Presto! New Cabinets!

Last week, my husband traveled to Indianapolis for work - and I figured that if I wanted to go really crazy, that I would add painting my bathroom cabinets to my to do list right after "keep child 1 and 2 out of trouble!"  If you're a parent - you know how this is a full time job in and of itself.  ;)  I was fortunate enough of having a friend just paint her kitchen - and she helped me know what type of paint to use and the kind of brushes that make it look professional! 

Here are the materials you will need - Painter's tape, fine sandpaper, FOAM brushes and rollers (I would get at least a couple of both small and medium size foam brushes - they're super cheap), painting tray, Kilz (if you use oil based Kilz, just remember you'll need paint thinner to get it off of your skin or on anything else you use with it), SATIN paint, and Polycrylic (Satin). 

Remember - paint goes a long ways.  I think I used less than half a quart of the paint and less than 1/4 of the Polycrylic.  We plan on doing our kitchen soon also - so we just got the bigger size of Polycrylic.  It goes on like water - so you don't use very much.  :)

Be sure to remove your cabinet doors, hardware, and drawers.  All of our drawers were glued on (go figure) except one that the kids, somehow with their super power, knocked off.  Next time, I would remove all of them because it was a little hard making sure I got every piece covered completely in black paint. 

You will need to tape off your cabinets and then get sanding!  Take some fine sandpaper and just rough up your painting area on the vanity.  If you have a tack cloth - it might come in handy.  Since I didn't, I just took a wet rag and wiped off the residue so it wouldn't get stuck in my primer or paint.  :)

This was the part I hated - Kilz and I have a love-hate relationship... basically I hate it because I seem to get it everywhere and since it's oil based, I have to cover myself in paint thinner to get it off... lol.  Oh well.  This is where a couple extra foam brushes and rollers help you out, because it's just easier to throw them out than trying to reuse them.  (At this point, I ALMOST forgot about the doors - don't forget to prime and paint the doors also!)

After each coat of primer and paint, you are going to sand it lightly with the sandpaper.  This is a good opportunity to sand off any place where there might be a run or if the paint got particularly thick in places.  I actually don't know what the purpose of sanding it is (I'm pretty sure my husband just wanted to create extra work for me ;) but since I'm not a pro-painter, it was good for me to go back and fix up any mistakes.  :)  So - that being said - do a light sanding of the primer. 

Next, you're going to get out the paint!  This was my favorite part - and was therapeutic to me.  I got to see an immediate difference and painting is a lot easier than Kilzing - at least to me. 

Be sure to cover all of the primer!  You don't want that coming through the paint.  So get in every nook and cranny. 

I did three coats of black paint.  Go around the edges/trim with the foam brush, and then use the foam roller to get it all uniform and smooth... with a foam brush, it doesn't leave any streaks, but the roller just makes it look so good!  And don't forget to sand off any drips or runs between paint coats after it dries!

After three coats of paint - it looked fantastic.  I could already tell that the SATIN paint was the right choice to make - it looked like it was just meant to be!

Next was the polycrylic.  Be sure to STIR and not shake the polycrylic.  Unfortunately, I shook it THEN read the directions.  It says in small print - not to shake it.  Oh well - I made the best of it. 

For me, when I rolled the polycrylic on - it left little bubbles.  Soooo... I used a foam brush to cover the entire vanity... twice.  I put on two coats - I wanted to be sure I had a good layer of sealer - this is what is going to save your cabinet from oil from your hands and water and just going to be sure that you have a long lasting paint job. 

According to the directions - the polycrylic dries after only a couple of hours, but you should not use the piece for 24 hours.  During that time, we spray painted our hardware.  We considered getting new ones - but since ours were still nice and just need to be updated a little, we spray painted them a nickel color.  :)

BEFORE!

AFTER!

Good luck to you all!

1st Day of Preschool

My. Two. Munchkins.

Don't they look like such little angels?

Until you realize...

...my youngest learned the hard way that the glass sliding door was actually that... a door (yep - that left a mark).

...Emma thought it would be a great idea to to not take a nap - 3 days in a row.  Oh heavens.  I need a break. 

...Carter thought it would be great to explore our steps within an hour of arriving home from Charlotte.  Who knew he could crawl that fast all of a sudden?!  (that left an even bigger mark)  Up went the gate. 

...pooping in the tub has become a favorite pasttime of Carter's.  (Dang, who knew that the 2nd child did that too?!)

...that Emma has become a full fledged hypochondriac.  That's right, my daughter always thinks she's sick.  Her belly hurts, her ear hurts, her little toe hurts... you name it, it hurts.  Fortunately this always comes at the same time - bedtime.  every.  night.  I'm waiting for her to realize that if she says she has to go to the bathroom, she gets a free pass out of bed. 

My little mischievious munchkins. 

My little girl turned 3 yesterday...

Yesterday, we celebrated Emma's 3rd birthday.  Daddy took the day off of work so that we could celebrate it right - Family Day!  We started off the day with chocolate chip pancakes, made by Daddy and then we opened presents!

After that, we headed to Pump It Up! What a great time we had. There weren't a whole lot of people there and we were also able to go on the inflatables with her. She had a grand time!

Then we enjoyed a quick lunch at McDonald's and headed home to play a game of Candyland!

Naptime came next for the whole family!  Then we were off again to Chuck E Cheese!

And we finally ended the night with a round of "Happy Birthday" and some cupcakes! 

What a wonderful day!  We are so blessed!

Cluck Cluck!

The other day, this is what I found my husband doing...

My wonderful husband offered to make dinner the other night.  It was just a box mix where you were supposed to add "1 lb of chicken".  Obviously, my perfectionist husband decided that it had to be exactly one pound!  :) 

Overheard at our house...

Momma (talking to baby Carter):  What a big boy!
Emma:  Emma a big boy too?
Momma:  No - you're a big girl!
Emma:  Momma a big boy?
Momma:  Noooo, momma's a girl like you.
Emma:  Daddy a big boy?
Momma:  Uh yes, baby.  Daddy's a big boy too. 
Emma (runs up to daddy):  You're a big boy, daddy!

What peace and quiet will get you...

It will get you a speeding ticket. Yes, that's right. I said speeding ticket. For some reason, I just happen to think that at that moment in time when you are about to make the wrong decision to go a way that will quite possibly earn you a speeding ticket, there would be some flashing neon sign that blinks "STOP!" in irritatingly bold colors. But alas, there is not. And now I am stuck with a speeding ticket. Yes, that's right. I'm blaming a nonexistent sign.

Well, anyways, that is besides the point. Today while driving home after dropping my daughter off at preschool, I decided that I would take the different route home. Carter was sleeping and the van was blissfully quiet. As I was traveling down this "scenic" road, enjoying looking at the houses, I noticed a cop. Yep. I automatically put on my brakes. I knew I had been speeding. In my head, I prayed, "please, God, please God, don't let that cop come after me". Well, obviously 10 years without a ticket or getting pulled over at all, or even receiving a parking ticket, means that it's about time I got one. 

So the story is... I was going 41 in a 25 and I received no grace. I now owe $162 to the county. Boo. I'm debating whether my good driving record will help me get rid of this, but not sure. Have any of you ever gone to court over a ticket? I realize that I was in the wrong, but, hey, you never know!

Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful Thursday - hopefully one better than mine! At least the night can only get better - Grey's Anatomy tonight! :)

Not Me Monday

The other day, while at the mall on a play date, my well potty trained daughter did not have an accident.  (My husband did not totally jinx this, by the way).  I definitely did not forget to bring an extra set of clothes with me and I did not carry my daughter all the way to the bathroom without her socks and shoes on.  I did not dry out her underwear and jeans on the hand dryer in the bathroom and therefore let her wear the the same clothes for the rest of the day.  Not me!

I have not watched about a kabillion hours of Brothers & Sisters on Netflix over the last week.  I did not watch it while Emma was in the room and then realize that there was content not appropriate for an almost three year old to watch and I did not jump up like a jumping bean to distract her from the tv while I turned it off.  (So that's why they put these shows on so late at night... ah hem.)

I did not realize while holding Carter that he was on the verge of going #2 in his diaper.  I did not pass him off to his dadda so that I could get out of diaper changing duty.  Not me!

I did not buy some new comfy pants the other day and I defintely did not love them so much that I didn't want to take them off.  I did not take my daughter to school in those same pants.  (Hey!  It was pajama day in her class.  I didn't think there was a problem!  School participation and all.)

My daughter has not started to say "You're driving me nuts!"  I do not know who she heard that from!  :)

Have you had any "Not Me" moments this week?

Wordless Wednesday

A break...

So, as you can tell, I have taken a little vacation from blogging... I was determined to blog 30 times in 30 days, but life has caught up to me.  Besides enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, we have also had my college roommate come visit with her family, black friday shopping, an overnight trip to Richmond that included The Cheesecake Factory and more shopping, our vacuum broke - yep haven't vacuumed in a week now, drs appointment, trip to the pharmacy to get some medicine for Carter's rash on his face, school for Emma, my car battery died and now that it's working again - I can't listen to anything until I figure out the code to get into the system, and Jon's car is totally on the fritz again and the reason why it is sitting at an autobody shop at the moment.  Shwew!  All that in LESS THAN A WEEK!  Oh yes, and did I mention I have a cold and I have yet to put away my fall decorations and put up Christmas ones???  So, as I was saying - I'm taking a little vacation.  Be back when I'm no longer behind on my massive to do list and have caught up on some sleep.  Let's just say that baby Carter is having a growth spurt... ahhhh!  :)  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

8. Someone you think would make a good president

Elmo.  Enough said.  ;)

7. Favorite song and why

The first time I heard this song was in our church. The words are, in a word, amazing. I considered all of the songs that I would consider "favorites" even including secular songs - but honestly, none qualified as my favorite favorite. It's not a complicated song and I know it is more of an outreach song than a subjective song just for me.  But there is no other song that reminds me how much God is in control. I'm the type of person who enjoys being in control - and this song reminds me that I am not in control - God is. Even though the last year I lost my beloved uncle to cancer, had job and money issues, birthed a perfect baby boy whom we initially thought may have Down Syndrome, and things happened that were out of our control - God was and is still there for us through it all. He was there for myself and my family and He will be there for you. He will use MY story for His glory. It's amazing to me that I am just a tiny, itty bitty intricate piece of a whole. God is here. Can you feel Him?

6. Earliest thing you can remember

The earliest thing that I can remember is in the very first house my family lived in.  I can't remember very much of it, but I can mostly remember the layout.  I know my bedroom was down a hallway, and that right across from my room was my parent's bedroom.  I remember some of the living room and for some reason, I can remember distinct 80's decor... haha!  Most everything else that comes to mind, I believe come from pictures from when I was little.  There are many times that I really wished that we could go back to that house.  We moved out when I was like 3 or 4 I think - I'm not really quite sure.  I have driven past it many times, but never have had the privilege of being inside it since we lived there.  Maybe someday I'll get that chance!  :)

5. A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life

Dear Emma and Carter:

You would think that if I were writing a letter to someone who has changed my life, you might automatically think that it would be to someone who is older or maybe to someone who has had many, many years of wisdom behind their belt.  But of all the people who I have interacted with in my lifetime, there are no two more beautiful and wonderful children as you two.  The moment I realized that I had the privilege of being a mother to you both, my life was forever changed - and for the better!

I spent 9+ months for each of you waiting in wonder and imagining what you might look like.  I dreamt of the wonderful baby smell (and the not so wonderful smell of stinky diapers) and the cooing sounds you would make.  There is nothing like the unconditional love of a child and everytime I looked into your eyes, I was reminded how blessed I was and am now. I dream and plan about the days you would learn new things, your first day of school, your first date, when you got married, and someday, Lord willing - become parents yourselves.  I loved you from the moment you were created.  

You both have made me a better person and a better mother.  The way I feel about you every single day reminds me how much more God loves me and loves each of you.  It's so amazing to know that God placed both of you on this earth to glorify Him.  I pray for the day you both realize the wonderful Gift that God offers to each of us and for the moment you accept it!  I'm the most blessed mother in the world to be the one God appointed to guide you and help you grow in His image. 

I love you both so much. 

Praying for you each and every day,

Mommy

4. What you imagine paradise to be like

Revelation 21:

"2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children...

27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."


Now that's what I imagine true paradise to be like!

3. The five songs you would have with you on a desert island and why

This is a tough one.  There aren't too many songs out there that I think I could listen to over and over and not get tired of listening to it.  But anyways, that is besides the point!  Seriously... who would take songs with them on a desert island?  I mean, yeah - books maybe.  Or as my husband suggested - "podcasts - like "How to Survive on a Deserted Island"... haha!  And even if our boat or plane was crashing, the iPod would NOT be my first choice to grab!  If I did happen to grab my iPod instead of let's say, a raft or supply of water, how would I even listen to my music?  I'm not supposing that there are electric sockets to charge my iPod in.  I'm thinkin that when someone thought this question up, they may have been a little loopy.  Just sayin'.  :)

1.  So What by Pink:  I don't know why, but this song always gets me movin'.  No matter the circumstances (like being on a deserted island), it's always good to remember "I'm still a rock star!"
2.  She's Everything by Brad Paisley:  Jon's favorite song and one of mine!
3.  I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany:  Just a classic... lol
4.  Someday by Sugar Ray:  To reminisce. 
5.  How Great Thou Art:  To always remind me how amazing my Savior is and that I am here only for His glory.  :)

2. Something that inspires you

There is no one on this earth who inspires me as a parent more than my best friend.  He is dependable, smart, funny, and the best parent I know.  I love my husband.  Above all else, he is my bestest and truest friend.  Every moment I see that he spends with Emma and Carter inspire me to be a better parent.  He is so patient with Emma - even when she is stretching us to our limits.  He plays with Carter and gets up with him at night to change his diaper and soothe him.  On days when I feel as though I'm ready to crash and have been stretched thin, I remember how much love and patience my husband has for our children.  Men like my husband are few and far between.  I thank God everyday for putting Jonathan in my life and making him the man/husband/father he is today. 

30 Posts in 30 Days - Day One

In my quest for bettering myself, I have come to the realization that I enjoy challenges.  Growing up, I was mostly an only child.  I had a much older brother (12 years older) and a much younger brother (16 years younger), so I never had anyone to compete with. 

I do remember in my junior year in high school that my goal was always to beat the grades my friend Shalee received in the classes we had together.  It was the best year in my whole school career.  The challenge - which she may never know until now even existed - made me a better person and of course, proved my mother right - "See!  I knew if you applied yourself you could be an A+ student!" 


Even to this day, Jon and I have competitions - even though they are mostly dumb and trivial and I almost always lose, they can be so much fun!  So here is my new challenge.  30 posts in 30 days.  (I tried posting every day with the soda challenge, but didn't quite make it ;)  I found some topics to write about in these next 30 days.  Not only will I get to learn a little about myself - but you will too!  I'm even going to go so far as to challenge YOU to do this also.  Who knows?  It may even be fun.  :)


Day...
1.  Guilty pleasure
2.  Something that inspires you
3.  The five songs you would have with you on a desert island and why
4.  What you imagine paradise to be like
5.  A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life
6.  Earliest thing you can remember
7.  Favorite song and why
8.  Someone you think would make a good president
9.  Five things you want to see change
10.  A dream you had this past week described in detail
11.  Favorite picture ever taken of yourself
12.  Your favorite story
13.  A memory that never fails to make you laugh
14.  Best meal you've ever had
15.  Amoment, phrase, or song that has changed your life the most
16.  Something that you want to do within the next five years
17.  What you want to be remembered for
18.  A picture that makes you feel
19.  A passage from a book that has touched you
20.  A person that you immediately liked upon first meeting them
21.  Your favorite medium of art
22.  Someone you would give your life up for without question
23.  Most awkward first impression you feel you’ve ever given
24.  Something you did as a child that other people remember you for
25.  Something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn’t fail
26.  Your definition of love
27.  Your definition of the meaning of life
28.  A moment you remember being completely happy in and a description of why you believe you were
29.  What you live for
30.  Ways you believe you have grown over the past thirty days


DAY ONE:  Guilty Pleasure


My husband asked me one time what my guilty pleasure was and I promptly responded "reading!".  To which he laughed and then had to explain that reading is NOT a guilty pleasure.  Up until this point, I had not given it much more thought.  And the more and more I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a good answer.  So the googling person that I am, I looked it up.  The definitition of guilty pleasure is this...


"A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the "guilt" involved is simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt. Fashion, music, and food (especially unhealthier foods high in sugar and/or fat) can be examples of guilty pleasures."


My guilty pleasure is SHOPPING.  Yep.  I love to shop.  No, I'm not exceptionally good at it - I can't always find great deals, I get frustrated when I can't find what I'm looking for, and I'm not really fashionably ahead of the game.  But I love to buy things - for the house and the kids mostly.  I think I may just make us go bankrupt...!  I'm just kidding!  However, I always have things on my mind that I think I "need" and the word "buy" has become a bad word in our house.  The worst part is that my husband is the most content person in the world.  He still wears the same t-shirts as he did in high school.  So we are hugely different.  When the word "buy" comes up in my sentences, I think my husband lovingly wants to strangle me!  ;) 


What is your guilty pleasure?

28 days of no soda...

So here I am on the opposite side of 28 days of absolutely no soda of any kind.  And the question is whether or not I am all the better for it.  Now I'll be honest... I totally said that I would blog every day and obviously I did not.  I have no excuse.  Life is busy.  I get tired.  Annnnd I'm lazy.  But I have kept up with weighing myself every day and Jon and I both have an ending weight that is different from our starting weight.  However, it is not what I expected, and I will let you take from it what you will. 

Here is our beginning weight:

Jonathan:  169.0
Gina:  140.4

And... drumroll please -

Jonathan:  166.6 (-2.4 lbs)
Gina:  136.8 (-3.6 lbs)

As you can see, both Jon and I did lose some weight.  Now if this loss was because we weighed ourself first thing in the morning or if mine is because I am breastfeeding - I will let you decide.  Honestly?  I thought I would lose like 10 lbs because I drink at least a soda or two a day normally.  I was a little disappointed.  However, it is a little less than a pound a week which in actuality isn't too bad.  My weight has fluctuated up and down since I've started, (one day 139 the next 137 then back up to 140) so it's pretty hard to say that it's all from a lack of soda.  In the end though - the good thing is that I didn't GAIN any weight.  Which I have to say is a good benefit!

I think the best thing that came from this for me is the fact that I now know that I can set a goal for myself and make it.  No soda for 28 days.  That's pretty good for me.  I'm proud of myself!  However, Jon and I will be breaking the "soda fast" tonight.  We normally would have done it tomorrow - but since he will be out of town (and it's a whole lot more fun to do this together) we will watch a movie, eat some popcorn, and enjoy a nice cold one - soda of course!

I think my next goal is to watch my portions.  I think for the next couple of months, I'm going to try weight watchers.  My goal is to lose 10% of my weight which is about 13 lbs which will take me to about 124 lbs.  I don't personally think that I'm overweight, but I do know that I have some extra poundage that I would love to lose from having two kids.  I want to feel more comfortable and more confident, and since I could go 28 days with no soda, I think I can go a couple of months counting calories to see how much I really intake.  (I love my sweets!)  I'm motivated by a friend of mine who lost 25 lbs in 10 weeks.  How awesome is that?!  And she looks amazing.  What better motivation is that than a friend with a great success story?! 

Thank you to those who have followed a long on the few blog posts I've written and for all of your encouragement.  It was knowing that you were there cheering me on that kept me going!

Random meanderings...

I am sitting here on my bed just trying to figure out how to put the last week into words (and listening to Emma - out in the living room, putting a DVD on to watch.  Miss Little Independent).  It has been a super crazy busy week - which has its good and wonderful moments but it has its crappy (sorry, this is the best I could come up with... my brain has become mush!) moments. 

My husband flew out early Monday morning and spent the week in Connecticut.  Since his last trip, we have come up with some new terminology for my daughter to understand what is going on.  When he traveled earlier in the month, I told Emma that Daddy was at work.  I figured that this was as good an explanation as any and would end the conversation pretty much there.  It did.  It worked, and although Emma asked throughout the week, it didn't seem to matter too much to her.  She was thoroughly excited to talk to Daddy on the phone, but didn't seem to realize that we hadn't seen him in days.  However, last week, when Jonathan was in Roanoke working, we realized our mistake.  On Monday morning when Jon was telling Emma goodbye, she had a massive meltdown.  She sobbed uncontrollably and kept yelling for Daddy... We understood at this point that Emma thought that Jon was going away and wouldn't come back for awhile since that is what happened the last time he went to work.  We now have new terminology.  During this last week, we told her that Daddy was going to work - we even went to the office so that Emma could understand what "work" meant.  When we dropped Jonathan off at the airport this past Monday, we told Emma that Daddy was traveling.  Of course, this meant that all week long Emma thought that he was flying.  Oh well.  At least she seems to be comprehending it so much better!

I've also come to the realization that without Jon here, my daughter is absolutely attached to my leg.  She follows me everywhere - to go take the laundry downstairs, to take a shower, to go to the bathroom... oh my.  Right now is the most alone I've been in a week's time (don't worry, I can hear Emma - she is less than 20 feet away playing with her Disney Princesses... lol).  I will have to say that baby Carter seems to take the transition well - of course, he really is only three months old and is lucky to realize that his fist is not the same as his pacifier.  Poor boy... haha!

I can also happily say that I have gone 12 days without drinking any soda.  I am sad to say that I have only lost a couple of pounds though - and I definitely don't feel any different.  I do massively crave soda - especially since it has been so warm.  There is nothing like a cold glass of soda on a hot day!  We will have to see what happens in the next 16 days or so to see if I will totally stop drinking soda at all.  But at this point, it's not looking good!  :)

Well now that I've spent some time jotting down my random thoughts, my precocious 2 year old is demanding some attention.  May you all have a lovely Halloween weekend!