30 Years Together

This post isn't about Christmas, but it definitely deserves attention!  On this date (December 4) in 1982, my parents got married.  Thirty years later, they are still in love and going strong.  Now if that isn't "the good", then what is??

Here is a link to my recent post on the Quad City Moms Blog, dedicated to my parents:
                                                      
                                                       Everyone Has A Story

And here is a picture of my parents, enjoying lunch with their three grandchildren, on their 30th anniversary.  It was quite the fancy lunch, considering my son picked the place (Hungry Hobo!).  Thank goodness they settled on his second choice...the first choice was Taco Bell, haha.

Socks: A Love-Hate Relationship.

If you know my kids, you know that my two boys don't look anything like me.  There's still hope for Nora to look like Mommy, but Sam and Cooper have decided to look like Daddy. However, they have inherited some things from me...

....one of them is a love for being barefoot. All spring and summer, and most of fall, me and my boys are barefoot if we are inside (and outside too, if it's warm enough).  My husband hates this.  He always has socks on, and refuses to go outside barefoot. Ever. 

Now that it's getting colder, I have finally given in and started wearing socks to work.  My boys, on the other hand, have been adamantly refusing the idea of socks every morning, and I have chosen to give in and let them wear shoes without socks (another thing my husband hates...because it is so hard to get their shoes on without socks!)

Until today.  As we are getting ready to go trick-or-treating in a couple hours, I tell Sam that he absolutely has to wear socks under his costume, otherwise he will get too cold and will have to go home. As I say the words, I brace myself for the whining that is to come.

But...no whining.  As I go to his room and grab a pair of white socks to put on him, I brace myself yet again for the whining and fit throwing.  But, as I hold his foot and pull the sock over it, not a sound.  He stands up, slides around on the carpet, and smiles.

"Mommy," he exclaims, "you were right! these socks are really comfortable! and warm! i'm going to wear socks every day now!"

I'm still in shock that this happened.  Happy, but in shock.  And I just had  to put it on the blog...one, so that you all could get a good laugh. And two, so that I have proof that my son did, at one time, say the words "Mommy, you were right!"

Saying Goodbye.

On Tuesdays we talk about finding the good in our home. Well, this story takes us back a few years...

...Matt and I had found our first home, in a tiny little town called Wilton, Iowa.  About two days after signing the papers and making it ours, I said to Matt, "We need a dog." Growing up, I always had a dog. When I was little, we had a little pekingese named Squirty.  Unfortunately, Squirty was lost in the fire in our house when I was ten.  Soon after, we got our sheltie puppy, Molly, who was with us until my last year of college.  And now, it was time for Matt and I to get our first dog for our first house.

We knew we wanted to buy from a shelter, not a breeder or a pet store. So, we visited nearly every shelter in the Iowa City area, but didn't find "the one".  Then one day at work, I was searching online and found her: a female beagle named "Patsy". And she was just down the road from my office! So, as soon as my work day was done, I ran down the three blocks to the shelter and asked to see her.  Yes, she was the one! Matt met me there, and we told them we wanted to take her home.  They let us take her around the block on the leash, and she was so happy to get out of that cage.  I loved her right away; I knew I wanted a beagle, and although she wasn't full beagle (her short, fat legs were definitely something else!), she was perfect to me.  They told us that she had lived with an old man who got sent to a nursing home, and no one was aware that he had had pets inside his house, so she and some cats were alone in the house for about a week until someone found them.  Poor thing! 

Maggie and Maizee with the new family of three!

And so we brought her home, and I re-named her "Maggie". (We didn't like Patsy, and my mom's name is Patti, so it was just too funny).  The first night, we put her in the $80 kennel that the shelter had sold us (telling us that she loved the kennel and it would be a comfort to her), and she cried the entire night.  The. Entire. Night. From then on, she slept in bed with me.

We lived in our house in Wilton for a year and a half, and since I was pregnant with my first son, I did a lot of laying around and resting. Maggie was in heaven.  She would literally lay on the couch with me all day long when I was sick and exhausted; she would just lay her head on my ever-growing tummy and snore the day away. 

Maggie and Sam snuggling

Then when we sold our house, we temporarily moved in with my parents, who have a little dog named Maizee. The two of them became best friends right away.  Maizee loved having a bigger dog there to protect her from the cats! They would literally snuggle and lay on the couch together all day long...and since they are almost the exact same coloring, they almost looked like a mother and her baby.  About 8 months later, we had found a house, and it was time for Maggie to leave. Although I hate to admit it, I don't think she ever really wanted to leave my mom's house. She had found her home there.

Trying to get in the Christmas card picture

Fast forward...I gave birth to Cooper one week before moving into our new house, and then 18 months later I was pregnant for the third time.  Needless to say, I had a lot less time to lay around on the couch and snuggle with my dog.  Although I wish I had more!  Maggie had gotten older, lazier, full of allergies, and was beginning to forget where to go to the bathroom.  With a three year old, almost-two year old, and a pregnant belly, one night I just broke down crying and called my mom after cleaning up yet another potty-mess of Maggie's.  I didn't know what to do.  My mom calmly says, "Sara, it's ok.  Just bring her to my house.  She likes it here, and Maizee misses her anyway. It's fine."  I am forever grateful for that moment, and I hope my mom knows it. I was so exhausted and didn't want to get rid of my dog, but at the same time didn't know how to keep up!

Looking older :(

Unfortunately Maggie didn't get better at my mom's...instead she got worse.  She was there for about 6 months, and by the end had my mom in the same miserable, helpless boat as I had been in. Maggie's time had come...she was so miserable, and in so much pain from her constant battle with allergies. We knew it was time...but we just didn't want to face it.

And so my mom made the appointment.  As soon as I heard the words, I just broke down and cried to Matt. Even though I knew it was best for Maggie, it didn't make the whole thing any easier.  On Tuesday, I drove home from work with a heavy heart.  I stopped at McDonald's and got my girl her last cheeseburger; she was so happy when she ate it.  And then we got in the car for the last time...my mom and I were already crying.  By the time we got to the vet's office, we had the receptionist crying, too.

On Tuesday we said goodbye to my friend, my snuggle-buddy, my "baby before my babies".  She was not the best behaved dog in the world, but she was good to our kids, and she had to put up with a lot from two toddler boys, believe me!  And she loved me.  She really did.  She loved me, and she loved my mom. 

And now she is resting...no more itching and scratching, no more getting older.  And as I held her little paw (she had the cutest paws) in the vet's office, I remembered with a smile the first time I saw her that day in Iowa City, and I reminded myself that we gave her a good life. A really good life.

Goodbye Maggie. I have spent the last three days crying about losing you, but I will try to remember the happy times we had with you in our lives.  Your loud snoring, your even louder howling at the doorbell, and your un-ending love of food. Any food.  We love you Maggie, and you will be forever missed in our home.

Give Me A Break

Project “clean up the house” has been underway at our house for about a week now.  I’m still not sure if the other four people who live in my house are aware of this fact, but anyway…

…in the last two months, I have given birth to my third child, gone back to two of my teaching jobs, and started a bakery with some family members…just to mention a few things.  Throw in writing for two blogs, making baby blankies, and packing us all up for a weekend away from home for a wedding (I’m still un-packing, and we’ve been home 10 days), and it’s safe to say that my house needs some attention.  Especially considering these next two months include hosting a baby shower, two different weekends with out-of-town guests, and an open house for the bakery. Whew!

So, as I’m knee deep in toys, laundry, Halloween decorations, and half-packed bags (did I mention we are going on a mini-vacation two days from now? Yeah…), my son comes downstairs to find me and says “Mommy, can we go for a walk?”  I had just gotten into the “organizing” groove, I had piles and piles of things to do…and yet, the thought of a walk seemed heavenly.

To be honest, it was.  Walking outside with my family, my three boys and my precious baby girl, was exactly what I needed.  The Fall air was crisp, perfect.  My sons laughed, my daughter looked around at the trees towering over her stroller, and my husband and I shared some much-needed adult conversation.

As I tackled Project Clean Up later that night, I did it with a smile on my face.  I pray that God always reminds me to take a break.  Especially when the break includes spending quality time with my four favorite people in the whole world.

The house can wait.  (That’s pretty obvious!)

 

 

Guest Blogger: "Home Again"

I am so excited to finally have this post put together.  The author is Therese, who grew up in the house where my husband and I are raising our children. I am SO glad to have her as a guest blooger for "The Good"!  Take it away, Therese...

You can go home again --- at least to Sara and Matt's house.

 

I know it is cliché.  You can't go home again.  Like up there with “things will get better”.  I did have the fantastic experience and discovered that I could go home again; even if the home belongs to strangers. 

Nagle family in front of the fireplace, 1967

Let's back up.  I was one of the family of ten children that grew up in where Sara and Matt live.  My parents picked the lot to build a house on based on the proximity of the new Catholic high school as it was going up a couple blocks west.  When they moved in, they had 5 kids (well, my brother was born two weeks later) and then proceeded to have five more.  My parents also made a home for Gloria, a Ukrainian orphaned by WWII.  Gloria lived with my family for seven years.  Gloria  moved with my family from their house on Denison Ave. to the new house.  She left in the late 50's when she became a nun.  Needless to say, the house was bursting in many wonderful ways.

the Nagles, 1979

My parents lived in the house for almost 35 years.  They sold the house to one of my brothers who lived there with his family for ten years.  The house was in the Nagle family for almost 45 years.  It was sold again and the rumors were not good.  At one point, it went into foreclosure. 

Several times when I was back to visit, I knocked on the door, but never found anyone home.  About 18 months ago, I was down visiting my parents and my Mom and I were running errands.  “I want to drive by the old house”  I told her.  It was on a weekday afternoon, and finding someone home was not likely.  We pulled up and I told my Mom I was going to see if anyone is home.  Matt greeted me and I explained who I was and asked if I could come in.  A few steps in and I was pleased and shocked at all the changes.  The house looked gorgeous and very different.  I told Matt that my Mom was in the car and would really enjoy seeing it.  Matt was gracious and very generous that January afternoon.

My Mom and I spent a delightful 45 minutes (thank you Matt) going through each room, exclaiming over the wonderful and beautiful renovations.  We walked through each room and told stories, reminiced  and throughly enjoyed ourselves.  The renovations were amazing.  The kitchen has an island! (Not in fashion when I lived in the house).  The kids' bathroom upstairs has become a laundry room and my old bedroom is now a bathroom!  Wait a minute, I did not agree to this!  I am not serious, the house looks beautiful and the changes make a lot of sense.



the Meehans in front of the SAME fireplace, 2012

Matt humored us.  He didn't even complain when I opened up a cabinet in the laundry room f/k/a kids' bathroom because it was the only thing left of the bathroom I used for almost two decades.  I think Matt enjoyed hearing our stories as well. 

While we were getting ready to leave, I wrote my name down and suggested that he “friend” me on Facebook as there were photos on my FB page taken in the house when I was a kid.  Sara friended me and we have become FB friends that most likely will never meet.  It has been wonderful fun to see photos of her family living in the house, photos of her kids playing in the same rooms I did. 

I told Matt that day in January, all those months ago, I will take liberty and speak for all of my siblings. We are thrilled to see another family laughing, growing, living in our (their) house. 

You can go home again.....even if it is someone else's house.   

Therese Nagle Kiser

Challenge Accepted.

What a difference a week can make...

If you read last Tuesday's post, you know how extremely miserable I was after being cooped up in my house.  Not just cooped up, but at the same time unable to clean up the MESS that was piling up around me!  I sent out a sarcastic invitation for anyone willing to come over with rubber gloves and cleaning supplies...and, well, some of my favorite women in the world answered the call.

While I was in the hospital enjoying my newborn baby girl all weekend, my mom and aunts and mother-in-law were not only taking care of my two young boys at home, but they were cleaning EVERY inch of my house.  EVERY inch.

On Monday when we walked in the door with our new daughter for the first time, we walked into a fresh-smelling, spotless house.  They had worked so hard; I couldn't even believe it.  Every room was clean, they had finished sorting and putting away the baby's clothes, they had hung the pictures I hadn't gotten around to hanging.  And the details...a bowl of pink candy on the table, in honor of baby Nora.  And a pile of my favorite candy bars sitting on my nightstand in my room.

It was perfect.  This Tuesday was 1000% better than last Tuesday.  Thank you could never be enough for what they did for me.  But, thank you Mom! And Jean, Barb, and Debbie!  And anyone else who helped!  And for those of you who read the invitation to come clean and didn't respond...you're off the hook.

An Open Invitation

On Tuesdays we look for the good in our homes.  As you know, I love my home. I love living here, I love entertaining here, and everyone is always welcome.

But today's invitation is for anyone who wants to come with rubber gloves and cleaning supplies in hand...

...my house is being over-run by cookie crumbs, garage-sale toys, dishes, laundry...

it's time for the baby to come out! I desperately need the ability to bend down to the ground without screaming in pain (or worse yet, getting stuck down there and not being able to get up!)

I hope you are all looking for the good in your homes today.  Me? I'll talk to you after the baby comes.




******GIVE-AWAY UPDATE******* If you would like to be entered in a chance to win our give-away prize (it's going to be a good one!), make sure to "like" our page on Facebook! It's that easy!

www.facebook.com/thegood2012

Ridiculously Happy About Pillows...

I just had to post about this...Matt has been making fun of me for days.

As you all know, I have done the majority (and I really mean majority) of the decorating in my home from garage sales, hand-me-downs, or clearance racks.  Last week I made a new contribution to one of my favorite rooms (my sun porch) and it has been making me happy every day.

We were out in our garage sale caravan (there were about 10 of us!) last week, and there was a sale with a ton of decorative pillows.  Most of them were marked between $4-$6, which was actually probably a good deal (those things are so expensive!), but I really didn't want to pay that much.  I saw two big yellow ones that I knew would look perfect on my little couch in the sunroom, so I walked over to check the price.  No tag.

I walked up to the girl who was having the sale and asked her how much she wanted for the two yellow pillows. "Oh, let's just say $1 a piece.  How's that?" 

Perfect!  I couldn't wait to get them home...they are literally a perfect match to the yellow decoration (also from a garage sale) on the wall above the couch (a hand-me-down).  I keep walking out there just to look at them...pathetic, I know! I'm 8 months pregnant and physically miserable...I guess it only takes a little thing to make me happy these days!  Anyhow, last night I said something again about how perfect the pillows look out there.  Matt just started laughing and shaking his head.

So I guess I will spare Matt another "perfect pillow" comment and share it with you all instead!  Remember to look for the good in your home...you never know how much it might cheer up your day!

So happy :)

Finish a Project.

Easier said than done, I know!  We all have projects around our house that need done.  Or maybe some that don't even need done, but they are ideas that we've seen and wanted to try in our own home. Especially now that everyone is addicted to a little website called Pinterest!

A couple months ago, one of my friends from the Quad City Moms Blog hosted what we call a "pinning party".  Everyone was supposed to bring an appetizer (because what's a party without food, right?) and one project that they wanted to get done.  It's such a great idea!  Personally, I love anything that involves multi-tasking...and food, too.  So why not get together with your friends, enjoy a couple hours without the kids and at the same time get something done!

My project wasn't anything that we needed done, but after I had just found out we were having a baby girl, I wanted to make some things to make the former "boys room" look more like a place for a baby girl!  So I picked the project "covered diaper boxes".  Basically, you take a diaper box of any size (which, if you are a mommy, you have plenty  of these to spare around your house!) and you pick out a fabric to cover it, and then (if you are me) you follow very specific how-to instructions online, because my brain is measuring/dimensionally challenged.  So, if you decide to do this project, I would recommend something like www.littlemudpies.blogspot.com (she gives a step-by-step recap of how she did this in her own home)

Also, this project does not have to be baby related! You can use any kind of box, and you can cover it with any fabric you'd like...something to match your living room maybe, to hide all the TV remotes and random magazines?  Or even in the kitchen, a little box for recipes or cookbooks...anything!

Here's a couple pics of how my project went...

My fabric...VERY bright colors! Love it!

One hint...the fabric I chose for the inside of the box was too see-through...so I ended up putting a ribbon around the box as well, just to cover up the rough edges where I had made a few mistakes...no one is perfect! :)

...and now it's all ready for baby girl Meehan...filling up with blankets and burp cloths!

The Party House

When we first called the realtor and came to walk through our house, it was in foreclosure.  Every wall was covered in beer (and other) stains, there was not a single interior door left in the house, and every room was painted a ridiculously bright color.  As we guessed, and was later confirmed, it had been quite the party house for Ambrose students (only a few blocks away).  Long story short, by the time we moved in nearly a year later, there was no evidence left of the "party house" days.  However...

A very special wedding reception at our house.

...as we brought more and more of our family members to see our new home for the first time, the consensus was:  "every event will now be held at Sara and Matt's house!".  This scared Matt a little bit (our family is big, and very close...I'm sure he was picturing our door hanging open with random family members walking in and out at all hours of the day).  But for me, it was exciting...I love being the hostess, and the truth is we didn't get to host too many things at our first house because we lived the farthest away from everyone.

And so, very quickly, our house returned to its "party house" status.  Definitely not the same kind of parties (I can count on one hand the number of times we have even had alcoholic beverages in our house at all), but still parties...and some great ones, if you ask me!  Not only have we had birthdays and family get-togethers...we have hosted three baby showers, a cook-off, two Super Bowl parties, a Mafia-themed New Year's Eve party, and even a wedding reception!  Every single one of the parties has been a blast, and I look forward to so many more!

Blue and Brown Owl-Themed Baby Shower!

Our Mafia/Casino New Year's Eve Party!

So why post about this today?  Because today is a special day.  My grandma Shirl, one of the best people in the whole entire world, is 80 years old today.  And you guessed it...we are hosting the party at our house.  My mom and my aunts will be invading the house to clean and decorate, and Laura (or Chef Laura, as you all know her) will be here to set things up and help us look fancier than we actually are!  And to make it even better, it's technically a surprise party!  I mean, she knows that we (the family) are having dinner at my house, but she doesn't know that a lot of special people are coming to celebrate her 80 years.  I'm so excited!  I know it will be yet another great time with our favorite people, our family and our friends, and my grandma deserves a celebration more than anyone we all know!  (And for those of you who don't know, I can't write this post without mentioning that it is also my mom's birthday, too! Such a special day for our family!)

Happy birthday to my mom and happy 80th to my grandma Shirl!

Share the Goods #1: Your Home.

As I mentioned in my "Summer Challenge", one of my goals this summer is to make this blog more interactive.  In other words, I feel like it's your turn to get a chance to talk!  It's always me, me, me...let's hear from you!
In order to achieve my goal, I need your help (obviously).  So, I'm starting a new series called "Share the Goods".  Basically, it's just an open forum for all of you faithful readers (you know who you are!) to answer, discuss, comment, etc.  I have mentioned before how overwhelmed I've been by not only the number of readers this blog has gotten, but more so by the amazing feedback you have given me.  Keep it coming, please!  In fitting with the overall goal of my blog, to look for the good in everything, I think the best way to do that is to share the good with everyone else, and that's the point of this new series.
And so, since it is Tuesday and we are looking for the good in our homes, I ask you to consider the following questions:

1. What are some things you love about your home?  Why?

2. What are some things you would change about your home, if given the chance?  Why?

3. What does the word "home" mean to you?

...Please take the time to answer these questions for me.  I would love to hear from all of you, and I'd love to see how all of your answers stack up to one another's.  I am excited about the new series, and I am praying that we can get some good, positive conversations started together.  Let's get talking, let's have a great discussion, and above all--let's keep looking for the good.

**If you do not have an account to comment on this blog page, please feel free to comment on our newly-made Facebook page! Find us at www.facebook.com/thegood2012 .  And while you are there, go ahead and "like" us, too!  Thank you so much to all of you who faithfully read my words.  To a writer, there is no greater pleasure.  You are much appreciated!

Happy Mommy, Happy Home

My boys were going through a rough time sleeping-wise.  Sam, who is 3, was getting too big for his little toddler bed, and was coming into our room pretty much every night.  Cooper, who was still 1, was not out-growing his crib in size, but he was rolling around all night long and beating himself up on the bars of the crib, hence causing him to also come to our bed.  Every night.  At this point, I was in the early weeks of my third pregnancy, and suffering terrible “morning” (AKA “all day”) sickness, and really needed some sleep.  I mentioned to Matt that we should think about moving them to their new bedroom, since we would be doing it in a few months anyway, to prepare for the baby coming.  I brought up the idea of getting them twin beds, and some people laughed, since Cooper is so tiny, but I just needed a solution!  After weeks of talking about it, and not sleeping, we finally went out and got them their twin beds and started moving their things to their new room.  That was almost 4 months ago. The results were amazing—they slept all night, almost every single night!

Until Summer hit….we have a really old house, and even though we do have central air, it really does us no good on the second floor.  Matt and I already have a window unit in our room (purchased at a garage sale…of course!), but the rest of the rooms are nearly unbearable in this heat…including Sam and Cooper’s room.  As soon as the temperatures spiked, we were back to the same old story…Sam would come in our room, and an hour later we would hear Cooper crying on the monitor.  As soon as they got into our room with the air conditioning, they were out like lights until the morning.  The solution was obvious:  we needed another window unit!  However, if you know my husband (whom I love dearly!!), anything that costs more than $3 requires contemplation. J

Until today! This past week has been terribly hot, and I’m not enjoying one minute of the old routine.  The boys are bigger, my stomach is bigger, and our bed is still a Queen size bed.  Not a good combination.  I’ve been nagging Matt to no end—I’ve even been recruiting family members to yell at him about buying a new unit!  So today, we head over to my in-laws’ house to see Matt’s aunt and uncle, who came in from Texas last night.  After a mere mention of our hot and sticky situation, Aunt Susie and Uncle David say “Matt, we are taking you tonight to get an air-conditioner”.  I can honestly say that I could hear the “Hallelujah Chorus” in my head.  Finally!

Boys helping Uncle David

As I write this post, Matt and his Uncle David are working hard at getting the unit in the window.  My boys are in their jammies, and I am practically drooling at the thought of a good night’s sleep.  On Tuesdays we look for the good in our homes…on this Tuesday, the good in my home is sitting on the boys’ windowsill, and I am very, very grateful.

Thank goodness for the sweet-talking family from Texas.  I don’t know their secret for talking my husband into things, but I will find it out…it could come in very handy!

Hallelujah.

Young House Love.

John and Sherry

In honor of “look for the good in your home” Tuesdays, I’d like to share with you another of my favorite blogs to follow:  Young House Love.  You can find it and follow it at www.younghouselove.com .  The blog is written by a young couple, Sherry and John, who have completely re-done not one, but now two houses, almost entirely on their own.  They are the masters at Do-It-Yourself projects!  I love to check their blog every now and then to see the updates—one of the best parts about their page is that they take a ton of pictures, which really helps the reader see not only the progress, but also a step-by-step instruction manual, just in case you feel like doing a similar project in your own home!

Sherry and John's entryway...LOVE this.

As I’ve said before, we were lucky enough to move into a home that had been, as they say, “flipped”.  In other words, we didn’t have to do any work, which was great.  However, there are always miscellaneous projects around everyone’s home that they wish they could be working on, wish they knew how to do, or wish someone would do for them!  Well, that’s the inspiring part about Sherry and John—they don’t just sit around and think about doing it, they do it! (of course, their blog has landed them spots in many home and garden magazines, as well as features on the Today Show of all things, so it has essentially become their job…but still!)

Their dining room and a view into their office...ahh!

So if you are trying to think of ways to spruce up your home, or change one of your rooms, I highly recommend checking out this blog.  Even if you don’t have any projects, or don’t even have a house, it’s still an entertaining blog for pretty much anyone.  They also have a section of the blog dedicated to their outdoor/backyard wedding a few years back…which, yes, they did almost everything themselves!  The decorations, and the pictures, are amazing.  If you have a wedding in your future, you can get some great tips from Sherry and John’s experience!

So, that’s my piece for today.  As a new blogger, I’m realizing the importance of networking and sharing our favorite blogs with each other.  I know that many of you have shared my blog with people, and you will never know how much I appreciate that!  Of course, I think Sherry and John are doing just fine without a little recommendation from me, but hey, it’s always nice to be appreciated! And I really do love so many of the projects they’ve done…maybe someday I will have the time to do some of them in my own home!

My favorite of their rooms:  the living room.

Happy Tuesday to you all!

Mi casa es su casa

As always on Tuesdays, we are looking for “the good” in our home.  However, it’s not always our own home that makes us feel special, or loved, or “at home”.  We all have places, whether near or far, that hold a special place in our heart—places we have made memories, places we have grown up or grown together, places we love.  Today I’m sharing a few of my “homes” with you…

1.My parents’ house(s)…Of course I have an attachment to the house (duplex) that I grew up in.  We moved there when I was three, and my parents didn’t leave there until I was almost done with college.  Nearly all of my childhood memories were made there…birthday parties, Christmas mornings, my first pet (a Pekingese named Squirty), and just the day-to-day life of me, my mom, and my dad.  Wonderful times—I was lucky to have such a good childhood.  And now they have a new house…one that I thought I would never live in with them, but never say never!  After my husband and I sold our first house, we ended up moving in with my parents for about a year until we found our new home.  And so, we now have a lot of memories at my parent’s “new” house, too!  Especially because our son spent much of his first two years there…he went from the cradle to the crib there, he first climbed stairs there, he started talking there, he started sleeping in his “own” room there…SO many memories of our precious first born!  And in fact, we even brought our second-born son home to their house from the hospital!

2. My grandma Shirl’s house…As I have mentioned already on the blog, my grandma’s house is usually the meeting place for the whole family.  And not just at holidays or special events—we are there every week!  Most Saturdays we are seated around her kitchen table, sometimes just 5 or 6 of us, sometimes 10 or 15, or more!  It has always been this way, I don’t remember a time that we didn’t have Sabbath lunches at her house.  In a way, all of us cousins grew up in that house.  Many of us have even lived there at one point or another…for me, it was in college, after my grandpa died.  Those few months gave me a lot of new memories of her house—just the two of us living there, reading books at night and eating breakfast together.  I even woke up in that house on my wedding day!

3.My aunt Jeannie’s house…Yet another place that I actually did live!  When our house burned down when I was in 5^th grade, my parents and I moved in with my aunt Jean, my uncle Steve, and my cousin Elyse.  Our time living there was an emotional roller-coaster, after having lost nearly everything we owned (including our pets), but at the same time enjoying the bond between family, and realizing how lucky we were to have them in our lives.  Jean had always been like a second mom, and Elyse like my sister, but after living together, the connections were only stronger.  We brought home our new pet, my dog Molly, to their house—what a special time for a little girl!  Now that we are all grown up, Elyse and I send our boys there to Jean’s daycare, where they play with the toys that we grew up with and they are learning to love each other as we do.  It’s a special place!

4. My in-laws’ (old) house…No offense to their new house, but I have a special place in my heart for the house that my husband grew up in.  Since we started dating when we were 16, and they only recently moved out of that house, we obviously spent a lot of time there!  I met all of his family in that house, we spent many nights watching movies or playing games with our friends there in high school, and it was in that kitchen where Matt announced to a whole group of people that he had asked me to marry him.  When they decided to move about 2 years ago, I think I might have been just as sad as Matt!  We fell in love there, and I guess I just thought they would always live there…but hey, we are starting to love the new house, too!  Our boys go there a lot, and their dede (grandma) has made them a wonderful playroom in her basement.  New house, new memories to be made!

5. Spain…I know this isn’t a home, but I did live there for 6 months in college, and I felt such a connection to that place, to the people.  In fact there is a home where I feel at home there…it’s a 2^nd story flat on the busiest street in Seville, called Menendez-Pelayo.  There I met my house mother, Maravilla, and her wonderful family—most importantly her son, my life-long friend Álvaro.  Without him, and my other friend Chelsea, my experience in Spain would never have been so good.  I fell in love with the country, the lifestyle, the music, the food (ha!), all of it!  No matter how long it takes me to get back there, I will always have a tugging to return.  Anything related to Spain makes me miss it—watching a movie, hearing a song, even seeing something “Spanish-looking” or eating Spanish food (by the way, if you want Spanish food, I know the place for you!  I will be posting about it soon…keep an eye out!).

I think 5 “home away from homes” is more than anyone could ever ask for in life!  I consider myself beyond lucky to have grown up in a family, and a circle of friends, where there were so many welcoming homes, so many loving people who shared their four walls with me.  I am forever grateful to all of them, and I hope that my children have as much luck to find so many “homes” in their lives, too.  As long as their favorite home is mine!

Do you have any “home away from homes”?  Why are they special to you?

Simple DIY (do-it-yourself) Project

Because we are expecting our third baby this summer, we decided to get our boys moved to their new big-boy bedroom and get them settled a few months before their baby sister arrives.  They have been in their new room for about 2 months, and it has been working out great.  With that accomplished, my next task was to turn their room (previously blue and green with frogs) into a girl’s room!  The good news is, I’ve never been a fan of pink and purple and flowery and all that, so I didn’t plan on changing it a whole lot, but I did want it to look like a baby girl’s room, not a boy’s room.

Before: Blue and Green Frogs

I decided that I could handle a little bit of pink, but I also wanted to add a touch of orange.  I took out most everything that was blue, and left all of the green stuff.  So, I had my colors to work with now:  pink, orange, and green (all of them bright shades, not pastels).  The boys didn’t have much on their walls, but they did have two square frog pictures above their crib.  I took these down (yes, I cried when I did it!), and decided to make my own replacement.  Off to the craft store!

So here’s today’s do-it-yourself project for your home:  making wall art (or any decorations, for that matter) to match exactly the colors you want, the theme you want, etc.  After all, we can always find something we like at the store, but the idea of finding multiple things at multiple stores and trying to get them all to coordinate? That’s just overwhelming!

Materials: Canvas, Adhesive, and Scrapbook Paper

Here’s what I did:  I went and bought two 10x10 canvas pieces at Joann Fabrics, just the size I needed to replace the two frog pictures.  Then I went hunting in the scrapbook paper aisle until I found the perfect one for my little girl---and there it was! Bright pink, bright orange, and bright green—definitely girly, but not too flowery and princess-ish for mommy!  I found two coordinating prints and some Mod Podge adhesive, and went home to get to work. 

As this was my first time doing a project like this, my plan was to cut out a 10x10 piece of the paper and then stick it on the canvas, and maybe paint the sides pink or orange to match.  But as a friend suggested, the paper was bigger than the canvas, so why not just wrap it like a Christmas present? (Thanks for the suggestion, Tim!).  So that’s what I did, and it worked out great!  The Mod Podge is so easy to use…just get a foam brush, brush it all over the surface of your canvas (be careful to smooth out the edges!), and then carefully place the paper on top.  For a “glossy” look, I bought the glossy type, and also brushed it on top of the paper after it was firmly attached to the canvas.  I let them sit over night, and the next day I put them up on her wall above her crib.  It was finally starting to look like a girl’s room!

After: Pink, Orange and Green Shoes!

While I was putting some of her clothes away the other day, I looked around and thought of another idea for the scrapbooking paper that I had leftover, as well as the Mod Podge.  I cut out some of the shapes on the paper, and then stuck them onto the drawers of her plastic shelves from Ikea.  It looked so cute!  I cut out a few more, and stuck them on some of the other little plastic items in her room. I was so proud of myself!

And, for my last project…I bought a third and final coordinating piece of the paper, and am going to buy a 12x12 canvas to attach it to (thought I would mix up the sizes, to make it less uniform). This paper has a lot of empty space, but that’s because I bought some pink alphabet/number stickers…which I will be using to put her name and birthdate on it when she arrives!  Can’t wait!

3 more months until this has a name and birthdate on it!

 I definitely recommend trying this project in your home. If you have a wall that’s just “missing something”, head on over to the craft store and look through the scrapbooking paper. I bet you will find at least one pattern that matches your colors/theme, if not more.  Simply wrap it around your piece of canvas, and you’ve got yourself some custom wall art! And it didn’t cost an arm and a leg, either!

*I bought all of my items on sale or with coupons, and I also receive the 15% teacher discount at JoAnns.  The total cost for the three wall hangings and decorating the plastic bins was approximately $17.  Can’t beat that!

Does Your House "Rise Up To Meet You"?

My house, "rising up to meet me" :)

I feel like I’m quoting Oprah a lot on the blog lately…but today it’s just briefly!  One of my favorite things that she ever said on her show was that she believes your house should “rise up to meet you”.  I love this. I always picture the house actually getting up and hugging you when you come home!  In other words, your house (or apartment, or trailer, etc.) should be a happy place for you, a haven, an escape from the worries of the world.  It’s a sad fact that many people do not feel this way about their home—in fact, for many people, coming home is the most stressful part of the day.  So today…let’s ask ourselves this question:  How can I make my home rise up to meet me?

First of all, it doesn’t matter how big or small your home is, or how much money you have spent on the things inside.  What matters is that your home is home to you and your family.  This doesn’t have anything to do with what kind of pillows are on your couch—or even if you have a couch at all.  This has to do with the feeling you get when you walk in the door, or when you lay your head down at night to go to sleep.  Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier for Oprah Winfrey to talk about her house “rising up to meet her”, considering her house looks like this:

No offense, Oprah!  If I could have Nate Berkus design my house, I would, too!  But in the end, I bet that many of us "normal people" are much happier in our homes than many of the celebrities in Hollywood.  Money can’t buy you happiness.  So, if money can’t buy it, what can?

Here’s a few of my thoughts…please add yours to the mix!

1.First Impressions:  Think about the entrance to your home, the place where you unlock the door and walk inside after a long, hard day.  What do you see when you enter?  I bet a lot of us are afraid to answer that question!  I think that if we all spent just a few minutes working on one little area—the area we first see when we open our door—then we would be amazed at how our attitude can change when we open that door the next day.  For example, at our old house, we always came in through the back door, and the very first thing you saw was the side of our refrigerator and a big garbage can.  Not exactly the definition of “home”.  When we moved to our new house, I knew that had to change.  If you knock on my door these days, the first thing you will see upon entering are two large pictures of my boys.  What better way to be greeted when I come home?  I can’t think of anything better.

2.Clutter or Crumbs:  This might seem like a weird concept, but bear with me.  I really believe that we can all be categorized into two main areas:  the clutters or the crumbs.  For example, I am a “crumb”.  At any point in the day that you come to my house, there are bound to be some crumbs, dust, etc. somewhere.  However, the majority of the time, you will not find clutter (stuff out on the floors, toys all over, piles of laundry, etc.) I can’t live with clutter—I go crazy.  If my kids get a bunch of toys out, I literally have to put them away before I go to bed—now, remember, the toys all get thrown into bins in my living room ( Bins, Bins, Bins!), so this doesn’t really take much time!  But seriously…I have actually gotten up out of bed to go pick up stuff that I knew was laying on the floor.  However, I guarantee that there were crumbs on the floor from dinner, and maybe the kitchen counter could use a good wipe down.  Okay…if you are disgusted by what you are reading, then I bet you are leaning more towards the side of the “clutters”.  This means that your house, on the average day, is pretty clean.  You get your cleaners out frequently, you vacuum your floors faithfully, and your counters are not covered in crumbs.  But I bet you can go to bed without cleaning up a few toys or clothes on the floor, right? My mom is a “clutter”.  Any day you walk in her house, the place is nearly spotless—smells like cleaner, the rubber gloves are sitting there, and the vacuum has been run.  However, you will also probably find a pile of laundry, or papers, or other random things. I’m telling you, I really think that all of us are one way or the other!  If you had to put yourself in one category, which one would it be? Once you answer that, you can work on making your house “rise up to you” by focusing on what lowers your stress level.  For me, the sweeping and vacuuming can wait until tomorrow…but those toys have to get picked up! J

3.”The one-minute rule”:  This is courtesy of The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. As one of her goals in her happiness project, Gretchen attempted to de-clutter and to organize her household.  One of the “rules” she decided to follow was this “one-minute rule”.   She describes it this way:  “I started to apply the ‘one-minute rule’; I didn’t postpone any task that could be done in less than one minute.  I put away my umbrella; I filed a document; I put the newspapers in the recycling bin; I closed the cabinet door.  These steps took just a few moments, but the cumulative impact was impressive.” (The Happiness Project, page 33) Gretchen had a great idea when she thought of this rule….just think how many times a day we put some little task off, just because we don’t want to do it, even though it really only takes us 30 seconds? After finishing this book, I have started to consciously think about the “one-minute rule” every time I start to throw my jacket on the chair instead of hang it up, or stack a bill on the counter instead of filing it.  Believe me…try this rule, and you will be amazed at how much more you accomplish in one day!

4.Make it a happy place:  As I said, your home should be a safe place for your family, a place where they feel loved, accepted, and where they can be themselves.  It should be a haven from the worries of the world, especially in today’s world, where there are so many worries!  Now, I realize that not every moment is happy in anyone’s home…if they say it is, they are lying!  But I’m talking about the overall atmosphere of your home…make it one of laughter, of acceptance, of unconditional love.  Let your children, and your spouse, know that they can come to you and tell you anything, that they can walk in those doors and feel loved.  Personally, I had a wonderful home growing up.  My mom tried her hardest to make every day happy for me, and to keep me away from the cares of the world for as long as possible.  And when my dad walked in the door from work each day, I was there running to greet him at the front steps!  Heck, I still do that when I’m at their house!  I hope and pray that my children will remember our home in this way…that they will grow up and tell their own children how much fun we had, how much we loved each other, and how safe and secure they felt in our home.  This is a luxury that many children unfortunately do not have these days.

I don’t believe that the color of a wall or a type of flooring can make a home.  It can certainly make us like our home more, and for that reason I think you should do your best, within your means, to decorate your home in a way that makes you happy, that makes you feel like you belong there.  But in the end, it’s not about paint or decorative pillows. It’s about the way your heart feels when you open the door and see your loving husband standing there, or you hear your laughing children running down the stairs to greet you.  That, to me, is the definition of my house “rising up to greet me”. I pray that yours does the same for you.

The Gift Closet.

I don’t know about you guys, but it seems like there’s a birthday, graduation, wedding, baby, etc. every week in our family and/or friends group!  How do we stay prepared?? I must admit, this is one of my better qualities.  I usually have gifts bought and ready well in advance, and almost always buy them on sale, on the clearance rack, or even at garage sales! (I’m not ashamed!) So today I’d like to hear back from you all…what are your best tips for being “party-ready”?  Here are a few of my own personal secrets, plus some tips that I’ve found online, in magazines, etc….

1.The Notebook:  Before I even think about buying or wrapping someone’s present, first I have to know what it is!  A couple years ago, I started carrying a little notebook in my purse around Christmas time, to keep a running list of who I had bought for, who I hadn’t, what I had spent on them, etc.  I’m sure many of you do this, too!  But after Christmas, I decided to keep the notebook in my purse for further use---whenever I think of something that a friend or family member might like, or maybe I see it at the store and decide to wait for it to go on sale, or better yet, when he or she mentions something that they would like to have, I pull out my little notebook and make a note of it!  It’s such an easy thing to do, and you can customize it to your own plans (i.e. maybe you don’t need to keep track of how much you spent, but maybe you do need to keep track of the name of that tool that your husband keeps mentioning that he would like to have…)

2. The Gift Closet:  I’m sure you all have a place where you put these gifts-to-be.  Recently I’ve been clearing out a space in my bedroom closet for all of the gifts that I have bought for upcoming events.  It’s still not very organized, which is why I am not posting a picture of my own closet!, but at least now I can see all of the things I have.  If you have any space in any of your closets, I would highly recommend setting aside a shelf or two for this purpose.  Then, when someone reminds you that the baby shower is next weekend, you don’t have to say “oh no, I know that I bought her the cutest little outfit, but where did I put it?”. You just walk happily over to your gift closet, maybe even singing a happy tune while you walk there, and you pull out the intended gift, all ready to go. (*see tip #4 for how to make your gifts “ready to go”)

3. The Universal Gifts:  In addition to the “planned” gifts, my shelf also has some unassigned gifts.  These are things that I pick up from time to time at the store, maybe on the clearance rack or an impulse buy in the check-out lane.  Basically, these are items that I bought without a recipient in mind, but they actually turn out to be quite handy! (For example, if there’s a candle on sale for a couple bucks, or maybe a little stationery set, or a good-looking book/journal…) You never know when you may need to take a gift with you for someone, and if you have a few of these things stashed away, it will definitely be worth it!

4. Wrap it Up:  The final step.  But not always the easiest!  You’ve found that cute little outfit that you bought for the baby shower, and you run to your gift closet to wrap it up quick.  But wait. You realize that all you have is Christmas wrapping paper, all of your gift bags are for weddings or birthdays, and you are completely out of tissue paper. How do we avoid this dilemma? After reading an article about gift-wrapping recently, I’ve realized that just a few small steps can really help you feel more organized and more prepared for upcoming events:

                --The Basics:  Keep a separate pair of scissors, a roll of tape, and some pens nearby  (or in) your gift closet).

                --Brown Paper Packages:  A lot of people are starting to use the basic, “brown paper” wrapping paper to wrap their gifts.  I really like this idea.  I bought a few rolls of colorful ribbon at the craft store (on sale, of course!), and that way I can make the brown paper package fit the occasion (black and white ribbon for weddings; pastels for babies; brights for birthdays; etc.).  I really like the fresh, clean look of the brown paper…and besides, every time I wrap a present with it, I think of Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music, singing “My Favorite Things”. J

                --Color Scheme:  This was something I hadn’t considered until reading a home magazine lately. If you keep all of your supplies (paper, ribbon, bags, tags, etc.) in the same color scheme , or pattern, then you don’t have to worry about wrapping at the last minute and ending up with an  old easter bunny bag with a Christmas tag stuck on the side of it.

I know it may seem silly to go into so much detail about gifts, gift wrap, etc.  The reason I wanted to write this post is this:  I think that gift-giving is becoming somewhat of a lost art.  People are sending birthday emails instead of cards in the mail, or sending virtual birthday cakes and balloons on Facebook.  This is all fun, too, but I really do cherish the importance of a good gift.  And in my opinion, the definition of a good gift does not mean how much money someone spent on it. I really do agree with the old saying, “it’s the thought that counts”.  I absolutely LOVE to buy gifts for my friends and family…I get so much joy out of looking through the aisle for things they may like!  And for me, it’s even better when I find the gift well in advance, and I know that it’s sitting on the shelf, waiting for them to open it! J (Plus, if I can get it at a bargain price, it’s just that much more exciting…and did you know that the Dollar Store has some of the cutest gift wrap and bags? Plus they have big packs of tissue paper in all different colors…for a dollar!)

So, tell me…what are your thoughts on gift-giving? Do you love it or hate it?  What are some of your tips for staying sane while preparing all the gifts that we give to our loved ones?  And, if you’re brave enough, please share your thoughts on “re-gifting”. I always love to hear what people think about that!