Moving is Complicated

You asked for details. Here are some things running around in my sleep-deprived, foggy brain...

We are still hammering out our timeline. In the mix is: Ryan's last day of work here, when to have our stuff packed and loaded, whether to ship Ryan's truck or have Ryan drive it out and fly back for me and the boys. We are also trying to pack most of our own things, get the house on the market, and host an Open House. I want Collin to go to school until Spring Break, Brennan has a speech evaluation scheduled, Collin and Brennan have dentist appointments, Ryan and I have eye appointments, and Ethan has his 4-month well-check and vaccinations. Pretty sure there's a Going-Away Party thrown in there too. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned doing the deep-clean. Think our calendar is a tad-bit psycho!?

Anyway, I just sent a massive email to Ryan at work detailing the most recent (and last - I've done three this week) moving van line quote. We need to make a decision by the end of the work-day today (in 3 hrs), so I was going through everything. And here was the last sentence:

"Call/text when/if you want/need to talk."

Yep, that's pretty much the best sentence I've ever typed!! I think it's a perfect blurb to summarize the indecision and craziness at our house this past week. Oh my goodness: We only decided to make this move ONE WEEK AGO! Life is crazy.

PS: When this craziness is all over, I'll have to post about all the miraculous hand-of-God tender mercies that have been showered upon us through it all. I'm for real. As stressful as it has been, we really are being blessed beyond our wildest hopes.

Rocky Mountain High

(text by John Denver)

 

He was born in the summer of his *32nd* year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin' by a song
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care
It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long

 

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept his memory

 

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

 

 

But the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
Rocky mountain high

NEWS: Ryan starts a new job (in Fort Collins, CO) on Monday, March 24th. We are super excited... but also really sad to leave our friends in Peoria. Here's to our new adventure!

A Different Kind of Valentine

Dear Mastitis,

You are far more wicked and awful than I ever could have imagined. I am grateful beyond words to have never experienced your awfulness until my third nursing baby, but rumor has it that I may see you again now. You have tortured me day and night for... oh no, has it really only been 48 hours?

Well, your stay in me is soon to end. Unfortunately for you, modern medicine will shortly eradicate you, and I'll be myself again. Four giant pills daily for ten days, and then I'll be able to eat, sleep, breathe, and cuddle with my baby again. No more fevers and chills. No more fire-filled nursings. No more gasps of pain. No more headaches and nausea.

Oh, I know you are hating my antibiotics today, but I am not. No sir. Today my antibiotics are my valentine.

Without any love,
A Tortured Mother

PS: Happy V-day everyone.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

So in case you missed the buzz, the Midwest has been in the negative temperatures for much of the month of January and now February. And what do you do when it's too cold to go outside?

You work in the house! Here are the projects that have kept us busy...

Master Bath
We've been needing a master bath remodel for some time, so we tackled this project over the long Martin Luther King, Jr weekend. First we removed the giant mirror and hung two smaller mirrors, with one over each sink (Home Depot: $60 each).

Then we removed the strip of lighting over the mirror. Ryan crawled around up in the attic to move the electrical to hang these three beautiful pendant lights (Menard's: $15 each).

We also sanded, stripped and stained the vanity cupboards to match our bedroom furniture and the espresso mirrors (multiple products at Home Depot: about $50).

Last but not least, we painted the walls the same sea-foam green color as our bedroom (Home Depot: $25). I also found this cheap piece of artwork for over the toilet at Big Lots ($10).

Ta-da! New bathroom.

Laundry Room
Our laundry room needed a coat of paint too. It's been just primed (and therefore unwashable) for 10 years, and you can only imagine the filth. It's nothing fancy, but oh so much better.

It's the same light gray as our kitchen. It looks nice all fresh and clean.

Kids' Bathroom
This project shouldn't be posted here, but it's another remodel we've tackled relatively lately. The day before I had Ethan, Ryan and his mom repainted our kids' bathroom. It was also just primed, and the dirty handprints and bright blue toothpaste smudges were driving me crazy. Now it's a fresh pale yellow.

 The accents in there are now gray. All the towels are from Target ($7 each).

Part of this remodel was buying a new toilet (Home Depot: $200) and putting the old one in the basement for guests. See why were able to enlist Nana's help? :-)

I spent way too much online on this gray chevron shower curtain, but I love it (West Elm: $60).

And that's how we've spent our time with no yard work keeping us busy. We can always find another project to tackle!