will likely have, and it looks like it is on a hill--very similar to our walkway.

But cross your fingers for us.  And if you've done this and have advice, feel free to weigh in :)

Making Decisions: Or Why I'm An Indecisive Mess When It Comes To The House

I am not independently wealthy.  That's probably shocking since you know I'm a public school educator.  Anyway, that fact alone means I try to be fairly frugal when it comes to outfitting the house.  We saved quite a bit of money in order to buy new bedroom furniture and new furniture for the living room, but I always knew I would need to furnish the front room a little more cheaply.

So I'm looking at a couple of these chairs:

(Source)

Favorite and I like the shape, the color and we've sat in them and think they're comfortable.  I'll probably have to invest in a couple of square footstools to go with them.  And, of course, we'll add some color with throws (but likely not throw pillows).

And in order to dull the sound in that room, we've also considered the possibility of an area rug.  Don't get me wrong here:  I LOVE my hardwood floor.  It is gorgeous and adds a richness to our house that nothing else could.  But there has to be some sound absorbtion to avoid a constant echo.  Unfortunately, that front room doesn't really have it, and adding leather (or faux leather) chairs probably isn't going to help any.

The room is painted a brown color with a yellow accent wall, so many of the accessories are going to be red.  If that doesn't make sense to you, then you don't reside in my head which is actually much safer for you anyway.

This is the first rug we found:

(Source)

I love the variety in color, but I was afraid it would be a little more than I actually wanted in that room.

Currently, I can't find the rug we will likely get, but I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Until then, what do you think?  Suggestions for getting things cheaper?

The House vs. The Trailer

Lack of hot water forced us into the new house before we were actually ready to move.  So we took our bed, a couple of changes of clothes and soap and basically came up to the house.  We slept here, took showers here and ate out often.

That was December.

It's June and I'm just now in the process of cleaning through the rooms--one by one.  Oddly enough, I'm finding that much of what is at the trailer is no longer needed...or wanted.  Today I transferred all of my shoes (mostly winter ones I hadn't needed) and a few items of clothing that didn't make the cut previously.  I found some random odds and ends that I threw in the basket as I was sorting.

Then I started a trash pile.  And half of what is over there can gladly go into the trash pile.

What I really need for the trailer is a dump truck so I can toss and say good riddance.

Anyone got a loaner?

I Have A Dream of Decoration

Favorite is THE man.

While I was at school the last two days, he put knobs on my pantry doors, fixed the remaining parts of the banister (it's officially finished!), routered the shelves for the bathroom and almost finished hanging one of them.

It's going to be a homey place, ya'll. 

I'm working on a vision for the living room.  As I find things I like, I'll put up pictures.  I like the idea of eclectic peices that have an element in common (like a color).  But I'd also like that room to be multifunctional.  I need a place to write or sit and read or just relax without a television.  Since I have that beautiful bay window, I think that will be just the room.

I've glanced at some really cool odds and ends in places like Hobby Lobby and Target--mini ceramic end tables in bright colors, large vases that can double as door stops or umbrella holders, fun picture frames and colorful lamps.  Truthfully, I think I may just start buying things that strike my fancy and then make them work in the spaces I have.  Nothing says "me" quite like a room that goes together without the matchy-matchy element.

Plus, every time I see the pictures from Young House Love, I get a hankerin' for a completed and pulled-together room.

Maybe Sherry would be willing to come visit?  And bring a gift card?

Furniture Concepts

Part of getting this house together, for me, is making sure everything has a place.  It annoys me when I'm usure as to where something belongs or the most accessible place for frequently used items.  And in the kitchen, you figure that stuff out pretty quickly.  At least, we do.  But that's the room that gets the most attention.

Since my front room is largely empty (with the exception of two bookcases), I'm trying to figure out what I want in there.  So far, I'm looking at a desk--something simple with clean lines that will give me a place to organize bills, etc.

I'm thinking about this.  The wood in our house is mostly done in a cherry stain that is this color or a bit lighter, but what do you think?  Simplicity and beauty?  Functional?

And then there's furniture.  I realize I won't be getting some of it for a while, but I want chairs and maybe a loveseat with exposed legs.  Something like this in design:

But keep in mind that I'm not really looking for black leather.  Maybe red cloth?

So there you have it.  My random thoughts on a Tuesday evening before school is out.  How exciting.

Finishing Touches

Tonight, I made a decision every woman agonizes over.

I bought lamps.

They really are gorgeous and a perfect fit for this area in my living room (at least, that's my opinion.  See below to form your own).  See, there are a couple of things people forget to tell you about building a house:
     1.  You will end up with dark spots even when you carefully plan your lighting.
     2.  You will be in need of light switches in places you never anticipated.

We solved both of these problems by purchasing twin lamps to put on either side of the credenza.  We have plugged one lamp (and when we get an extension cord, we'll add the other lamp) into a sensor that is connected to a lightswitch we screwed into the wall.  Problems?  Solved.  Plus, I think it's pretty cute.

At first I thought they should be taller, but if they get much taller, they'll hit the surround sound speakers.  Also, the lampshades are the same size.  The second one just looks smaller because it isn't plugged in.

Now I'm moving toward tables in the living room.  I liked the idea of these:

And I thought they would look nice beside my couch (on both sides).  It would provide a place to put glasses as well as plants or whatever decorative items I think might look nice.

And, since I promised they were coming, here's a picture of our weekend getaway to hold you until I get time to talk about it in detail.

Of COURSE Necrophilia is an Appropriate Classroom Topic

Okay, ya'll.  We can officially forgive my loan officer who waved the late fee and apologized for the inconvenience as soon as my husband went to see him.

Also, he informed my husband that I sounded a little...um...pissed in the message I left.  That might be true.  But in my defense?  I was pissed.  No surprises there.

But kudos to his secretary who told my husband she would also have been a little stabby.  And now is where we sing "I en-joy be-ing a girl!"

But on to the highlight of my day.

I got to discuss necrophilia with two classes of high school juniors.

I know you're jealous of my awesome job.  After all, who WOULDN'T want to discuss the crazy/hot scale and necrophilia in the classroom?

Honestly, folks?  We only have William Faulkner to blame.  He can't help his Southern Gothic goodness.  Of course, if you don't follow, feel free to pick up "A Rose for Emily."  Then, our discussion of the legalities of necrophilia will totally make sense.

And maybe you'll want to be a teacher, too.

Dear Eminem, I'm not cleaning out my closet, but I'm painting my stairs. Could you rap about that?

Tonight, I painted my stairs.  Why would I go through such a heinous process?  Because I have no pride.

Haha.  Just kidding.  I don't have any pride, but that has little to do with the stairs in this instance.

Favorite and I are trying to close on our loan at the bank.  Last Friday, the appraiser came out and indicated a few things that must be finished before the bank will close.  Here's where it gets weird.  Apparently, because my stairs are a part of my living area, they have to have a covering.

Don't get me wrong.  Favorite and I have every intention of continuing the hardwood on our basement stairs; however, in order to do stairs, we have to buy several very expensive pieces of nosing.  Since we have yet to put up walls in the basement, and since these walls will allow us to buy fewer pieces of nosing, we have yet to worry about the stairs.  We were more worried about trim and doors.

But no.  The stairs have to be covered.  Thankfully, paint counts.  So I've been painting my basement stairs a lovely shade of brown in hopes that we can get the bigger ticket items done quickly (read:  apron for the garage) so we can close on this loan.

On another note, my pantry doors showed up with 2 different colors of hinges.  Bizarre, no?

Be proud of me, though.  I haven't freaked out about this yet, and I'm managing to hold myself in check.  I've reminded myself that we will get everything done and this loan will close.  If you think of it, though, would you pray for Favorite and I during this particular period.  We're working as fast as we can, but these things are time consuming and we are also trying to conserve a modest savings in case of incidentals.

I also have to confess (since we're doing Prayer Monday and all) that I said a word today that I've been trying to avoid.  Honestly, my mouth is hard to control, and I was really disappointed that I let it slip when I'd been doing so well.

But here's to a new day, a new hour or a new minute.

Mimicking Ophelia

YA'LL.

Seriously.  You.  All.

I must be a walking disaster.  Particularly when it comes to water.

Anyone remember our previous water incident?

Well, it appears to me that anything that goes wrong with us is going to be water related.  Staying hydrated may be a problem.

This morning I woke up and turned the water on in the bathtub to get the water nice and hot before I climbed in.

The water came on.  Then it sputtered.  Then my heart vomited while I realized that the water?  Was running out.  As in period.

Thus began the beautiful morning that caused Favorite to hunt for leaks in our house and busted water pipes.

I called my mom and cried, "I thought this stuff was over when we moved out the trailer."  Mom, sympathetic soul that she is, replied, "Huh.  Welcome to home ownership."

So, diligent home owner that he is, Favorite attempted to educate himself about our water pipes and what lies beneath.

Thankfully, the issue was easily fixed.  Turns out, the pipe coming into our house got a little too cold yesterday evening.  Everything else, as we had hoped, was just fine and dandy.  No busted pipes.  No freezing water pouring out of the taps.  A simple set-up with a heat lamp and we were good.

All due to the prayer we prayed this morning.  Turns out the Carpenter knows a thing or two about plumbing.

I'm breathing a hearty sigh of relief.

And going home to take a shower.

My Mom is NOT a Kindergarten Teacher

Several hundred hours later, it's clear to me why Billy Mays had cocaine in his system:  he needed the pick-me-up to get all that Orange Glo off his floors.  Ugh.

It's been a sweet day, Bloggies.  It's been the epitome of ordinary, but I've enjoyed every bit of it.  At breakfast this morning, Favorite and I were blessed to run into two of my colleagues.  We ate with my friend, Morgan and her husband which was a good time.  I've missed time with my friends.  To all of you that used to like me:  this house will be done soon.  When that happens, Casey is going to come over and cook copious amounts of awesome food and we'll hang out.

Keep in mind I haven't checked with Casey.

Hm.  I might just be honing my ability to throw people under the bus.  I get it from my mom.

Speaking of, I have a really funny (HIL-AIR-EE-OUS) story about my mom, but I can't post it on the internet.

She'd hurt me.  Or at the very least, embarrass me in important situations.

But the other day she told me she doesn't always read my blog.  So maybe I can get away with it?

*Scrunches face in order to weight the options*

Hm.  I may need her soon.  She's a cleaning machine.  We like cleaning machines around here.

So I'll pass.  But suffice it to say that even though she has a Kindergarten teacher demeanor, it might be a good thing that she doesn't work with kids on a regular basis.

(If we are "real-life" friends, you can meet me for dinner and I'll relay the whole, dirty mess.  My mom will be thrilled, and I PROMISE you'll laugh.)

Eclectic

Prepare for no fluidity here.

I can't find my phone.  This wouldn't be a problem, but I know you all are praying for a snow day for me, and I'm not sure how I'm going to know that I'm out when they call me in the morning.  (Yes, I know.  Wishful thinking.)

I need some professional development.  I need someone to teach me how to be a better teacher.  I get how to expect from my students.  I know how to teach them responsibility.  Sometimes I just feel like I fail on the grammar/writing front.

My state's new learning standards freak me out.  Sometimes I think I'm not interpreting them correctly.  Other days I'm afraid I've become dumber.  Some hours I think I previously believed myself more intelligent than I actually am and that's why those standards don't make sense.

Favorite needs to see my previous post and that fun hand-stamped necklace.  Some one give him a heads up.  Thank you :)

Man, I'm selfish.

I like comments.  I especially like comments from new people.  Thanks to those of you who are willing to stop by and visit.  It makes me feel like my words are worthwhile.

I'm done with laundry for today...I don't care that there's a stack on my couch right now.  I'll hang it up tomorrow since I'm not going to have to go to work ;)  (Yeah, yeah, yeah)

We're almost done with the house and I'm REALLY looking forward to finally having a place for everything.  Now I can start thinking about fun things like lamps, tables, pictures and decorative touches.

Silence, Snow, The Bible, and Education

Join me in a brief moment of silence as I hope for a snow day tomorrow.

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Thank you for your support.  This time, my prayer isn't quite as selfish as it typically is.  Since I've had walking pnemonia and a lung infection, I spent most of last week going home and going to bed.  That meant that all of my grading sat in my basket and received no attention whatsoever.  Now I have a LARGE stack of grading that needs some attention and a limited amount of time to grade it in.

For those of you pointing out that I should probably be grading instead of blogging:  please note that I take two hours at home to myself just to relax.  I've found that I have a much better disposition and peace of mind if I will take that time.  Sometimes part of that time is devoted to laundry or general house cleaning.

Today, some of it has been devoted to getting my bedroom together.  My new bed arrived today and that meant I needed to move out the tables we were using for night stands to get the real night stands in place.  Now I'm washing bedsheets so I can make the bed for the first time and enjoy.

I'm also trying to figure out the layout in my living room.  We bought a loveseat, couch and big-man chair because I wanted as much seating in this room as possible.  Now I'm trying to figure out how to arrange everything to make the best use of the room.  Feel free to come over and advise.

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I've been reading 1 Samuel (not with as much dedication as I should have) and I've been noticing quite a bit about that guy named Saul.  He freaks me out...mostly because I'm afraid I see myself in him.  Sometimes I just take matters into my own hands and do what I want because it seems like the right thing.  I don't wait and "keep my appointments with God."  I throw spears.  At people.  Usually ones I love.

I had rather hoped characters like Samuel or David would reflect who I am. 

Saul wasn't always a villain.  David isn't always a saint.  There's a lesson to be learned there.  I'm praying I get it.

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English III has been working through Romanticism and they've just gotten to Gothicism.  I love it, because before I introduce what it is, we read "The Masque of the Red Death."  Then I ask the students to draw the layout of the rooms and explain the allegorical connotations of that layout.  It's hilarious to watch them get frustrated, yell, erase half of their papers and then determine that they are going to beat me at my own game.  Days like this are what make teaching worthwhile. 



Adventures in Home Ownership

Just a few weeks ago, it actually felt like we owned this house.  Today capitalized that feeling.  I've spent most of the day on my hands and knees scrubbing Orange Glo off the floor.  I also finally got around to removing the tape on the bottom of my bathroom cabinets, scraping away excess grout, sweeping all the floors, cleaning countertops, doing laundry, scrubbing other floors and organizing in general.

I'm excited to get this house together in a shape that is recognizable as a home, but I have an ulterior motive.  The rest of my furniture is arriving on Monday and I need to get some things together so Favorite can move our current bed into one of the spare rooms.  I also think it's a good idea to have floors cleaned before furniture arrives.

But I feel a pretty decent sense of accomplishment.  I'm proud of myself.  Now if I could only get that endless stack of papers graded.

House Picture Palooza

I promised you pictures a while back.  So prepare yourself for a quick, short tour of the (mostly) finished rooms of my house.  I'm not giving you a picture of the rooms that are still waiting.  Keep in mind, that will come and I will even update as we add things like lamps, blinds, etc.  The first picture you see above is Barky's bed.  He's actually laying in it right now, but a few minutes ago I couldn't beg him to sit in it so I could get a picture.  He wants me to look like a liar.

This is one side of my kitchen.  You can see my awesome cabinets and my double oven and you can kinda see the fridge.  Oh, and that awesome yellow tea kettle :)

This wall forms a V with the wall you just saw (with a pantry in the middle).  This is my sink and dishwasher and more awesome cabinets.

This is the island.  I tried to avoid getting my countertop in the picture because we are still in the process of cleaning and putting things where they belong.  Unfortunately, not everything has a place at this point in time.  I'm really looking forward to that time, though.

The vanity in the master bath.  I promise I'll put up pictures of my closet soon.

This is my living room, and that is the incredible credenza I was telling you about.  I put it together myself and I think it's such a classy looking piece of furniture.

This is the front room and the accent wall.  Favorite and I read A LOT, but I was shocked to discover that our books fit on both of these shelves with some shelf space to spare.  I got both bookshelves from Target and I think they look SOO good.  In the future, I'll probably have to buy two more bookshelves and put them beside the already existing ones here.  We really like books.

And that's it for now.  I'm not going to take anymore pictures tonight because I'm committing myself to spending a certain amount of time on here and then spending time doing other things.  I want to focus on eating better and reading the Bible on a regular basis...and keeping up with things so that Favorite's needs are met.  In our devotional this morning we discussed what we really desire out of each other.  That was his for me and I'm really praying that God guides me so I can follow through consistently.

Not sure if I'll post a blog tomorrow because I have a dreaded meeting (UGH!) and I'm going to check on a buddy in the hospital.  Maybe I'll throw up a quick update during my planning period.

Until then...let me know what you think of the pictures :)

Post Number Two: Paranoid

I don't normally post twice in the same night.  Unfortunately, I have an unhealthy paranoia I need to talk about so maybe I can stop thinking about it.

I'm terrified I'm going to do something to severely damage my house.

I don't mean a couple of scratches in the floor or a dirty countertop.  I mean that when I read those reviews about the Orange Glow 4 in 1, I was terrified that I had done irreparable damage to my hardwood floors.  I cleaned them almost obessively today just to make sure they are ok AND I made Favorite compare the floors in one room to the floors in another room.  Thankfully, he said they looked the same.

We've also had a leak under the kitchen sink that just has me completely going nuts.  Water sat in the bottom of the cabinets for a couple of days, and while we did get it mopped up before it caused any permanent damage, I now have all of these horrible thoughts.  I'm terrified that water is leaking through the walls and underneath the cabinet.  I called my dad to freak out about it and he pointed out that water would be pouring into my basement if that were the case.  Good news; it's not. 

Does that stop me from going over to the cabinet and obsessively touching spots that were there from the previous leak just to check if they are damp?  Um...yeah.  No.

I can't help it.  I feel like I've been blessed with all of this great stuff and I'm somehow going to ruin it.  If you saw/experienced my trailer you would totally understand why I'm so paranoid.  I just want things to stay nice.  I want to take care of them.  I don't want to replace things in this house for the next 30 years.

So I'm going to try to calm down.  And I'm going to try to sleep.  And I'm going to try to refrain from calling my dad AGAIN so he can tell me that I'm freaking out over nothing.

Beware of the Reflection

I'm excited because my house is really starting to come together.  I plan to post pictures (maybe tomorrow?) because I finally brought my camera cord to the house.  High-five :)

Anyway, Favorite moved some furniture today so I'm starting to figure out what I want to keep from the trailer and where it's going to go.  So far, I've put something in a room and I'm going to have Favorite move to the other room because I think it'll be a better fit.

I spent the second part of my day doing a bit of shopping.  I'm currently on the lookout for a mustard colored container that says "Coffee" on the outside.  I ALMOST bought one from Target today, but it was cream colored (picture below).

If I can't find what I'm looking for in the next few weeks, I'll probably go back and get it.

Anyway, I also managed to get some nice framed mirrors (also at Target).  That means I won't have to go to school guessing that I look ok.  I put my make-up on in a little hand mirror, but it'll be nice to see my whole outfit.

As I was pushing my cart through the store, I was thinking about hanging these mirrors and not really paying attention to anything in particular.  I saw a Target employee and moved over so he and the TV he was pushing on the cart would have plenty of room to get through.  Then, before he got by me, I jumped, freaked out and tried to avoid hitting him.  Why would I have such a ridiculous reaction to someone who was on the other side of the aisle?

Because I saw him in my mirror.

The one in the cart.

I have no justification for this incident.

Really, you don't have to laugh so hard.

Go ahead. Be jealous.

Last night, I came home to my husband in the kitchen.  The man made me homemade French Onion Soup, Chicken Alfredo and garlic bread.

He brought me yellow roses.

He served me. 

And then we watched a movie on our enormous television (which arrived Tuesday.  Did I tell you about that?).  Barky laid on his bed in the living room (because I swear he likes it) and sometimes played with his new raccoon (stuffed...without the stuffing).

It wasn't a red carpet night.  But it was the first night it felt like we actually own this house.  It was the first night the kitchen felt like mine (even though I realized I needed to put another bar stool together because we can't both sit and eat).  I didn't feel like I was sitting on borrowed furniture.

It was awesome.

So I'm spending today cleaning and putting things in the awesome credenza.  I'm still a failure regarding the camera cord (or you would've gotten pictures of the roses, dinner and Barky laying in his bed), but I can show you an internet generated picture of this gorgeous piece of furniture:

Again, keep in mind that isn't my living room, but that's my credenza.  Isn't it beautiful?

I'll also be cleaning floors, doing laundry and putting things away...well, within reason.  We don't have all the closet organizers yet and my laundry room isn't put together yet, either.  I'm really looking forward to that aspect because it's going to change the entire look of the house.  I realize that sounds like a blanket statement, but it's going to house a dresser that will hold Chris' cold weather gear (and give him a junk drawer--but that's another story).  The laundry room will also have a place to hang clothes when they come directly out of the dryer which will make that room seem a whole lot more organized that it is now.  I'm looking forward to it.

But I better get crackin'.  Tonight is Branson night with Bro. and STBSIL (soon to be sister-in-law).