More pics of the nephews!

So I know many of you out there have been waiting and waiting to see pictures from my visit with Casey (let's be honest, it's probably the only reason you check out my blog!).

...But your gonna have to wait just a teensy-weensy bit longer.  I still have yet to figure out this whole hook-up-your-phone-to-the-computer-thing.  Boo!  But Casey has promised me to walk me through the whole process tonight.  

Honestly, I'm relieved.  Ever since we got new "high-tech" phones, I've been taking pictures like crazy...and I have no where to put them.  So soon, very soon, you'll be seeing it all!!

As for today, I'm taking this time to brag about my little guys.  They are growing up so fast, and being the best Aunt in the world, I take a load of pics.  Here are my new favorites:

 

Maddox is nearly 9 months old...and the stinkin'-cutest baby alive.   I mean, just look at all that adorableness and chub...just melts my heart.  He also LOVES to snuggle and hug!!  Not only that, but he is the HAPPIEST baby I have ever met, he smiles at everyone...and constantly giggles...too cute.  

Dad was rubbing his belly like this on Saturday, and telling us all how us girls used to stretch out, just like Maddie, when he did it to us as babies...I guess some traits just keep going on from generation to generation.

And in case your wondering, he's crawling all over the place, and has been for at least the last month...and before that he scooted lunged his way across the floor to whatever he wanted!  He's able to pull himself up on things and walk around the edges, but he hasn't yet taken that first step. We think that will probably happen within the next few months.  SO, a lot of exciting things going on!

  This little guy, on the other hand, is ALL movement (pictured here doing his happy dance!).  He is filled with energy and excitement.  

This is seriously the best picture I could get of him...he doesn't like to hold still!  He loves being outside, and LOVES riding on the tractor with Granddad.  

He's doing great in daycare, and is extremely smart.  He also loves puzzle's and has pretty much outgrown all the ones we've given him.  He's about to turn 3 1/2 in May, and Meagan and Jeff can't wait for him to start school (he loves to learn).  

This summer will be a great time for me to take him to the zoo, and have sleepovers.  And Colton seriously CAN"T WAIT until Casey is home! He LOVES his Uncle Casey!! 

I've been "sitting on" this post for a while

Ha! You'll get my pun-of-a-title in a second!

Good afternoon friends, fans, and family (notice how I put fans in there...as if I have any!).  I have another fun project post for you today, and its been one I've put off posting for a month.  I sometimes get caught up in all my projects, that I tend to forget to post about them on time.  But today I'm going to try and rectify that.  So here goes...

I had this ugly chair (sorry about the bad picture quality):

 Actually, Casey thought it was awesome...especially since he refinished the wood seat.  But to me, it was still UGGGGLYYY!  So last month, in a fit of inspiration I decided to spray paint it.

I started off by taping all the wood off and covering it with plastic:

Then I found a nice spot in the backyard to spray paint away.  I wanted a fun color, and since I'm trying to pull in more orange accents in my house, I decided to go bold...and I mean BOLD.  Here was the result:

 

It was at this point that I was stuck with a dilemma, I wasn't super psyched about an all-over color...it didn't feel right in my house (or for my style).  So I started sanding it down, and giving it some weathered touches.  This was the result:

  Can you see the difference?  Now it has more character and mass appeal (at least in my opinion...which incidentally is the only one that counts!!).  Here are a few more shots close up:

So there you have it, a nice, pretty re-purposed chair!!  And it only cost me a can of spray paint!!

Eventually, the chair will make it's way upstairs to be an office chair...once I get everything else put together in said office.  Speaking of which, my Dad put the finishing touches on my bookshelves this last week (way to go, DAD), so all I have to do is paint them, and they'll be ready to use!!  WAHOOO!!

A Matter of Prayer

As I'm sure many of you are aware, the government-powers-that-be are looking over the budget.  To most American's this doesn't really mean much, nor will it really affect you.  But for the thousands of American Military Families out there, it might mean huge set-backs.

The fact of the matter is, if the budget isn't figured out soon, Military personnel and other government employees won't be getting paid.  From what I understand, National Parks could be closed.  Government aided facilities could be put on hold (like clinics and agriculture).  And even the annual Cherry Blossom Parade in DC will be canceled.  Not that that really affects us here in Kansas, but it does give you a better understanding of the severity.  

This also might mean that Casey's instructors at school don't show up.  You see, the majority of teachers there are ex-military, meaning they get paid hourly...and if they aren't getting paid...they won't be showing up.  This in itself will set off a whole slew of problems, because  frankly, there aren't enough Military instructors to cover all the classes.  

We of course, don't know what the outcome might be, but there is a huge possibility Casey might get sent home until the budget is figured.  And although I'd love to see him again, him coming home now will only delay things. 

And even though Casey is on salary, his paycheck might be delayed too.

I don't wish for this post to be a bash at the government, or to even point fingers...But what I do want it to be is a plea.  A plea to pray.  Not only for us, but for all the families that depend on the government for income.  

Please pray that the budget might be resolved quickly, and painlessly.  Pray that God would move mountains to get the budget back in order.  Pray for the families that live paycheck to paycheck...and are depending on that money to come in.  Pray that egos are taken out of the equation when the voting takes place.  And pray that God might be able to move through this situation to further his kingdom.

Thank you so much for your constant diligence towards Casey and me.  We appreciate all the love and prayers you send our way.  Know that God hears every one of them, and that you do make a huge difference.

Spring Purging

I take my Spring cleaning seriously.  In this house, it's a must.  But more to the point, I love it!!!  Especially when all is said and done, and the house is sparkling.  But there is more to Spring cleaning than vacuuming and dusting.  There is also quite a bit of purging too.

You see, I've never been extremely nostalgic about holding on to useless junk.  I love family heirlooms, grade-school art, and the general sentimental stuff... but when it comes to extra junk, I usually get rid of it.

You won't find old clothes that don't fit in my closet (even if I'm hoping they eventually will), and you won't find extra decorations in storage either.  I don't have extra picture frames sitting around.  And the closest I come to collecting is a stash of mason jars I use for flower vases in the summer.

More to the point, I hate hoarding.  I can't stand disorder.  And I refuse to leave a load of pointless junk behind for my loved ones to sift through when I die (not that I plan on dieing any time soon!).  Ironically, I think my mom is the exact opposite, I'm constantly asking her why she holds on to all her nick-knacks.

So yesterday, I sat down and started going through stuff.  I started out in the bedroom; reorganizing the dresser and closet, and getting rid of old clothes along the way.  I discovered my husband had at least 15 old work shirts from his previous job, and  7 pairs of jeans (all with holes in them)...yes, he's a hoarder in my opinion.  So I pulled all his old clothes out too, and have a pile for him to go through when he gets home in May!!

After the bedroom, I headed upstairs to the office.  It's a mess right now cause we're in the process of building new bookshelves up there.  So everything has been relocated to the floor (cue me pulling my hair out).

But after some major purging, I finally got my work station in order:

 Now all my pens, paper, and supplies are within easy reach, but still organized!!!

My next project upstairs is to tackle this mess (I can't believe I'm showing you this...it goes against the grain):

I'm putting the finishing touches on the bookshelves tomorrow, so hopefully this pile won't be here much longer.  But no worrries, I have myself a little helper:

 Ain't she cute...and in desperate need of a hair cut (another thing on my Spring cleaning list)!

And in case you are wondering, I do hold on to some things.  Like these two books (one is actually a coloring book that used to belong to Casey's grandmother):

They're filled with all these really graphic and cool old time prints.  Here are a few of my favorites:

       

 I'm planning on hanging some of the floor plan prints in the office.  And as for the posters,  I think I found a great place for them in the bathroom:

 I just need to have them all framed, and sealed really really well, so no moisture gets in.

So there you have it.  A day in the life of me.  Plan on more updates on other Spring cleaning projects from around my house...and most likely my Sister's house...and my Mom's house!  

And while we're on the subject of Spring cleaning, what do you do around your house to freshen things up?
 

Go Figure

With all the new pillows going in the bedroom, I've been trying to keep an eye out for curtain fabric.  I planned on making the curtains myself...1. 'Cause it will give me a project. 2. 'Cause it's generally cheaper. and 3. 'Cause Standard Curtains won't fit my windows.  


That's a lot of " 'Causes" for me!!


I had been planning on a taupe, linen fabric, but wasn't really set on anything.  The biggest problem I've been facing is to find something that ties in with my bedding, walls, and accents...without being heavy or dark.  I really wanted something breezy looking.  Not to mention washable and low maintenance.  


So keep that back-story in mind.


Fast forward to today, and out I went to hit up a few local fabric stores.  The main purpose for the trip was to find fabric for my sisters, Meagan's, kitchen.  Her birthday is tomorrow, and she wants some curtains in her kitchen (since it faces the street)...and since I'm always up for a new project, I jumped at the opportunity!!

I was keeping an eye out for me too, but the main point was Meagan.  


The first place I looked (and coincidentally only place I went) was a local shop in Delano called "Material Girls Quilt Shoppe".

 

Wow, was it awesome!!  I usually don't care for quilt shops, especially when they only carry crappy out-dated bolts.  But "Material Girls"  has a huge selection of trendy cottons and prints...LOVE!

And since Meg wanted something washable, cotton seemed like the best bet...hence the quilting shop!

I ended up finding this print for her:

It was a perfect match for her walls and furniture in the adjoining living room.  Plus it would help lighten up her kitchen, with all the wood cabinets...score!!  So I bought a few yards, and headed off to do some other errands.

When I got home, I started looking at Meg's fabric a little more closely.  It looked awfully good next to my beddings.  And it had all the right colors in it too.  Hmmm.

So this is what happened next:

 

Yep, pretty sure I just found the fabric for my bedroom too...go figure.  Now I'm going to have to make another trek out to the fabric store...and pray that they have 6 more yards left...please, please, please let them have 6 more yards. 

Project: Pillow 2

Spring has officially come!!  WooHoo!!  This is my favorite time of year.

Time to clean out the flower beds, throw open the windows, and get going on all my new projects...and with an old house like mine, there are ALWAYS new projects.

I've got a ton of new stuff to share with you, but I'm gonna try to spread it out some (sorry if you were hoping to read a 10 page post).  I've started working out in my yard already, so hopefully I'll have some progress to show on that front soon.  As well as some indoor updates too.

But for today, I wanted to share my latest pillow creation with you (pictured here with my smaller pillow).

This pillow was much more straight forward.  The only big task was the needle point work.  It seemed to take forever, but I'm not complaining...in fact, I really liked it.  For about a week, I made a habit of sitting down for 30 minutes or so, and stitching out another row until I was all done.  Here is a visual breakdown of that process:

 I started out by roughly tracing my design on the fabric with a white colored pencil.  Then I got to work stitching...

 And stitching...

 And stitching...

And here it was ready to be all sown up( I tucked the loose ends under for the picture).

 

 The bedroom still has a few more tweaks before it's finished, and by then, I'll probably re-do it all over again!  But for the time being, I'm pretty smitten with my new pillows!!

Casey: Transformed!!

Be honest, the Title totally caught your eye!!

I told you yesterday how Casey has been beefing up, but I thought a visual would be better.  I'm so jealous of people who can easily mold their bodies into what they want...and Casey has always had it easy.  

Doesn't that make you sick...

It sure as heck ticks me off!

Anyways, here is Casey at his BMT Graduation:

He lost a ton of weight at Basic, and got down to 160 lbs.  And all that weight consisted of long lean muscles, there wasn't an ounce of fat on him (cue me being jealous)!

Fast Forward 5 months, and this is Casey now:

Can you tell the difference!?!...particularly in his arms, chest, and neck...

WOW...

Come to MAMA, hot stuff!!  

He's now up to 200 lbs., and let me tell you, it is all muscle.  Seriously, he's rock hard!!  And he's not even done yet.  He's still trying to get washboard abs before he comes home (insert me doing the "happy dance")!


All that to say, I should probably up my game, and try to be a little more fit too before he gets home...sigh.


Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, today is me and Casey's 13 year anniversary (dating)!!  That's right, the hubs actually asked me out on April Fools Day...classy!!


We were practically babies!!  Casey at 13, was short, shy, quiet, and had a dorky bowl cut, the total opposite of what he is now.  And I at 12, was bossy, attention seeking, and a bit of a tease...haven't really changed much actually!


Anyways, Happy Anniversary, Babe!!