Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
John 11:25-26
John 11:25-26
April 24, 2011
April 19, 2011
i heart calacatta gold
The reno continues!! I have, courtesy of my hubs, a brand spankin' new island!
After spotting a pretty piece in Traditional Home, I knew we had our basic concept. Translation: hand pretty picture to Greg, wait five minutes, and he magically produces detailed drawings to scale! I just love being married to an architect.
The new counter is calacatta gold with a 3cm square edge. I had the marble honed. Our poor installers brought us the slab polished originally. I smiled my biggest Southern smile then refused it. I'm happy to report they brought my marble back to me honed the following morning! Honed marble doesn't etch or lose it's polish . . . much easier to maintain.
Next on my never-ending list is a polished nickel towel bar for kitchen linens. I found this one at Restoration Hardware. And it's going to need an Anthropologie kitchen towel or two!
Maybe some accessories from Wisteria? I love that Wisteria sells hand-made products, true one-of-a-kind treasures, pieces that transcend time. A set of French bowls, sure to be utilized and admired. Or maybe a cookbook stand . . . My mother put that idea in my head the other day, and I can't stop thinking about it!
We're not done yet. See that big old energy-guzzling refrigerator? When we bought our sweet home the fridge came with it. We are pining for a fridge in the garage. Hosting Christmas with one fridge/freezer ain't for the faint of heart!
As you can see, there's always a punch list. I've learned from my previous life, and now from working on our home, that crossing the finishing line is tough. We had to order two more bin pulls for the sink-side of the island. I've also learned that we typically go about 10% over budget on these projects. Oftentimes, the extra expenses are small-ticket items like electrical boxes, small bits of hardware, extra paint. Lots of little items do add up!
I'll leave you with a close-up. It's almost too pretty to put anything on it. Almost!
Greg, I love my kitchen. Thank you for loving this house like I do. Thanks for letting me buy it without you even seeing it!! Thanks for thinking that my cooking is worthy of such a kitchen. It's not, but I'm so happy you think otherwise!
After spotting a pretty piece in Traditional Home, I knew we had our basic concept. Translation: hand pretty picture to Greg, wait five minutes, and he magically produces detailed drawings to scale! I just love being married to an architect.
The new counter is calacatta gold with a 3cm square edge. I had the marble honed. Our poor installers brought us the slab polished originally. I smiled my biggest Southern smile then refused it. I'm happy to report they brought my marble back to me honed the following morning! Honed marble doesn't etch or lose it's polish . . . much easier to maintain.
Next on my never-ending list is a polished nickel towel bar for kitchen linens. I found this one at Restoration Hardware. And it's going to need an Anthropologie kitchen towel or two!
Maybe some accessories from Wisteria? I love that Wisteria sells hand-made products, true one-of-a-kind treasures, pieces that transcend time. A set of French bowls, sure to be utilized and admired. Or maybe a cookbook stand . . . My mother put that idea in my head the other day, and I can't stop thinking about it!
We're not done yet. See that big old energy-guzzling refrigerator? When we bought our sweet home the fridge came with it. We are pining for a fridge in the garage. Hosting Christmas with one fridge/freezer ain't for the faint of heart!
As you can see, there's always a punch list. I've learned from my previous life, and now from working on our home, that crossing the finishing line is tough. We had to order two more bin pulls for the sink-side of the island. I've also learned that we typically go about 10% over budget on these projects. Oftentimes, the extra expenses are small-ticket items like electrical boxes, small bits of hardware, extra paint. Lots of little items do add up!
I'll leave you with a close-up. It's almost too pretty to put anything on it. Almost!
Greg, I love my kitchen. Thank you for loving this house like I do. Thanks for letting me buy it without you even seeing it!! Thanks for thinking that my cooking is worthy of such a kitchen. It's not, but I'm so happy you think otherwise!
April 15, 2011
April 14, 2011
Birthday Girl
Spent the evening looking back at her first year. She was a difficult subject to photograph. Certainly, she was beautiful beyond imagination . . . However, she was my Siamese twin for the first year, which made it near impossible to take her picture. If I so much as attempted to dislodge her tiny grip and set her down, I paid. Dearly, I paid.
My little Cameron still flies to my side, every opportunity to be with me she readily accepts. She is my biggest fan. I know just how she feels.
Can't believe she's three tomorrow. Still can't believe she's mine!
April 05, 2011
A new day
I haven't really used this blog for personal posts or soap-boxing.
Today is a new day.
We've had some hard months with our oldest. Discipline issues have been the norm, not the exception. My sweet guy has been angry for months. We've had constant battles, yelling {mine and his}, crying jags {mostly his}, and tantrums, terrible, terrible tantrums. So often I felt like there was a brain fog, clouding his bright eyes . . . I was forever saying, "Earth to Ben", only to receive a scowl or a frown.
Frustrated mommy, inconsolable son. We both felt defeated.
It was time to make changes.
We stopped spanking. It was happening too often, and I felt like Ben was constantly on the receiving end of a "bad kid" message.
We set up a reward chart. This has become a really great way for Ben to see all the things he does well. He is so good at so many things. He's a hard worker, and his work is paying off! Greg gets to be involved in holding Ben accountable as he's the sticker-man. Ben loves telling his dad about the good works he did during the day. The charts are a win-win!
We eliminated dyes in our food. This has CHANGED our lives. This one small change has breathed new life into our day. It's revolutionary. Suddenly our days weren't filled with discipline, but laughter. Ben wasn't struggling through homework, he was grinning ear to ear and getting all the answers right! There was happiness, and it was written all over his face. He was hearing me and listening. We had eye-contact. Communication. I have to confess, we were having fun.
Do your little ones fall apart over insignificant details? Are they angry and upset? Are they physically out of control? Are tantrums the norm? Do you wonder constantly if they're listening to you? Do they have a hard time keeping up at school? Are they out of control? Are play-dates a nightmare?
I stumbled across a blog about three weeks ago. I'm sure her darling blog was somehow linked to one of my favorite design sites. The title was "The Way We Eat". I devoured the information, and emailed Linsey immediately. She was a God-send! Suddenly I knew I hadn't stumbled across anything. God prepared the way, I chose to follow the lead. I read words like "frustrated, moody, impulsive." It was like looking into a mirror.
Dyes are in everything. And they cause serious damage. Asthma, eczema, allergies, cancer, hyperactivity, motor tics. We've discovered them in our kid's toothpaste, gum, cereals, Nutri-grain bars, waffles, pumpkin bread mix, yogurt, frozen fruit pops, and nearly all of our kid's medicines. We're learning that artificial flavoring and petroleum based products {seriously, oil by-products in our food?} are serious behavioral triggers as well.
We're new to this. We're still learning. But we're seeing major results with very little effort.
Yesterday Ben ate one piece of Super Bubble Gum. I knew within about an hour that he'd eaten something with dye in it. I googled the ingredients, there it was, BHT & Artificial Color Red 40. He's still coming down from the awful reaction. I'm praying his food-dye fog lifts soon.
Go visit LLH Designs. And then check out Food Dye Diaries.
You won't believe the information!!! I'm off to do some more research. I already know we're gaining so much more than we're giving up!!
Our new rainbow is heaven-sent. Literally!
Today is a new day.
We've had some hard months with our oldest. Discipline issues have been the norm, not the exception. My sweet guy has been angry for months. We've had constant battles, yelling {mine and his}, crying jags {mostly his}, and tantrums, terrible, terrible tantrums. So often I felt like there was a brain fog, clouding his bright eyes . . . I was forever saying, "Earth to Ben", only to receive a scowl or a frown.
Frustrated mommy, inconsolable son. We both felt defeated.
It was time to make changes.
We stopped spanking. It was happening too often, and I felt like Ben was constantly on the receiving end of a "bad kid" message.
We set up a reward chart. This has become a really great way for Ben to see all the things he does well. He is so good at so many things. He's a hard worker, and his work is paying off! Greg gets to be involved in holding Ben accountable as he's the sticker-man. Ben loves telling his dad about the good works he did during the day. The charts are a win-win!
We eliminated dyes in our food. This has CHANGED our lives. This one small change has breathed new life into our day. It's revolutionary. Suddenly our days weren't filled with discipline, but laughter. Ben wasn't struggling through homework, he was grinning ear to ear and getting all the answers right! There was happiness, and it was written all over his face. He was hearing me and listening. We had eye-contact. Communication. I have to confess, we were having fun.
Do your little ones fall apart over insignificant details? Are they angry and upset? Are they physically out of control? Are tantrums the norm? Do you wonder constantly if they're listening to you? Do they have a hard time keeping up at school? Are they out of control? Are play-dates a nightmare?
I stumbled across a blog about three weeks ago. I'm sure her darling blog was somehow linked to one of my favorite design sites. The title was "The Way We Eat". I devoured the information, and emailed Linsey immediately. She was a God-send! Suddenly I knew I hadn't stumbled across anything. God prepared the way, I chose to follow the lead. I read words like "frustrated, moody, impulsive." It was like looking into a mirror.
Dyes are in everything. And they cause serious damage. Asthma, eczema, allergies, cancer, hyperactivity, motor tics. We've discovered them in our kid's toothpaste, gum, cereals, Nutri-grain bars, waffles, pumpkin bread mix, yogurt, frozen fruit pops, and nearly all of our kid's medicines. We're learning that artificial flavoring and petroleum based products {seriously, oil by-products in our food?} are serious behavioral triggers as well.
We're new to this. We're still learning. But we're seeing major results with very little effort.
Yesterday Ben ate one piece of Super Bubble Gum. I knew within about an hour that he'd eaten something with dye in it. I googled the ingredients, there it was, BHT & Artificial Color Red 40. He's still coming down from the awful reaction. I'm praying his food-dye fog lifts soon.
Go visit LLH Designs. And then check out Food Dye Diaries.
You won't believe the information!!! I'm off to do some more research. I already know we're gaining so much more than we're giving up!!
Our new rainbow is heaven-sent. Literally!
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