Moving Day is Here

Ok lovies the day has come for us to finally MOVE to our new house! very super oober goober excited for this! 2 Huge vans arrive first thing in the morning. My in laws have been here helping me and Hubs with things and they leave tomorrow morning and my dad comes in to help out.


Packing has been alot of work but almost at its end, thank god almighty. The last few days with the end of the packing has been absolutely nuts. The days have gone quickly but not quick enough if that makes sense. It's just been overwhelming. My aches and pains are at an all time high but no worries - I plan on lifting not a thing but my finger to point to where I want things. Unfortunately for me - even walking at this point is a challenge.

I still can't believe I'm doing this being 9 months pregnant and with a 16 month old in tow. One day I will look back on this time and be so glad we pushed to get thru it to be in our new home. Sigh :) I just love the sound of that! OUR HOME.

By the way - wishing my little lion a happy 16 months this week. Poor thing's schedule has been so thrown off and he has spent quite a bit of time with his friends on Nick Jr so we could get something accomplished! ://// err. I'll make it up to him :)

I'll be MIA for a bit since I don't have any fancy guest bloggers to post in my absence :) We are moving into a hotel first until renovations are either done or the bulk of the way thru to be safe to at least live around with a toddler and (baby) ... hopefully not yet - this little guy in my belly needs to bake a bit longer.

I'll be back as soon as we get internet installed in the new place. In the meantime - enjoy the rest of March and can u believe it's already APRIL?

P.S. Pray for us that everything goes smooth!

P.P.S. Also pray for us some extra that we get our security deposit back. I have a feeling the landlord here is gonna be a real stickler bout every little thing. :/

Officially Homeowners!!

Again :) YAYY! We closed on our lovely house yesterday! We were so unbelievably excited and literally handed the keys to our contractor within the hour to give him the green light to begin the Demolition of the place! Woo hoo. Can't wait to get in there for good!

Our realtor is so cute. She came and brought her camera and took pictures of us signing the final papers and handing us the key to the place and before pictures of the place. Smart thinking! She's such a mom :)

The little monkey was so cranky since we had to wake him up for the closing so he was a handful for me during the entire thing. It's getting harder and harder but we're close.

As fat as I look and feel in these pics, I'm gonna post them because it's a symbolic day for us and we are just anxious to start life in our new home!

Lots more to do in the days to come. Hopefully in THIS Order:

• Packing until Monday. 
• Inlaws arrive tonight and leave Tuesday
• Move on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Need to check references for a nanny and hire someone to help me (Since i can't MOVE)! 
• Moving into a hotel FIRST on Tuesday while renovations take place and once the bulk of renovs clear and the dust settles a bit and we have a working shower and fridge pretty much
• Move into the new house hopefully within a week or two?
• Have baby #2 :)

Accent Tiles in the Boys' Bathroom

We finally got our tiles picked out for the bathrooms and are really excited to see how this will all turn out! The Hubs and I REALLY came together on this one and worked together and we left the tile store hand in hand and in Smiles. Can u believe it?! After our first stab at choosing tiles, I didn't think this was possible! :0)

For the Boy's bathroom, we are going with a white vanity, beige travertine countertop, beige rectangular tiles for the inside of the tub squarish beige tiles for the floor, a dry wall face to the tub and hopefully we can figure out a a glass door that will look seamless to attach to the tub because I want to avoid getting a shower curtain. We are going to have a beautiful beige, stone, blue glass accent tile throughout this bathroom with baby blue walls.

Yesterday's task was to pick out where we want the accent tiles to go. I'd like a strip of 4 rows on the bathtub wall, the nooks where the shampoo conditioner stuff is being held tiled against the back, a backsplash of the accent tile on the wall of the vanity below the mirror and behind the sink and an outline or just a straight row of the accent tile on the floor. Here are some inspirational pics I'll be giving my contractor!

If the blue and white accent tile pics look familiar, they are! They're from the fabulously talented Centsational Girl's Blog.

 
Our accent tile is very similar to this blue beige look. Ours doesnt have white in it because our background tile is white but this is pretty much what it looks like.

I like the idea of just a row of accent tile in front of the vanity or in front of the tub.

But I also like the look of these two pics above where the accent tile is shaped into a rectangle on the floor. It frames the space really well and incorporates a splash of color. The only concern with this is that i'm not sure how a rug on the floor would look in addition to this tile. I wouldn't want the tile to be covered up but in the top pic, it's not so bad.

Breech Baby Move!

At my most recent OB appt, I was told the baby is in the breeched position (upside down - head up, feet down) and if he is still in this position in a week to two weeks, we're going to go ahead an schedule an early C section. !!!!! I'm NOT thrilled about this and am hoping the little stinker will move around a bit. I'm thinking this is all very early to be making this call but I do trust my doctor

The thought of a C section makes me so upset. (1) It's major surgery (2) U have to stay in the hospital much longer and I don't want to be away from my little guy that long (3) recovery back on the homefront is much longer too (4) It takes away from the pure joy of delivering ur own child (5) future babies are more likely to be delivered via c section...

This could def put a wrench in things. Our closing on the house is on Thursday. We move next Tuesday and Wednesday. We stay at a hotel until renovs are done. :///////////// I switch OBs (NY OB) to a (CT OB) next week. Lovely, right? A baby coming early to..... an extended stay hotel... would. Not. be. ideal. A newborn being brought into a construction zone would be even worse. 

HUGE SIGH.

Please send good vibes my baby's way and tell him to move, jiggle, dance in there and do what he needs to do to MOVE BABY MOVE! 

Tree Inspiration

I love the idea of bringing the outside in and combining nature's elements found in ur very backyard with ur home decor. Here are some neat pictures of decor involving the outdoors and trees. Not sure if I'd incorporate these into our home but lovin how funky and creative the vision is.

Here's a neat railing found on this design blog! 

Check out this Wall Branch Chandelier found here.

A little greenery for ur books?! On the same site, check our this green grass bookmarker and this funky tree bookcase.

 

And the Packing Continues....

Packing up a House is a HUGE task my God. This is taking forever and we started a few weeks ago - taking our time, thinking ah we're going to have so much leftover time to RE-SORT boxes. I don't think so.

When we moved into this Rental here in NY about 16 months ago, I was 8 months preggs with little lion #1 :) He then decided to appear a month early, throwing us completely for a Loop and running around in circles trying to get things situated for him. I'm convinced the stress of packing unpacking and moving brought him to us early but ya just never know. When he was born, we had nothing ready. Despite the planner that I am, we were completely thrown off guard. Months and months of all the friggin research I did on cloth diapers and carseats and comparing safety standards and prices of strollers and cribs and anything under the sun baby related, meant nothing when that day came - 1 month early - when my water broke AT WORK and we didn't have a car seat or his clothes washed or the nursery finished or a hospital bag packed. haha Amateurs! I can laugh at it now looking back. All the madness around his birth, including the 27 hours of labor was completely worth it. Here's a pic of the little monkey on day one (Thanksgiving Nov 2008).  Ah, memories!


ANYHOO - my POINT is that we never got the chance to Unpack from that move or from our 2 previous moves. We just kept shoving things into the garage aka The Black Hole. It is filled to the BRIM with everything we own from unopened wedding gifts to piles upon piles of baby gear.

Hubs got a bunch of Boxes from Home Depot for us to start filling up and labeling. Organization is KEY (organization is key, Candy. Rinse, Lather, Repeat. Organization is....) We agreed to first organize everything we currently have and be making some serious executive decisions on what to keep and what to chuck. Here are a few "Keeping it real" pictures to show u what the mess looks like day in and day out round here.

This sorting process we are going thru is very therapeutic I must say! Like the HGTV addict that I am, I've made piles of things to Keep, Throw away, Donate and one for Rethink :) It feels so empowering to fill up the THROW AWAY garbage bag but I noticed that I get on a high with it some days thinking I'm much more of a chucker than I really am so I start going nuts throwing away things I shouldn't be which that night as I'm trying to fall asleep, I regret. The next morning, I'll sheepishly tip toe to my throw away bag and quickly grab some things Outta there! I've only allowed myself to pull things OUT of my throw away bag a handful of times. Totally breaking the rules here but the intentions are good!! I feel really awesome to see the DONATE pile get bigger and feel like I'm doing my part to give to others who may need my favorite black and white checkered sweater from 1988 more than I think I need to still have it. :)

Seriously though, why is it SO hard to let go of things u "think" are so dear. If there is some inexplicable reason I just want to keep something, I'll let myself because u can't rationalize ur emotional attachment to certain items But I think deep down we KNOW, we really know whether we're going to find a use or place for said junky item in the future and I say go with the gut! Mine's making most my decisions these days :)

It's getting tiring but we are still chugging along and getting things done! This is my job these days. When I come across an item I'm not so sure about, I try to remind myself how I don;t want to clutter up a brand spankin new beautiful house with clutter and crap. I don't want to be cleansing thru useless junk like this for years to come. It's just amazing how much u collect over the years....

How often do you go through a cleansing like this? Just with a move? or monthly junk maintenance? Pls tell me I'm not the only person who collects and is convinced every item is a diamond just waiting to be busted out and used years after the fact?

P.S. Note to self and to others out there in this position - don't start reading Old journals taking a stroll down memory lane. That's another post for another day ://

P.P.S. We have a running joke between us that we can't move houses unless I'm 8 months plus pregnant since that seems to be the tradition we've started. I seriously hope this organizing, packing and unpacking process doesn't put me in early labor....Again. :/

Spring Magazine Holder

I was in a crafty mood and saw this neat magazine holder this mama made here and tried it out myself! It didn't come out half bad and the pretty spring paisley pattern puts me in a great mood when I walk in the door. I used a regular sized cereal box and realized that if u wanted books or magazines to fit, the best size to use is the family size cereal boxes. This works just fine tho because I always have all these random little papers, business cards I keep for our memory books, receipts, coupons and flyers I like to hold onto from the mail and from coming inside after a day out. This has become a perfect spot for it all! :)

   

Baby is ALLL BETTER!

and this mama feels on top of the world!!! Gosh that little boy threw me for such a loop. WHAT A WEEK. 

To let me know he was back in the game, he woke up at 5 am this morning to play! Yawn :/// SO Mr. Golden Sun was out and I took him to the park and look how happy and better he looks. My angel. :)

My baby is still sick :)

My little bean is still sick with a horribly nasty stomach bug. It's been one week of this terrible nasty bug and it is just breaking my heart to see him like this. The vomiting has subsided a bit but now he has very bad cold like symptoms all of a sudden. The doctor said maybe he caught another bug right afterwards? or at the same time? What a week from hell - for him and me. I hate to even mention myself because it's my baby I feel so bad for but in looking for the lesson from all of this - I must say, this week has been so eye opening. There's nothing that throws u for a loop like ur baby being this sick. And on the spectrum of baby sicknesses - this is not as bad as things can be and I realize that. When I think of little helpless babies with cancer etc like I read about this week here, I just can't even fathom the strength needed to endure the pain. This week has put alot into perspective and has put all other trivial life things like picking tiles and vanities to the side in a heartbeat. It has been so very humbling and has strengthened me as a mother. It has shown me the complete dependence and vulnerability a child has on you to care for his needs. He clings to me like a little baby monkey and just needs super extra tlc and to be comforted constantly which I am here for no matter what. There is no whining or complaining about my own needs even for a second. Getting puked on several times a day is absolutely fine with me if it means it's a step closer to him getting better and feeling better. I can't say I would have been like this a few years ago but now, being a mother, things have changed so dramatically - I live for this child and his health and happiness and experiencing this with him this week has reaffirmed to me my role in his life. I want to protect him and comfort him as best I can. I want to crawl into his little system and dig that bug out myself. I want him to be laughing playing and smiling again like u wouldnt believe. I am amazed constantly how much my little miracle is always teaching me. I truly feel that being a parent and going thru times like this with your most loved child makes u a better human being in the end. 


Cross ur fingers he gets better soon. I am so anxious to see my angel smile and laugh again.

Little Green Chaise

Around the time we got married, we invested in ginormous sized couches from Jennifers Convertibles which we loved for a few years and have gotten great use out of since one of them is a pullout bed.  However, we've recently started hating how BIG these sofas are and how bulky they look next to each other. They dominate any room they are in together. U can barely pass by one of them to get into the next room when they're laid next to each other and when u sit on them, u now sink into a sea of oversized pillows on the darn thing. 

I didn't know the rules were to buy one large couch and one loveseat?! We were so naive in those early days. The store was having a sale where you get two of the longer ones for a lesser price so as youngins we figured, "hey why not - bigger is always better - and let's get more bang for our buck right?" WRONG. Stupid stupid

We've tried to sell these bad boys - but no one is biting. :/ We love the idea of a cozy sectional now but not the idea of re-investing lots of money into another couch and not have a place to put it. We need to get rid of the first set before we think of spending another dime. The time has come to separate these siblings.

I think I've found a solution that the new house being a raised ranch will allow us to work with! We can put one down in the playroom/den and the other in the main living room upstairs. This way we can get a bit creative with a living room layout that's not overwhelmed by mammoth couches. Maybe flank one couch with a chair or two we can buy or reupholster - I smell a DIY project coming on. :)

It's time to think out of the box and go with a grownup setup and a purchase we normally wouldn't look at twice. Enter the little green chaise. :) I never paid attention to the idea of a chaise lounge in the house, anywhere. BUT - I came across this beauty this past weekend and just happened to flop down onto it mainly due to my aching back being 8 plus months preggo!! Omg I was in heaven. It was perfecT!! perfect size, pefect fluffiness, perfection in comfort, perfect for raising ur feet up on, just perfect. I loved it and am now determined to bring this little nugget home and love it and let it grow and thrive :) Problem - this cost $500 at a Macy's clearance center - clearance my foot. I would say it's a ripoff but it was undeniably the most comfortable thing my tush has ever encountered.

My antennae are turned towards chaises now. Must find chaises. How odd would it look with non matching furniture? Does it just take up the space a loveseat would? Do u need to get the additional pieces to its collection? I've never seen indoor chaises - not that it would be a reason to stay away from it. I will be actively looking for room setups with chaise lounges now - if u run across any, send them my way!