New Blog!

Does anyone still read this? 

I hope so because I'm proud to announce my new blog that I just started yesterday called 

Three Point Perspective.

It's meant as more of a lifestyle blog where I talk about my three passions: Interior Design, Writing, and Gaming. 

It's kind of a big deal for me to admit that to the world, but it's too late now. The template has been designed!

Anyway, feel free to head on over and follow me and grab a button and keep reading!

I'll be talking about my progress with Noah's, the process I'm going through of trying to get published ( I wrote a YA Fantasy novel...Surprise!), and post reviews and share tips about gaming, specifically for the Sims. 

I'd love for everyone to take a look and support me in this new endeavor! I'm scared, but hopefully it'll be good.

Thanks and I'll see you over there!

Three Point Perspective

I've been busy

So I haven't posted in...well...months. But in my defense a lot has been going on! First of all, with summer here there's been a slew of visitors hopping in and out of our area, so we've been making time to visit with all of them. Second of all, Eisley turned 1 and we had to combine her party with Jake's since their b-days are only 4 days apart, and third WE REMODELED OUR KITCHEN.

I posted some pics on facebook, but there's no direct before and after transition there. I like to show the remodeling being done. But here, I wanted to show side by side how the transformation when from beginning to end. Trust me, a lot went in to getting them this way. Thank you homebuyers credit for making it possible!

Before

After

WAY before. Like before we moved in.

After

World's worst kitchen layout. Oh, I mean...Before....

After!

I wish I had a better camera. Or a video. Or something to truly convey how DRAMATIC it is. It's so much warmer and cleaner and sleeker and a million more -ers that I can't even list. It's the first kitchen I've ever had where I look FORWARD to loading the dishwasher. The first time I've don't really mind cooking dinner. The first time I've been able to decorate a space like this in my own taste. Not to mention, the first time I can say that I selected ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in this space. The floor, the cabinets, the appliances, the countertops, the sink, the hardware, even down to the dishtowel hanging on the stove, it was ALL me. And to see it come together like I envisioned it in my head is even more rewarding.

I've told several people that the reason I do commercial design for a living is because homeowners are so picky and indecisive. Now I can add myself to that list of annoying home owners. I had the HARDEST time making final decisions and trust me, this went through several re-designs. But I'm so happy with it. Some of my favorite features include:

-raised upper cabinets to allow for 22" above the countertop instead of the standard 18". It makes it feel so much bigger.

-silent-close drawers. They're amazing. Except now I slam the drawers at my mom's house and expect them to do the same; they do not.

- A fridge with an ice-maker. Maybe this is old hat to some people, but I'm an ice FANATIC and have never had an ice-maker before. Makes me want to weep with joy daily.

-The tile floor. Again, old news to some people, but after having a double-layered carpeted kitchen, I feel like I could kiss that tile every day.

-The dishwasher. Didn't have one, now we do. Enough said.

-The chandelier. We changed it from a big 2x4 fluorescent and the difference is phenomenal. It encourages me that we might actually get rid of the ship-wheel light fixture we have downstairs. One day...

Anyway, that's a look at how it really went down. 3 weeks of a different contractor in your house every day can get tiring, but at least I didn't have to do it all myself, and the end result makes it well worth it. And now we're down to the two bathrooms that need to be remodeled! Let me just give you a hint: toothpaste green plastic tile and pink wallpaper. This'll be one for the books, ladies and gentlemen. Trust me. :)

Eisley Crawling!

9 Months

Eisley is 9 months old. I don't know where the time has gone. That sounds so cliche, but really. I feel like I just had her. We just had her 9 month check up and she's 17 lbs. 13 oz. (30th percentile) 28 in. tall (65th percentile) and I don't know her head measurements, but don't worry, because it was in the 90th percentile. I think they add her hair into the measurement.

I don't know if every doctor is like this, but they give me a questionnaire to fill out every time she comes for a well-child checkup and it's a series of yes or no questions about what your child can do. You stop once you've answered "no" three times. Well that happened within the first 5 questions this time, so naturally I became worried. The questions were like: "Can your baby get to sitting position if lying on her back or tummy?" ummm...no. Then "Does your baby pull herself up to standing when near furniture?" yeah, not really. "Can your baby crawl?" Does scooting count? So the doctor tells me not to worry, that she might even walk before she crawls because she's hated being on her tummy since day one.

So I go home and, of course, I worry. But I think Eisley just likes to see me sweat because I kid you not, the VERY NEXT DAY she did all three of those things. Suddenly she can crawl normally (not for long distances yet, but she's got it). Suddenly when I lay her on her back, she flips over, gets up on her hands and knees, and pushes herself back until she's sitting up. And it's definitely time to lower her crib mattress because more often than not, now I find her holding on to the sides and trying to stand up.

In other developmental news, she plays peek-a-boo like a champ, calls me "mama" (and sometimes when I make her mad she says "ba mama" so it sounds like she's calling me a bad mama, but I'm going to pretend that's not the case), holds her own bottle (FINALLY), and pretends to be scared when I say "boo!" to her. She does a fake scream and everything. And she makes her toys talk in a different voice than her real one. Is that normal? Doctors don't tell you about that stuff.

Anyway, we're so glad to have her and she really makes every day so fun and different. I can't imagine a life without her now. I love being her mom and I love watching her grow. I can't believe she'll be a year in three months. I'd better start planning the party...

(I'll post pictures soon. My desktop computer is still packed, but by the end of this week, we should have the office up and running again, and I'll post some then!)

The Life of a Remodeler

I never thought I'd be this person. I never thought I'd pick an old fixer-upper to be my first house. When I dreamed of buying our first home, it was a vision full of clean, white walls, wonderfully neutral carpet, and a new kitchen with a dishwasher. A blank slate, ready and willing to offer me my first chance to truly design a space entirely my own.

So what am I doing holed up in a wood-paneled basement room of a house that looks like a tornado ripped through the entire upstairs, leaving tack-strip and wallpaper scraps in its wake?

I'd be lying if I said I hated every minute of this process so far. And truthfully, we've made a LOT of progress in the short week we've held the house keys in our hand. The ceilings are now beautifully white and popcorn-free. The walls are all painted the exact colors I wanted, with very little of the said paint actually covering wallpaper (I swore I wouldn't paint over wallpaper, but in the bedrooms, where there were three layers to peel off, the first one had BECOME part of the drywall. So we primed it and painted it and you'd never know).

And the floors...Ahhh the floors. The once famed shag-fest that was our entire first floor is no more. And I, always the pessimist, thought that we'd DEFINITELY have to sand and re-stain what we found underneath. But I couldn't be happier with what was unveiled. The narrow-planked original hardwood floors are in BEAUTIFUL condition. When we pulled the carpet back and saw what was underneath, I felt like I was on an old episode of Trading Spaces, and Jacob was my proverbial Vern Yip telling me we didn't have to do any more work on the floors. (It makes you wonder why people were always living with their nasty old carpets, when that was just waiting underneath). The stain is a little more orange than I would've picked, but when all they need is a once-over with the pliers to pull out the carpet staples and a little sprinkling of orange-glo, I am not going to complain about the color. Not when everything else in this house needs to be re-done.

But not everything has been so easy. The windows are all painted shut. Which we knew going in, but we didn't count on them being painted shut with literally 10 layers of paint from the past 50 years. We had to physically pry the entire bottom casing off of one window, just to access it to push up. And even then it took two people to push the thing so that a mere 3 inches worth of fresh air could come in and break up the paint fumes that were permeating the space. The furnace...don't get me started on the furnace. It didn't work the night we moved in. Someone, between the inspection and closing and cut the power to it. We had an electrician come out and fix it, yet here we are a week later, and it's not working again. That's the short story. I will not go further into detail. And I still can't decide if I want to gut my kitchen and completely re-do it (therefore completely using up the $8,000 tax credit we get for buying this "project" of a house), or if I want to live with it and spend the money on real grown-up furniture for once in my life.

The list is a mile and a half long; new carpet for the basement, new windows, a new toilet, new tile for the kitchen and bathroom (which by the way had mint green PLASTIC TILE on every wall AND in the shower surround. I've never even HEARD of plastic tiles.) etc. etc. etc.

But at the end of the day, there is a certain sense of pride that it all belongs to us. That we're allowed to paint the walls, replace the carpet and rip up whatever we want. I can put nail holes in the wall wherever I want and nobody can punish me for it. So, yes, I'm grateful. And I know I'll look back in a few months, or a year, or whenever we get everything done (does that ever happen? Anyone?) and be happy we did it. But right now, it's a little more than overwhelming. And I'm a lot more of a true remodeler than I ever dreamt I'd be.

I'll post pictures soon. Like when I actually get my desktop computer unpacked. :)

Time to Move

I hate moving. I hate packing up every tiny little thing in every closet and trying to find a label for it. I hate that I have totes and boxes that I haven't even looked at in years, yet I can't bear to throw it away so we move it along with us to not be looked at somewhere else.

But as much as I hate moving, I love change. I really do. I'm a change-aholic. And even more than change, I love progression. So the fact that Jacob and I were blessed enough to be able to finally buy our own home, which presents us with change AND progression, is enough to make me smile through the packing.

And then I remember what the NEW house looks like, and my smile falters slightly. On paper, this place sounds amazing. Here's the actual description from our actual agent:

immaculate home on tree lined street. Covered Patio, spacious living room, large family room in basement. New oven/range, Nice, fully fenced yard. Solid brick home. Workbench stays, space for RV, convenient to bus lines, shopping, schools, churches.

Then you look at the stats: 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, 2044 square feet, one car garage, corner lot, upstairs living room, downstairs family room, and probably about 8 storage closets. It sounds amazing right?

They don't tell you that every single one of those 2044 square feet is plastered with wallpaper, or crowned with a popcorn ceiling, or adorned with lovely shag carpet from the 1970's that matches to a T what my great-grandmother had in her home. We always joked about how she was so protective of spills, because it was so mottled with shades of chartreuse, day-glo orange, tomato red, and mustard yellow, that we knew you'd never even notice a spill. And here I am, about to own that carpet.

Yet for some reason, I can't feel bad about it. We got a great deal, and when we walked through it Jacob was like a kid in a candy store talking excitedly about all the improvements he could make. And I have to admit, it's been kind of fun designing my very own kitchen.

So we'll tear out the old and come in sanding and painting and repairing to find the new. And hopefully soon, I'll have some killer before and after photos.

Wish me luck! As of Monday, we'll be homeowners!

An Ode to Cousins

Thick as thieves.

Isn’t that what they say,

About two people who are the closest of friends?

If so, than these two girls should be charged

With grand larceny.

They’re more than two peas in a pod,

They’re two grapes on a vine; two kernels on an ear; two seeds on a berry.

(Why has no one ever thought of those analogies?)

Two beautiful little girls, made of much the same stuff,

yet, evidently unique.

Curly dark hair and deep, gray eyes,

Straight blonde hair and bright, blue eyes;

Toothy grin,

Gummy smile;

Dances and runs,

Sits and shakes;

(I mean it. She just sits and shakes with excitement

about EVERYTHING)

Despite the differences, there is obvious camaraderie;

Eisley tolerates advances from Elaina she would NEVER accept from me

(Think forced hugs, body-smashing kisses, and poked eyes;

I think she’s still trying to figure out what color they are. I am.).

And Elaina abides Eisley’s innocent-yet-painful interactions,

Far more patiently than she would coming from anyone else

(i.e. merciless hair tugging, endless face scratching, and gallons of slobber

From unrelenting kisses).

And through it all,

They stand up for each other,

(Even if Eisley cannot yet stand).

They each have the other’s back.

They fight,

They forgive,

They scream,

They laugh,

They share,

They grab,

They imitate,

They lead,

They laugh at each other,

They cry together,

And above all,

They love.

Even at this young age,

They love.

And I count my blessings that I am allowed

the privilege

To watch.

I hope they always remain this close.

No, THIS close…