Making This House Our Home

Shoe Organization and Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:49:00 +0000

IHeart Organizing's challenge this week is entry ways and the living room. Since a lot of people kick off their shoes in the entry way she challenged us to organize our shoes and donate the ones we no longer need to a good cause. Here is my handy work:

First where my shoes used to be...

Our Entryway...

My Fall and Winter Boots...

My Cute Boots...

A Pile in my Craft Room Closet...

A Pile in our Closet... and yes that is a rollerblade and no I don't know where the mate is...

Oh, and in a cubby too!

And to compare... here are my hubby's shoes.

That's right... three pair. LOL

I bought two shoe organizers, one for the entryway and one for my dress shoes. Here are my dress shoes all paired up and put away. This one went under our bed. The entryway one will have my flip flops, running shoes, and one pair of dress shoes on it but it will be a bit before I can set it up. We have things in the way right now. More organizing! Woot.

And these will be going to the on post thrift store. Each month junior enlisted families can get 15 articles of clothing for free and shoes are included. I hope these shoes find an owner who'll actually wear them and not shove them in the back of the closet like I did. I have many more to donate later but they are all still packed away in boxes for now.

Want To Do List

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:23:00 +0000

I'm taking a new spin on the to-do list. I have three problems with the traditional to-do list that always leaves it undone and me exhausted and frustrated.
1) It only lists things I need to do which is daunting and can be discouraging when nothing gets checked off.
2) Those things I "need" to do really aren't needs, at least not most of them. My priorities and pressures on myself are in the wrong places.
3) I rarely take the time to take care of myself, hence the exhausted and frustrated feeling.

I've devised a way to fix all those issues. I am going to put it all, my household chores and self care items, on my Want To Do List. So, without further ado, here is my new list. I was reviewing it last night and I've already finished some items. Go me!

My Want To Do List:

Get a perm
Get a pedicure in a massage chair
~~Buy our own massage chair~~
Organize the display unit downstairs
~~Organize~~ and downsize the kitchen
Organize and downsize our book collection
Decorate my craft room/sanctuary
Decorate LB's room
~~Go through~~ and donate unneeded clothes
Unpack the rest of our boxes
Hold a garage sale
Finish clearing the upstairs landing area
Decide what the upstairs landing area will be used for and name it as a room
Make a household binder
Write up our wills
Organize important papers and scrap items
Sell unneeded items on Craigslist/Ebay
Get a canvas photo for above our couch
Hang the stairway curtains on the window instead
Sell, Donate, and Trash more!

Daily Want To Do List:

Do my Bible study daily
Sip coffee and read/work on blogs/blog designs
Exercise daily
Play with and read to LB
Have cuddle and talk time with the hubby
Get LB's toys out of walkways and straighten the living room before bed
Take a hot bath when relaxation is needed
Do dishes and laundry when needed
Wipe down toilets, sinks, baths as needed
Dust and vacuum as needed

A Little Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:28:00 +0000

Could we take just a moment and say a prayer for Japan and all those in the pacific region who are suffering from this earthquake and tsunamis? Let us pray and meditate on their safety over the next few days. Let the emergency relief personnel find all those who might be trapped alive. Let them stay safe in rescuing the stranded. Let the healing and rebuilding come smoothly for the people effected. Let God's love show through this tragedy.

Thank you. I have a very good friend stationed in Okinawa and when I heard last night, at nearly midnight here, that the earthquake had been the largest recorded my heart skipped a beat. Thankfully he was logged online and after a few agonizing minutes he responded that he had felt nothing. As you may have read, the earthquake hit mainland Japan. He is alright, and it looks as though our military men and women in Hawaii will be fine too, but the people of Japan and any Americans visiting there are going to be healing for quite some time after this natural disaster. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank God for Mother's Intuition

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:32:00 +0000

or I Cried All Night Thinking What Could Have Happened...

Last night as we were getting LB ready for bed I noticed he was chewing on something. I assumed it was a pea or piece of turkey from dinner stuck in his teeth. He did the same thing after he had hamburger for the first time and stopped as soon as we brushed his teeth. But as I was changing his diaper he refused his binkie so I thought I ought to check. I hooked a finger in his mouth and felt something hard. He didn't let it go so I parked his butt on the changing table, grabbed his little neck to hold his head in place and hooked my finger in there again. I finally got it out and to our shock and horror, it was a large, hard piece of plastic. The dog must have pushed it under the gate because it was a piece of one of his chew toys. At first I was just shocked but after we kissed him goodnight, laid him down in his crib, and went to our room I started bawling. If he had gone to bed with that in his mouth I doubt he would have woken up. All I can say is Thank God for that nagging voice in my mind when it comes to my family.

God has spoken to my heart about many a thing in my life that just didn't seem "right". I came home from work early one day to find my ex fiance cheating on me; I had dream after dream about a man I detested but after giving him a chance he turned out to be the love of my life; and on several occasions I have turned down a different street out of no where only to find out later that there was a deadly crash on the road I always take. But this was by and far the hardest realization to deal with. Just think how it would have been had I not listened to that still small voice. It just breaks my heart to think about it.

Date Night

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:29:00 +0000

I had a date last night with two very charming men. Well, one isn't quite a man yet... but he's growing oh so fast! His little face is lengthening and every day he looks less and less like my little baby boy. He and his "dada" took me out for dinner last night. My husband and I had planned on having a "financial date night" once a week just to touch base, sit down together, and go through out monthly budget and see how we are doing. I am working on the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class again and getting some great ideas on our money. DH stays home with LB so I can concentrate on class and get some away from baby time. I think they enjoy "boys night in" as well. So, we invented the financial date night so I could teach DH what I've learned that week and we can decide if and how to apply it to our lives. My plan was just to actually sit at the dining table once a week and go over it after dinner but DH had other plans.

At lunch he asked me if I had plans for dinner. I quickly tried to think of something but eventually told him the truth... "no, not really, why?" He asked if I would like to go out to eat for our first date night so I wouldn't have to worry about fixing dinner. We hadn't gone out to eat in several months so I said sure! When he got home that night I was in the closet trying on 20 different shirts. He watched me for a while until I turned around and said "I have a date tonight and I can't decide what to wear! What should I wear?" We just laughed because we both know he couldn't care less what I wear so long as we are together. I finally decided on jeans, a black sweater shirt with a wide neckline that can be folded over several different ways, some silver flower jewelry, and my new black soft leather heeled boots which I wore perfectly in the snow lol. I completely forgot my camera last night so I'll have to recreate my outfit and add pictures later. Maybe I can re-create LB's outfit too. He was so charming in his baby jeans, polo shirt and brown loafers (all found in thrift stores btw woot woot!)

It was a nice dinner overall. As long as LB had something in front of him to eat he was fine. My dinner was AMAZING! It was chicken, smothered in a cream sauce, on top of potatoes au gratin, squash, carrots, broccoli stalks, and peppers, topped with mounds of crab meat, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. It was absolutely decadent! ...and LB wanted to eat it. He is just starting to show interest in what we are eating and he does this half moan- half cry when he wants whatever it is we are having. Of course we didn't think a smothered chicken with seafood on top was very healthy for a 14 month old so I just cut up some of my potatoes for him to munch on.

This restaurant has a dessert tray that they bring to the table and out of the 40 or so times we have eaten there, we've been shown the tray every time and ordered dessert only once so last night we ordered another dessert. DH choose the chocolate mousse and I am in love! I don't know that I've ever had chocolate mousse before but now I need to make some! Overall it was a lovely evening. Next time we are going to ask my friend to babysit though...

Too Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:28:00 +0000

I read a good reminder on being too busy today...

"What is the biggest obstacle facing the family right now?

It is over-commitment; time pressure.

There is nothing that will destroy family life more insidiously than hectic schedules and busy lives, where spouses are too exhausted to communicate, too worn out to have sex, too fatigued to talk to the kids.

That frantic lifestyle is just as destructive as one involving outbroken sin.

If Satan can't make you sin, he'll make you busy, and that's just about the same thing."

~Dr. James Dobson

Are you too busy today? God has really been putting on my heart to slow down. I speed through projects and leave half completed ones in my wake. I think LB needs structure but I overdo it and try to stick to our schedule so much that I either give it up completely or don't make room for spontaneity. I am so busy trying to get everything done in a day and fit in some down time that at the end of the day I don't have time for my husband. I need to schedule my time more efficiently and take on only what I can handle.

Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Despite the fact that I have rarely been without a boyfriend my whole adolescent years and have been married now almost three years, I have never had a traditional Valentine's Day. DH hates the holiday because of how commercialized it is. He proposed on February 16th so we celebrate that day, but on Valentine's day I have to watch everyone with their flowers and candy and kisses and just sigh. Sometimes it even makes me a bit bitter when it shouldn't at all.

This year I have decided to take the Mommyologist's advice and celebrate loving myself on Valentine's day. I already gave DH his gift last night by filling up the tank in -30* weather so it'd be ready for work today and he wouldn't have to think about it. Now it's time for me to get some lovin'.

Since I am having such a hard time with my weight loss and self esteem lately, I think this is the perfect opportunity to come up with some Why I Love Me statements. So here we go...

My hair and nails grow fast and are thick.
I'm really pretty good at teaching myself HTML.
I'm a very loving person and I strive to help people.
I birthed and am raising, with DH of course, a happy, healthy little boy.
Although I get distracted often, I am eager to learn new things and work on projects.
I have high cheekbones which I love.
I am determined in anything I set my mind to.
According to DH, I'm a pretty good wife... despite my "need" to be better and perfect.
My nose scrunches when I really smile big. LB has learned to do it too.
I know when to seek help and I work everyday to better myself.
I can usually keep calm during an argument to help both parties find a resolution.
Even when I'm depressed I can find goodness, beauty, and something to laugh at or be silly about.

Ha! I decided not to number them because I was worried I couldn't think of at least 10 things, since 10 is a nice round number... but I thought of more! Go me! It's your turn...Go ahead, I want to know... why do you love you?

A 10 Foot Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:16:00 +0000

See that? That arched window measures 10 feet high! That is 120 inches in length. The only curtains you can buy up here are 84". That would leave me 3 feet short. I have no idea what to do about it. Either I can buy some fabric and make my own curtains that will cost $60 a panel ($120 total) or buy ready made ones online for cheaper but pay for the shipping and handling to Alaska. I found the perfect curtains but the shipping was MORE than two panels! It was going to cost me $80 to get two, probably flimsy, curtains up here and I don't want to spend that kind of money. I just don't know how to fix it. I've considered buying a tapestry to hang over the top window and then hanging regular curtains below, but tapestries are pretty pricey too. I think a painting up there would look out of place. We won't be in this house for long, but come summer we'll have noon day sun from 4am-1am the next night streaming through that window into our bedroom. I refuse to put tin-foil in a window that is on the front of my house! (Plus it's against the neighborhood rules to have anything non-neutral facing outward.) I also think two (technically four) separate curtains, one on top of the other, would look odd.

I've also considered curtaining off the top of the stairs to keep the light out of our bedroom but that seems really odd to me. (We can't just shut the door or we'll have a cat crying all night long and waking the baby lol) So what do you think? How would you fix this problem?

Romantic Homes and Vintage Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Alison at Vintage Amethyst blog and boutique is having an amazing giveaway. Her blog and beautiful home decor items have been featured in magazines as well known as Good Housekeeping! This last feature was listed in Romantic Homes. In celebration, she is generously giving away a gift pack on her blog. Click the photo above and head on over to check out the details and enter to win.

Finding Normalcy

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:57:00 +0000

I feel like I've been sucked up into a whirlwind again. I suppose in a way we are every time we move. I have all the boxes inside the house unpacked, save my craft room which isn't my biggest concern right now. Next I will be moving on to the giant mountain of boxes in the garage closet. To give you an idea of it's size since I can't even get in far enough to take a picture... it could house two riding lawn mowers and a grill. At the moment it is stuffed floor to ceiling, wall to wall with boxes. I plan on taking out and unpacking three a day.

These are the boxes (well mostly, since some were mislabeled) that were still unpacked from our last move and taking up all that room in our bedroom. I'm going to have to be very ruthless and trash or donate about half of the items in the remaining boxes. We are currently about 2,000 lbs over our limit for what the Army will pay to move. At least, according to the weigh slips we are. Personally, unless we are going to receive a bill from the Army 2 years after our last move, I have no idea where we acquired 3,000 lbs of stuff in the last year. Oh well, the fact of the matter is that I am sick of all this clutter, which is all my fault by the way, and I am ready to let it go. No, not just let it go... get rid of it! Wish me luck... I'm going to need it.

Pictures are coming sometime soon. I bought some new curtains since the sun will be staying out longer and longer from now on but I have no ladder to hang them with. We have one problem window on our stair landing that has an arched window above it. Normally that would be a beautiful design feature... but in Alaska where the sun doesn't set until 1am and rises by 4am in the summer... well you get the point. It happens to shine right into our bedroom too. During the winter wouldn't be too bad except for the street lamp right outside our front door. I like the safety, but it keeping me up all night is not fun.

Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:46:00 +0000

Well the movers came and worked for three hours today before running out of boxes... which kinda sucks for two reasons. 1) I have to pay for each box used... and 2) we aren't going to be completely out of here until tomorrow night which only gives me one day to unpack for LB's birthday party.

So.... while I'm waiting (and avoiding cleaning because they're just going to track in more dirt tomorrow...) I thought I would answer some random questions I found on a friend's blog today. Enjoy.

1. When you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning, what's the first thing you say?

Man, I look tired...

2. How much cash do you have on you?

a couple bucks, but usually none

3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"?

rest

4. Favorite planet?

Pluto, which will always be a planet to me (btw they are thinking about reinstating it as one because of new evidence, woot!)

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?

There aren't any. I clean my phone out every night so only my hubby is in my call list. One of my OCD things...

6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?

Um whatever it came with. Until I get my Christmas present from my aunt I have a calls only phone.

7. What shirt are you wearing?

None! No, j/k... normally I wouldn't be wearing one because I'm always hot but it's -30* outside today and I just can't seem to warm up! It's a black long sleeve shirt.

8. Do you "label" yourself?

I guess. Not sure really what I would label myself though... wife, mom, Texan, dork?

9. Name the brand of your shoes you're currently wearing?

I'm wearing fuzzy socks with stuffed monkeys on them!

10. Bright or Dark Room?

Bright. I have my Christmas tree lit and a "happy" light on that makes sure I get enough Vit D during the dark winters so I don't get sad.

11. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Not saying! Lol, j/k again. I was discussing our move with the hubby.

12. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?

No texting for me yet. However, my first text on the new phone will be something silly to my hubby I'm sure.

13. What's a saying that you say a lot?

Lately... I gotta pee!!! lol

14. Who told you they loved you last?

My hubby.

15. Last furry thing you touched?

Shadow, my cat... technically he is touching me. He's trying to sleep in my lap with a laptop... or on it.

16. How Many Drugs Have You Done In The Past three Days?

I Haven't Done Any Drugs In The Last Three Days. I am taking my vitamins... trying to at least. They make me nauseous. Seriously, why all the caps? lol

17. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?

I have a digital camera... but I imagine there is a roll of film somewhere in this house from 5+ years ago.

18. Favorite age you have been so far?

Not sure about age... but I like where I am in life right now. I am 25.

19. Your worst enemy?

Dirty dishes! and allergens. Achoo!

20. What is your current desktop picture?

Hilda, the plus size pin up:

21. What was the last thing you said to someone?

Okay Honey.

22. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to change a major regret?

The money. Although I would rather change the regret, I have made a lot of mistakes I regret that led to me where I am now. I wouldn't change any of that because then I wouldn't be the wife and mom I am now.

23. Do you like someone?

Um of course... that is kinda a silly question...

24. The last song you listened to?

I can't remember... I think I need to turn the radio on. I did hear Pretty Woman today.

House decorating/organizing posts coming very soon!

Change In Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Well... it seems we are moving into a new house next week. Looks like I'll be needing to redecorate the whole house now! Wish me luck. I'll keep y'all posted and make sure to take lots of pictures.

Nothing like a clean slate to really get me excited about decorating. ...and strong men to move the furniture around for me until it's just where I want it! lol

Pink Christmas Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:40:00 +0000

Time to begin getting into that Christmas spirit...

A Pink Christmas Table Display

My Pink Winter Scarf

A Pink Mantle for Santa

Click on over here to check out the other Pink Saturday posts:

Sweet Shot - Pumpkin

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:14:00 +0000

This week we take extra time out of our busy days to be thankful for all the things in our lives. Here are what I am thankful for. Since I can't fit all the family in one photo just yet... I'll have to post two. I bet you won't mind.

What are you thankful for this year?

Head over to Life with My 3 Boybarians to see all the thankful posts.

Will it be Pink?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 23:43:00 +0000

As some of you have read already... we are expecting baby number two, Pumpkin! We haven't decided yet whether we want to know the sex or not. We found out LB's sex because DH was going to miss most of the pregnancy. Now it looks like DH might miss Pumpkin's birth so I gave him the option of knowing now or waiting to see.

So... what do you think Pumpkin is?

or...

I'm kinda hoping for...
(Click Below to Find out)

Head on over to Beverly's blog to see more pink posts on this Pink Saturday.

Mom's Balancing Act Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:33:00 +0000

A Mom's Balancing Act is offering an amazing giveaway! Safety 1st, a brand I love and trust for my son, is giving away safety devices for baby proofing, natural lotions, and a car seat through A Mom's Balancing Act's blog. A car seat people! It is the Complete Air 65 car seat. This seat is rear facing up to 40lbs and front facing up to 65lbs. I love it's safety features and this seat would be prefect for Pumpkin when s/he is born.

Click on over and check it out.

Tackling the Craft Room Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:53:00 +0000

This week I am tackling my craft room. The craft room/guest room used to be our bedroom. I moved our bedroom across the house once LB no longer needed us in the middle of the night. Since then our craft room has been a catch all room. Here are the before pictures:

Pretty pitiful huh?

Here is the work done so far this week:

Moved the bike out of the room.
Moved the rocking chair to the nursery.
Sorted clothes and took them out of the room.
Put a pile of books where they belong.
Gathered up scrapbooking materials and threw out everything else, including schoolwork from Elementary school... my parents never threw anything out apparently.
Went through papers and threw out ones we no longer need.
Sorted important papers so they wouldn't be lost.
Moved my craft/sewing table to the corner to allow room for the guest bed.
Stored scrapbooking materials below the sewing table and draped with a pretty fabric to lessen the eye sore of clutter.

Downsizing

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:55:00 +0000

I have some major downsizing to do in our home. We are considering a move on post before the baby is born and DH deploys to make things more accessible to me. My only reserve is that it took me an entire year to unpack (mostly due to LB's birth and an abdominal surgery 6 months later) and I am not looking forward to going through that again any time soon.

To make this task (which will happen eventually) less daunting, I need to reduce our household goods by at least 1/4th of what we have right now. That is nearly a whole room of stuff! I've donated and thrown away about 200lbs of clothes and trash so far but there is still more that needs to be done.

We have a box in the bathroom full of half empty soap bottles... really?! Why the hell did I keep those? They aren't even that expensive of soaps. I guess it's time to ruthlessly throw out things we don't need and donate things we don't use often that others could enjoy. It is time to shed this excess weight, stress, and well... crap!

Do you hold on to any silly things? How do you keep the clutter out of your house?

Friday Fill Ins

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:43:00 +0000

This looked like fun. I'm gonna give it a shot and see if I want to post one each week. Here are this week's prompts:

1. When pigs fly this house will be finished.

2. While unpacking yesterday, I found schoolwork from elementary school, seriously?!

3. Call me little miss busy bee.

4. I think all that hard work deserves a reward, if you know what I mean.

5. The most entertaining person in my life is Little Bit because he is just learning how to walk and talk and he does the funniest things when exploring his world.

6. Cat, Dog, Husband, and Baby fed... who's next? Oh right... me!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to a comic con with the hubby and baby (LB is dressing up as Godzilla!), tomorrow my plans include finishing the craft room and working on the kitchen if I have time and Sunday, I want to actually get enough sleep so I can get up for church!

A New Purpose

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:08:00 +0000

I know I haven't been writing on this blog much since I began my weight loss blog and I'm sorry. If anyone is still reading, I wanted to let you know that I have decided to take this blog in a new direction. It will still be a family blog, but I plan on centering it around our home.

I have A LOT of de-cluttering, organizing and decorating to do to make this house into a home. I figure there is no better place to do that than here, with the loving support of my readers. Plus, seeing my progress written down and in photos will help to keep me motivated.

I have already come so far, but there is still a long way to go. If you are still interested, I hope you'll come along for the ride.

1st Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:43:00 +0000

LB's first birthday anniversary is soon approaching. He'll turn 1 year old on December 4th. There are only two people up here who would be interested in coming. All our family lives over 3,000 miles away and won't be able to celebrate until we get down there for Christmas (if we get the leave). I'd love to have a nice birthday for him since it's his first and that is a very special one I think... but with no one to invite I just don't know. I also am not sure I can handle the stress of cleaning house and decorating right now either. I'm hoping it's just hormones, but my depression is worsening. I've begun using a "happy light" to replace the vitamin D we Alaskans lose during the dark winters but haven't noticed a change yet. I even put my Christmas tree up today. Seeing the lights on it always lifts my mood so DH agreed to let me put it up before Thanksgiving this year.

If I do throw a party, I was thinking I'd do a Rubber Ducky theme. It's what I planned since I found out I was pregnant. I just don't know if I'll be able to pull it off without making myself more stressed and depressed. On the one hand, I know he will never remember if we have a birthday party for him... but on the other hand, it's a big deal and should be celebrated, not just for him but for his dad and I as well. This last year has been rough on us all and DH won't be here for LB's second birthday anniversary.

Have any ideas on throwing a low key party without the stress? How can I create something memorable and have fun doing it without turning it into a stressful thing?

{Last Photo from Corey Williams Photography}

The Holidays are Quickly Approaching...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:26:00 +0000

and Crissy is giving away a laptop computer to one lucky person! I entered Crissy’s Can’t Wait til Christmas Lenovo Laptop Giveaway and hope to win a $799.00 IdeaPad! You should enter too! Go check it out.

Shutterfly Holiday Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:01:00 +0000

It's that time again folks! Holiday card time! At least, I know it takes me a month to decide on a design and Shutterfly has so many great ones to choose from. These are my favorites so far:

Aren't those penguins adorable?!

This one would allow me to choose all my favorite pictures in one.

Gorgeous right!? This would be perfect with the photo of LB's first smile.

LB is turning 1 year old in December too. These wall calendars would make excellent gifts for our families. I plan to put a coordinating photo for each month, January a one month photo, July a seventh month photo and so on. I think they'll be a big hit with my parents and in-laws. Don't you?

You can even add in your own holidays with personal photos. That is so cool! Now, Shutterfly has a new easy express uploader. It is so simple and fast to upload photos onto the site. You just drag them into the uploader, choose the album to put them in online, and select which quality you want to upload them with. Simple as that! You know my favorite feature? They can automatically put your photos into a photobook for you. They take all the work out of it and make you a beautiful memory book. You can customize it easily or just have them print it as it is. How much more simple could it be?

Dreaming Of a Place to Call My Own

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:18:00 +0000

Centsational Girl is hosting a Mom Cave party. She wants to see our place where we can unwind, relax, and collect ourselves to once again tackle mommyhood. Right now, I don't have one... but I'm working on creating a place of my own every day. Here's my story... {I bet you other military wives can relate!}

My husband was stationed to Alaska when I was 6 months pregnant. We were so excited! I arrived a few months after he did when I was 8 months pregnant. Three days {yes, days} before our son was born.... our household goods arrived. In other words, the movers showed up on our door step and moved in three houses worth of boxes into our new condo while pre-labor was going on. It was... fun? lol

Needless to say, it has been almost 1 year and I am still unpacking boxes. I've gotten a lot done though. Go me! So far I have unpacked all but maybe 10 boxes and donated over 100lbs of clothing and housewares. It feels GREAT to be rid of so much stuff! A couple months ago I ~~went crazy~~ had a great idea! I moved our bedroom from one side of the house to the other... while DH was at work so I could surprise him. Queen sized beds are heavy y'all! Anywho, it was the first step to making a place to call my own, away from computer games, diapers, toys, and kitty litter boxes.

It was the first step in turning a small bedroom into a HUGE vanity just for me! Here are my plans for the room.

A place where I can take my time getting ready in the morning, or spend some extra time relaxing in the evening after taking a hot bath. A place where pink won't alienate my husband! :oP

I'd love a chaise lounge and changing screen.

Or perhaps a sleigh bed to lounge on and read a magazine and sip some tea.

I just ADORE that tutu chair. I think that alone would keep my hubby and son out of the mom cave! lol

What do you think? Look like a calming place to you? What does your Mom Cave look like?

Head on over to Centsational Girl's blog and check out all the other Mom Caves!

Just a Hint of Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 06:35:00 +0000

Check out all the other wonder pink Saturday posts here: