Anyone who has ever bought a house, knows that it is a constantly evolving thing. (
And if that is not the case with you, just don't tell me, because I like to think we are normal in this respect...)When we moved to our new house, we got rid of a lot of the things we had in our old house. Either:
- The style didn't match the style of our new house.
- They just flat out did not fit.
- They were pieces we bought that were cheap, and we just used to get by. We wanted nice stuff in our new home.
- We just did not like them anymore.
So, needless to say, our new house looks pretty empty. And it has looked empty for a LONG. TIME. NOW. When we moved here, I had idea after idea of how I wanted to transform the house into our new home. But, after realizing that everything requires time and money (two things we are short on), I sadly came to terms that my house would remain empty for awhile. And by "came to terms with," I mean that Jesse pretty much told me to back off and trust that we would get what we could, when we could!
We have now been saving for months. I must say, when we do make big purchases, it feels good. We get to pull out our wrinkled envelope, stuffed with cash, and feel a since of satisfaction. And I do feel proud knowing that we didn't spend outside of our means. We saved. We paid in full, in cash. And we waited until we found exactly what we wanted. Now, that being said, we find something we want, we jump in with both feet. Hence Jesse's new truck last Fall... we were out looking and gathering ideas on a whim, and left the lot with a new truck (again, paid for in full, in cash) a few hours later. He knew what he wanted and when he found it, he jumped.
Which brings me back to our house. When we moved in, we slowly but surely set up and decorated the bedrooms. No, they are not perfect or done up to the max. But they are cute, comfortable, and functional. They look and feel like bedrooms. Our living area (kitchen, living room, and dining room)...not so much. Empty. The pieces we do have, don't really go with anything else. I would have loved to spend bookoos (yes, it is a word) to start from scratch, go pick out everything I want, and re-do it all at once. But, that is not how we do things! It is hard to resist, and it frustrates me to no end most of the time. Nevertheless, we feel that for us, it is the right way to do it.
So, instead, we save and save, and do a little at a time, as we can. One piece of furniture here. New curtains there. A new picture over there.
This week, we added to the collection.
Jesse found this random, unique furniture store out in the middle of no where, and we went to check it out. After walking the (massive!) store, our eyes landed on this rustic piece. We have had an idea in our heads of what we wanted to find for that wall since we moved in late last summer. I cannot tell you how many different furniture stores we have browsed, looking for the perfect piece. We have debated how we could adjust certain existing pieces to make them work for us. We had even settled on a more traditional piece from Star furniture and had it ordered (on back order). But when we saw this piece, we were both sold. And jumped right in.
I pulled out the wrinkled envelope, signed on the dotted line, and they delivered it to our living room a few hours later. No contracts. No waiting for weeks. No hassle.
And now, our living room has substance. A new building block.
There is still a lot to do. We have to hang the TV on the wall above it, and move the DVR and DVD player into the cabinet below, once we drill out a hole for the wires. We need some more color in the room. I need to get a rug and curtains and accessories to make it
homey, but hey. It is starting to come together. After all, home building is a constant work in progress.
The heat has arrived in full force, but considering my little diva rarely likes to wear clothes anyway, she has not really seemed to notice. Playing in the pool, going to the park, the library, the splash pad, the children's museum... this girl is all about summer.
Her birthday present from Granddaddy and Gaga has certainly come in handy for Mama and Aunt Julie, who is helping watch the kiddos this summer, going back and forth to the park. Even Wesley enjoys sitting up in the new wagon and going for a ride. 
Back to summa, summa, summa-time! Sunscreen, lemonade, and fun await you! 
Back to summa, summa, summa-time! Sunscreen, lemonade, and fun await you! 
And now, three years later, you daily remind me that I'm "your favorite Mom" or "the best Mom ever!" You walk up to me and plant a huge smacker right on my lips. You throw your arms around me. And without prompting, you walk into the room and say, "I love you, Mommy." And my heart? Well, it is still swelling. Some times, it feels like it could just explode with the love that you, my sweet girl, give me unconditionally. I have learned more about me, from you, than I ever thought possible. Isnt it supposed to be the other way around? 
Wesley has grown. He is filling out more, looking more and more like a little boy and less like a baby. We bumped him up to size 3 diapers this month, and some of his 6-month pajamas are starting to fit snug. I'm about to pull out the 9-month clothes and get them washed and ready. He has started to babble, though not very often and not very extensively. Though I hate to admit it, his main sound/word is 
