Friday, April 15, 2011

Blog Neglect....

If there was such a thing as "blog neglect," I would totally be found guilty. The last few weeks, I have probably been guilty of child neglect (not serious child neglect, just not as much attention as my children are used to), and probably husband neglect. OH, and laundry, dishes, and sweeping neglect. I thought about taking a picture of the mound of laundry I was folding last night, but honestly, I was way too embarrassed to do that. Sometimes I think I should really stop and breathe and relax. If I could. If only for a minute...

Basically, I've been really, really busy. As most of you know, I am organizing a Mom Prom for the Brad and Amy Price Family. **Still taking donations, ehem ** It has taken a lot of time, but it will be so worth it. I know it will. And my sacrifices are nothing compared to the sacrifices they make every day, and will probably continue to make for a long time to come. But isn't that what we do for our children? And shouldn't we sacrifice some of our time for others?

The prom is one week away. In one week, on this day, at this time, I will be dancing the night away with some of my best friends, and some of my new friends, and a lot of complete strangers that sacrificed a little bit of their time, and a little bit of their money to help a family in need.

You could say that I am somewhat of a control freak or perfectionist. I want this event to be perfect. I want this to become an annual event, and I want you to do this in your town, wherever you live, for whatever charity you feel like helping. I feel like I have learned so much about myself, about my family, about my amazing husband, through all of these tiny sacrifices I have made. My husband has held down the fort. He's cooked dinners (mac-n-cheese totally counts!), he's done laundry, he's done the dishes. But what he's done that is the most important to me, is told me that he is proud of me for doing this. And part of me feels guilty for saying that. I'm not doing this for attention, I'm not doing this to make my family proud, although I do want Callie and Tanner to learn to give, I'm doing this to help the Price family.

 And even if we don't sell another ticket, I know that we have given them at least just a little bit of breathing room. If only for a minute...

Friday, April 1, 2011

Under Construction!!

We are embarking on our first "home construction/improvement" project, and so far, so good. We bunked up at my sister's house on Saturday night so the contractor, Adam, could work on the house. We are knocking out the banisters and putting up walls. I am in love with the new look already, and it's not even all painted yet.





Some of the reasons I am loving the change...

**It's more safe. We already had one rail break and I was so scared that another one would, and the kids would fall through or get hurt.

**It gives more definition to each space, without completely closing it off.

**It gives me an excuse to decorate and make some changes!!

**Most importantly, it ends the game of throwing toys between the banisters to hear them crash on the floor 4 feet below!! Today the little boys could NOT figure out what happened and continued to throw toys at the wall, trying to make them fall. Sorry boys!!!! Kind of entertaining to watch, too, by the way.

Our construction guy/contractor... handy man? What are we supposed to call them? Anyway, he is great. I highly recommend him. He works fast but not so fast it's a mess, he's so considerate, and he just wants to help and make your life easier. His name is Adam, and let me know if you want his name for your next home improvement project. So, now he just has to come back and put the wood caps on, paint, and put up the hand rails. I will be thankful when it's over, because there's been a thin layer of dust on every surface of our house. Of course, my son is allergic to dust so I've been hard at work.

I am going shopping tonight for fun pillows for the couch, we need a new accent chair, an end table, artwork, and a lamp. We'll see what deals I score, because I am a bargain shopper!! I am tapping into my more creative side and getting inspired by some of the design blogs I've been reading. My next project? A PVC pipe mirror. Yes, I said PVC pipe. My new friend, Jessica and I plan to make one for each of our houses. I will post a picture when I get it finished!!

I've heard lots of stories of home construction gone wrong, and I have to say I feel very thankful to have had very little to no problems so far. But like most people undergoing contruction, I am ready for it to be done :)