Idea board for C's Room

So the first room we are going to take on is Connor's.  By "take on" I mean paint.  For years we've had to add color in our home through accessories because renters aren't usually allowed to paint the walls.  I have always wanted to paint and add color to our homes and now that we can, I'm scared!  I don't want to mess anything up.  And I don't want to have one of those homes on the market, years down the road, where our home doesn't have an appeal to potential buyers.  Therefore, we are taking things slowly.  I say "we" but I mostly mean me, Jeremy was ready to start painting last week. 

You can see Connor's current room in the previous post.
There are 2 colors I'm down to. Both by Behr paint.  Now I can't decide between the two.  I had originally gone for the shade on the bottom, but am afraid it will end up too dark. However, I feel the top one might be too baby blue-ish.

 

I would like a denim-ish blue...one that will look good with navy and red (obviously). I found that with his color scheme, his room theme can go in all different directions as he grows.  So whether he's into dinos, trains, sports...it will only be minor changes of sheets and room accessories.  

We are also going to put up white crown molding.  I think the little detail will add a lot to the square-ish room.  And a ceiling fan will be added as well.  

I loved this one from Home Depot.  It's silver finish (won't match the rubbed oiled bronze features in the home, according to Jeremy), but I think if we go with the r.o. bronze it will darken the room...which I think will make it feel smaller.  And the blades are white on the reverse side, white is what I'd go with.

Lastly, the wall decor.  We have some natural colored wood shelving we'll probably put up again (some where).  The wall across from his bed is very large, but to put shelves there would take over the small walking space.  So, I was thinking of doing a frame collage like the one I found on Young House Love   Here's a picture of the one they did in their daughter's nursery:

Love the white frames.  And I can put some art projects to work, as well as incorporate photos of trucks, trains, and other miscellaneous things I've taken pics of.  I'd also love to do this for Brayden's room too.

So those are my ideas thus far.  Now to put them to work is the next step!

Our Home

It's still a work in progress.  There is so much I want to do but don't know where to begin and don't necessarily want to sink in a whole bunch of money, as we don't plan on living in it forever (just for the next few years).  I do, however, want to add my own personal touches here and there.  I've kind of lost out on my personal home style over the years with moving so much, renting, having children, etc.  I'd like to say my decorating style is on the contemporary/modern side with some traditional thrown in.  At least that's what I want...can't say if that's what we have going on now. Here are some photos of what's going on with the inside of the house as of now:

It's official, I'm old.

Yeah, yeah I know, 27 (almost 28) isn't old.  But man do I feel it.  Seriously, where has the time gone?  Seems like yesterday I was 23.  Oh yeah, I had a child, then another one.  That's when time started to fly by.  I now know what my mom has been talking about for decades..."you're only as old as you feel."  Ain't that the truth! Some days I feel like I'm in my early 20s, others I feel like I'm in my older 30s.  But for the majority of it all, I feel younger than I actually am.  I find this when I meet people in their early 20s, I feel that we're the same age but then they remind me of my actual age by asking, "How old are you?" and it dawns on me that I'm older than them and older than I feel.  A lot of my friends here are my age or a little older, but even to me in my mind they're around my "age" and boy am I shocked when I hear they're in their late 20s/early 30s....because wait a minute, that means I am too!  I remember thinking when I was a kid that 30 seemed so far away and so "old."  Now here I am, 2 years away.  I'm really not complaining, it's a good thing I feel younger.  The thing that got all of this stirring in my mind (because I really I could care less) is receiving a Facebook invite to my 10 year high school REUNION!

10 years.  Gosh, so much has happened in 10 years.
I haven't completed a degree (my hiatus is about over and I need to get back into the swing of things) and I'm not a doctor, dentist, or lawyer like some of the people I will see at that reunion.  But in these past 10 years, I have finally found myself, I have discovered what means most to me, I have enjoyed all obstacles and experiences thrown along my path (both difficult and easy), suffered through guilt, overcame my past, lived in 4 states, shared bonds & friendships with people I might have never had the opportunity to, learned how precious life really is, experienced love at it's lowest & highest points, and I have created 2 lives.  This decade has been quite the adventure and I look forward to what the next one holds. :)

Is time slowing down?

It's just the 4th of February??  The boys and I have been keeping busy with lots of social activity these past few weeks that it feels like it should be mid month already. 

A couple of my friends have been chosen to be on a reality show called "Coming Home" that will premiere on the Lifetime channel in early March.  It's a show that will be about the leading days/weeks to their spouse's return from a deployment.  It will be a happy show about military reunions that will of course, tug on your heart strings.  I have been fortunate to attend some get togethers where the filming was taking place, so although you'll probably not see me or maybe some screen shots of the back of my head, keep your eye out for me if you watch the show!  It's amazing how after 5 minutes you forget the cameras, lighting, and sound people are even around.  Maybe it's due to the fact that I have great "tune out" ability since having kids.  Either way, it becames a natural setting once you get use to it.  Now I kinda know what my "Real Housewives" go through (it's a reality show that I have been suckered in to since the start years ago). 

Brayden and Connor are really forming quite a brotherly bond.  They play with one another a lot more lately.  It really makes my heart melt.  There was nothing more that I wanted than for them to having a loving, friendly relationship.  I know that there will be days of sibling rivalry and I'm okay with that; I'm just relieved that, as of now, there is no resentment or dislike towards each other.  I pray that this bond only grows stronger and deeper as the years go on.

January

It's hard to believe January is already coming to an end.  It's been a whirlwind of a month but full of many new and exciting things...moving into our first home, Jeremy off work for 2 weeks, our first house guests, and coffee days filled with friends.

This past week we've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with a fellow Army family.  Mr S is expected to be home from a year deployment in a couple of weeks.  So the days have been very busy for Mrs S.  I'm glad to have been helpful to her this week.  Connor loves spending time with their daughter, M and Brayden actually acknowledges another baby, S.  Connor and M refer to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, although I know Connor doesn't really grasp what that means.  M, on the otherhand, does and she is very aware of her feelings for Connor.

While she was at our home yesterday morning this is a conversation they had at the kitchen table:
M: When we grow up we are gonna be married.  Our wedding cake will be beeeeautiful and I'm going to be a doctor.  What are you going to be?
Connor: A doctor too.
M: What kind of doctor, Connor?
Connor: A soldier doctor
They're so sweet and although it's too early, like way too early, my hopes and dreams for that boy are to find someone like M, sweet, carefree, loving, someone who will adore him for him, and someone to share big dreams with.

January isn't quite over and there are some interesting things that will be happening this last week.  Mostly for my friends, but I will have a snippet of participation in it.  Updates to come.

First House Guests

 

One of my best friends, Nicky, and her children came down to Clarksville for the weekend.  They are our third set of visitors since we've been stationed at Ft Campbell.  However, are our first guests in our new home.  We had a fun weekend filled with lots of toys, eating (had to hit up the places that aren't up north), wine, and fun for the kids.  I'm so glad they came and can't wait til they can visit again!

New Year, New Posts

With it being a new year, I am going to try my best to keep this blog updated for 2011.

We bought a house.  Closed a few days before Christmas (which I do not recommend).  Went to Illinois for the holidays (a weekend after going to Kentucky for the Wilder Christmas).  Shortest IL visit of the year, 4 days.  Came back to Tennessee and started the moving process. 

The actual moving furniture and household things went surprisingly smooth, the other things that happened during the day were not as successful.  Realtor lent us his moving truck, only it didn't start and needed to be jumped.  I dropped the boys off at my friend Steffanie's house and while sneaking out of her home to escape a baby that has never been left at someone's house, I slipped on a huge piece of ice on her concrete front porch area and busted my bum!  It was like a cartoon, I could see my feet slide out in front of me, hanging in mid air for what seemed seconds and bam! right on the cushion of my tush.  I can honestly say it hurt extremely bad and I wanted to cry, in fact I did cry all the way home after I mustered up the energy to walk to the car.  Next day there was a deep purple bruise the horizontal size of California.  Connor was impressed.  I knew he would be; that's why I exposed my left bum cheek to the 4 year old while saying, "Wanna see something really cool?!"  On our second and last furniture trip, Jeremy went to put air in the tire of the moving truck because it was super low...but it was just blowing out the big dry rotted gash in the side.  Drove it anyway.  Stupid realtor. 

The next obstacle was being the first and only house on a new street.  There was confusion with the street name.  General Neyland or just Neyland?  City tax records showed one thing, our documents said the same, but the street sign said the other.  After communication with the planning commission, we learned it is in fact General Neyland.  Then on to getting cable.  Charter said there were no lines so to go to the local office.  Did that.  They told me there is no such street.  Uh hello, I guess I live in an imaginary house.  We were told the area was not serviceable, however after meeting our neighbor and being told she has cable, we continued calling the 800 #, a second visit to the local office, and more calling, we finally were able to get it all set up.  Jeremy is a happy man.  Third obstacle: mail.  It just disappeared and has been absent for almost 2 weeks after putting in an address change. I know the bill fairy hasn't graced us with her magnificent presence, so  after calls to the local post office, hopefully we will start getting it soon.

Now present day, Jeremy is on his last week of block leave.  He usually takes the 2 weeks over Christmas but let his soldiers take their leave and stayed behind at the clinic.  Worked out great anyways, and we may just do it like this again next year, he was on every other day schedule the week btwn Christmas and New Years.  He has finally done what he has always wanted to do on his leave: sleep in, snack all day, watch tv, lay on the couch, and take naps in the privacy of his own home.   It has been beneficial for me too because Tues & Thurs when Connor has school, I've been able to go to girls' coffee time with no anxious, impatient toddler wanting to get out and run around.  It will be sad for everyone when reality sits back in and he has to go back to work.  But we are ever so grateful that 1. he has a job and 2. he isn't deployed; so we won't be sad for long. :)