New House, New Job(s), New Baby (on the way!), New Year!!

We're just exhausted from all the newness around here.  As in literally, falling down, exhausted.  As in, during just the last 10 days, we've had 1 sinus infection (poor G-man), 1 case of strep throat (a sick pregnant woman is NOT someone you want to have to deal with!), and 4 pink eyes (yes, we've ALL now had it!)

But we've also been so blessed... to have my sweet mom.in.law here to help all weekend.... to have my sweetest bestie Mrs. Everything swoop me off to a Monday afternoon pedi - her treat!... to live in the most beautiful house that really, really feels like home - even amidst the boxes and chaos!.... to be traveling tomorrow to be surrounded by family.

And I feel blessed that so many of you have followed me all year... despite my SLOWEST, least creative bit of blogging in my (somewhat short!) history.  But I was just telling mr. fix-it last night... that I can't wait for the new year and lots of creativity, semi-homemade-ness, and blogging.  Can't wait to show y'all the progress on the house and what I have in store for 2 big kid bedrooms and a nursery!  (Just as soon as AT&T stops pissing me off and moving back our internet service.. which is now set for next Tues, fingers crossed!  I'll be MIA until then, just stealing a quick minute on the web at work today!)  :)

Have a blessed Christmas!  I was planning to share a pic of our tiny 4-foot tree, that's been totally engulfed with all the wrapping (complete with tulle!) that I've been working on the last few nights..... And also send y'all the special Christmas card I made just for you.  But since all that is at home, where we are internet-less... I'm just sending a pic from last year's tree (which sadly went from storage to attic) and well wishes for all of you!

xoxo,

THE day has finally arrived!

I was starting to think this day would never come, but TOMORROW we move into our beautiful new home! 

I have some finished pics of the house, but since I'm not done packing.... I won't get to share more until we get moved. I'll be without internet for a few days and then gone for Christmas, but I promise I'll show you the entire house before the end of 2010.  Until then, here's a couple bedroom sneak peeks!

By this time tomorrow, Moving in 2010 will finally be complete.  I'm so relieved, I'm guessing I'll cry... More soon!

xoxo,

A few of my faves

Today started out with pink eye and an infection (poor Gman!) and ended with a 9hour work day AND the cancellation of Mrs. Everything's ornament party - boo!  (Poor thing had a sick kiddo, too.  AND she won the sweetest.friend.ever award when she gave me her daughter's earlier dr. appt so I could hurry to work!)  So... I'm calling it quits & crawling into bed with this:

Harry and David's Peppermint Moose Munch - to.die.for.

to watch this:

I'm the first to admit that it's ridiculous how obsessed I am with this show, Castle.  I just love it and I can't help it.  I watch very little tv in my life, especially WHOLE, ENTIRE shows.  But this one combines my love of the murder/mystery with my need for lightness and comedy.  Love, love!

G'night, y'all!  4 1/2 days til moving day! :)

Semi-Homemade Teacher Gifts - Snowman Snacks & Suds

Okay, so this year was way more SEMI than HOMEMADE.  But....get ready for this, don't fall outta your chair.... I got them delivered to teachers last week!  Yep, ME!  Mainly because I knew if I didn't get them out, they would get lost in the shuffle of the move, and y'all know how much we love our teachers!

Both kiddos have new teachers that I haven't yet appreciated (Gman moved up after school started... and Sissy recently moved into a new class, which is a story all it's own - more on that later!)  In other words, I could resort to a tried and true idea and not worry about it!

So.... fancy gourmet popcorn from our favorite nostalgic shop downtown (total plus that I had purchased a Groupon from them!) and some foaming holiday soap from Bath & Body Works (had a fab coupon for that AND a giftcard, so these gifts were super cheap!)

Threw them all in bags... added some tulle and this tag:

This week is THE MOVE!  I'm so excited I can barely stand it.  And so overwhelmed that at any moment I think I could puke (nice, right?)  Mainly, I've got to figure out how, in the next 6 days, I can:

*  work about 50 hrs, possibly more
*  attend an ornament exchange party at Mrs. Everything's house
*  finish Christmas cards and mail them before they get lost
*  get my hair did (just covering the greys might ease some of this anxiety!) ;)
*  finish packing this entire apartment
*  try to get the major move check list started - mainly getting tv/internet and our mail!
 *  squeeze in 2 more runs for c25k wk 7 (got the first one in today - woo hoo!)
*  MOVE into our new dream house!

But Sissy's 5th birthday party went off without a hitch and was THE easiest birthday party I've ever even thought about throwing.  I'd recommend this semi-homemade party to anyone and will fill y'all in soon!  New house pics soon, too!

xoxo,

What to Expect..... when you're Expecting AND running C25K...

SETBACKS, that's what!  ;)

When I was pregnant (and running!) with Gman...  I got a horrible stomach bug around 20 wks.  Lots of vomitting led to a trip to the ER to be rehydrated.  Once I recovered, I never ran again during that pregnancy - I had to make the switch to walking.

After last week's 5 day migraine (and another trip to the ER!), I was afraid I might be headed down the same path.  I had jogged the day before Thanksgiving, making it 12 days in between runs - yikes! - and part of me was afraid I wouldn't be able to get back into it.

But then I had dinner on Sat night with 2 old friends.  I met these girls online in early 2005, when we were all pregnant with kiddos due in Jan 2006.  Sasha and I have been good friends for a few years - we connect on lots of levels (struggling to do it all as working moms, running, shopping!) and I just love her dearly.  And she lives in my home state of OK.  Beth and I have shared lots of stories about our kids (we have girls the same age and boys about the same age!) and she's THE source when it comes to info on running - I love it!  But I'd never gotten to meet her... until last weekend.  So fun!

They were in Dallas to run the White Rock half marathon.  Over a carb-y dinner of pasta, they shared their training regimens and we talked life.  It was that kind of rejuvenating fun - just what I needed!  Here we are, after dinner (I stand at a short 5'4", but don't these girls make me look like a giant?)  :)

They gave me the energy I needed to run last night.  It was tough, but I'm so glad I did it!  I'm still working towards a goal of reaching wk 9 of the c25k (I'm currently doing wk 6 - for the 3rd time - see what I mean about setbacks?!)  After I reach wk 9, then I'll work backwards towards wk1.  It'll be challenging in Dec (I only have approx 3-4 time slots avail in each wk to run, so I HAVE to make it happen in those times!), but if I make it thru without any repeated wks... I'll finish wk 1 when I'm 31 wks pg - almost 8 months!  So much can happen, but all I'm thinking about is one jog at a time.

And in the meantime... in the last 2-3 wks.... my belly has taken on a life of it's own!  Here I am with Sissy.. in the new house... sans shoes... She loves 'her baby' so much - I think I'll be getting alotta help!

And today was a big day - the SONOGRAM!  I've had so much anxiety this pregnancy... I guess I know how blessed I've been to have 2 healthy children... maybe it's that worry that my luck will run out! 

We held strong and opted not to find out the sex (mr. fix-it seemed to be wavering a bit, but in the end, he was strong, too!)  Baby #3 (I need something else to call him/her besides by a number... or the Tiebreaker... suggestions?) looked healthy in every way - answered prayers!

Hope y'all are having a wonderful week - I just love this time of year, even amid the chaos!  Sissy's birthday party is just 4 days away... we close on the house in 8 days.... and 11 days from now, I'll be residing (admist a million boxes!) in my new house!

Sissy is turning 5

this month and I just can't believe it!  When did time fly by so fast?

Kristie got TONS of amazing shots of her when we got together recently.  And here's my fav one (although it was hard to just pick one!)

Elaine who? Semi-Homemade what?

Let me say this... Yes, I've been THE world's worst blogger.  I didn't even get to wish y'all Happy Thanksgiving (I hope it was full of blessings, btw!)  But yes, I plan to get so much better once we moved.  Who knew that my blogging was so incredibly tied to where we live?  But now we know.  ;)

So... an update on the house.  And I'm going back tomorrow and will have MORE updates (maybe even with bedroom pics - that's missing from this one).  Moving day is 2 weeks away!!!  Dec 18, one little week before Christmas.  And if that doesn't give you enough of a sense of my world lately.... here's a tiny peek:

~ Spent this week in a migraine.  Literally from Sun until Thurs, when my OB sent me to the ER for IV meds.  I finally started feeling better yesterday afternoon.  Never had one, tiny headache when I was pg with Sissy.  Had them with GT, but this was - by far! - the worst I've ever had!
~ Migraine and all, I traveled to Houston on Tues with my parents for my great-uncle's funeral.  It was sad and sweet...  and I wouldn't have missed it, even with a migraine!
~ Big Sis's big 5th birthday party is a week from today!  Because I'm not supermom (duh!), and because we're in boxes, we're holding it somewhere other than home.  She wanted a cooking party so.... Young Chef's Academy for a cooking party!  Pics of details, invites, etc to come!
~ Oh, and remember that new job I started a month ago?  Probably the biggest source of stress right now.. but that's for another time, preferably with a glass of wine (so that'll be awhile!)

But on to what you're waiting for... THE HOUSE!

I love, love the new brick and stone we picked out!

Pretty, unstained garage door.  And I have a thing about lanterns... love this one!

Y'all come in!  (Thru our unstained door, of course!)

The dining room.  Which has since been painted under the chair rail... some beautiful color like glazed pecan or something.  :)

Remember the bar from the last house?  Here's this house's version.... all the cabinets in the house are a distressed black.  This pic is pre-distressing!

A living room under construction.... but oh so pretty anyway....

The kitchen!  Always my fav place.  I have to say, mr. fix-it and I were a little nervous to paint that beautiful wood black... but we've gotta stay up with the trends, so distressed cabinets it is!  And I can't wait to see them now, in all they're stressed out glory. ;)

The back yard.  The patio has that odd shape because of what'll be going on at the end of it.  Can't wait to see it - not sure if that's a pre-move in project or post...

And I just love the beadboard ceiling outside!  I bet it's stained now - can't wait to see it!

Here's Sissy, checking out the test on the tub....  One of the biggest changes we made from the last floorplan was the layout of the bathroom.  We separated the vanities, and put the tub in the middle of the room, as a focal point.  I think this pic was as they'd been tiling the bathroom...

My vanity in the bathroom!

mr. fix-it's man cave!  I picked the color for the walls in here and I think it's perfect (if I don't say so myself!)  I wanted it to have that cigar room feel.... he has some sports memorabilia to hang in here.... Santa is bringing something that will sit on the counter and make the place smell like a movie theater... ;)  Can't wait for Family Movie Night in here!  Did I mention we move in 2 wks?!?!

I really have to hand it to my sweet mr. fix-it.  I just can't believe what he's been able to get done.  We broke ground on Sept 7 (after 3+ months of ripping our hair out with the financial world!), and wait til you see the pics I take tomorrow, Dec 5.  Amazing!  A beautiful house, in record time.  What a lucky girl I am....

5 weeks to go - progress pics!

ALOT has happened since I shared the new Semi-Homemade house with you.  In fact, it was 4 wks ago and we had written our favorite 'scriptures on the structure!'  But... just like everyone, we've been crazy busy.  In fact, in my (almost) total absence since we moved into the Summer House, I haven't quite kept y'all in the loop.  So... a few... uh, confessions:

- mr. fix-it was laid off.  Which was a total shock.  Despite making it 2 yrs in a rough housing market... and being the only guy at his level still left.... we found out in August that he'd be saying goodbye to the company he'd been at for 5 yrs.  Heartbreak.  Shock.  Sadness.  (And that was just me!)  ;)

- I started a new job last week.  I'm still doing the same thing, but I've moved from one end of the 'campus' to another... and from one end of the product specturm (women's lingerie) to the other (kids' apparel).  Despite having the same title, most of the job is different, so... lots to learn!  Just trying to take it one day at a time.

- The first trimester of this pregnancy has been the hardest I've ever been thru.  In one week in August, we found out mr. fix-it was getting laid off, that I was starting a new job, and that I was pregnant.  Whoa!  And all while we're building our new house and living in the Summer House.  But besides being (totally, completely) overwhelmed, I've also been really sick (new to me!) and exhausted.  I'm so thankful to be coming out of that.  I've been able to eat warm foods at night for a month (the thought/smell/sight of anything warmed made me sick!)  And all of a sudden, last Tues, I drove all the way home without closing my eyes at a stoplight!  (Yikes, right?)  And I could even jog without fearing I'd fall off - I was even dangerously close to falling asleep ON THE TREADMILL! 

Okay, now that y'all know everything.... what you're REALLY waiting for, right?  House pics!

the outside - brick & stone are almost done (sorry for the overly sunny pic!)  It's alot darker than we've done and gorgeous.  I promise better pics soon.  I just love the addition of those 2 windows over the garage (where the 5th BR will be!)  External painting starts soon!

the living room - the stone fireplace was going up on Sat when we visited!

what was just a cabinet with granite top in the last house... is a beautiful built in for this house!

the kitchen - one of my FAV features in this house is all the feet!  LOL!  This is the footed island in the kitchen!

okay, and if you had to ask me my absolute favorite feature in this house vs last (since we're building the same floor plan, just with addt square footage and diff features!), it would HAVE to be the hood in the kitchen.  I nearly passed out when I first saw it on Sat - and it hasn't even been stained yet!

the detail on the vent.... ahhh....

another footed cabinet!  this time, in the master bath.

the back patio - again, mr. fix-it had to improve on the old patio, just a tiny bit!  He added these arches and I think it looks perfect!

the staircase - this is the back staircase, the one that leads to the kitchen and family room and gets 99% of the use.  We picked a different look this time - can't wait to see it done!

the media room (aka man cave):  mr. fix-it added a half wall with cabinet space, a bar and counters.  Santa might even bring a fun popcorn popper to sit on these counters!

the kids' rooms - I owe paint colors to mr. fix-it for the kids' rooms TONIGHT!  Yikes!  G-man's is done... Sissy's will be done tonight.  And I'm gonna have to get a pass on the Tiebreaker's room.  We're going to paint it a generic color and come back in a few wks with just the right shade of lime green.  Bedding has been ordered (from a new-to-me Etsy seller - can't wait to show y'all!), so I'm just waiting on swatches so I can pick paint!

Thanks for peekin' in with me!  More soon, I promise!

xoxo,

Trick or Treat!

From my sassy Alice....

And my tough Boxer!  (Seriously, he fell into something at the Halloween party we were at last night and had a real life scrape across his face.  Awesome.)  ;)

Hope y'all had a happy Halloween!  We started out with Mummy Dogs.....

then on to TOTing!  Love this time of year!  :)

Round 3 - Who wins? Pink or Blue?

I've been both nauseated and starving.  At the same time. 
Both exhausted beyond a doubt and suffering from insomnia.  At the same time. 
Both insanely overjoyed and extremely pissed off.  At the same time. 
And apparently have lost ALL ability to withstand any kind of heat.  Whatsoever.

Yep, Baby #3 is on the way!  We'll meet the "Tiebreaker" (we're 99% sure this is the last one, so this new kiddo will sway our house to a pink or blue majority!) at the end of April. 

And we're going to wait until that exciting day to find out just who wins - the pink team or the blue team!  And I'm soooo thrilled that my "planning side" is allowing my more "free-spirited side" to do this! :)  (It totally helps that I had brainstormed an entire black and white playroom with lime green accents - it's now the theme for #3's nursery!)

We planned for around a 3 year gap between G-man and Baby #3, but we were pleasantly surprised to get lucky QUICKLY - so the new baby will be about 3 months old when G-man hits the big 3!  With one kiddo's birthday sandwiched between Christmas and New Year's.... And the other born in the middle of scorching Texan summers.... I'm excited at the thought of outdoor birthday parties!

Sissy has wanted a baby sister since G-man was born ;)... mr. fix-it would love another son playing football in TX.... and I just want a healthy baby!  So who will win - pink or blue?  Guess we'll know in April!