It's been a while...

...since my last blog post. Ha! Well, let's see what's been going on...
1. We got rid of the Tobster. Loved that dog, but it just wasn't fair to him to be cooped up all day. So we gave, yes, gave, our $400 dog away to some friends of some friends. Where he proceeded to be happy playing with their other dogs and chewing up their couch cushions. Dodged that bullet. All he did to our couch was eat the pillows, which can easily be replaced.
2. Charles went to Germany for a month. During that time, my parents visited. Actually, they stayed about 2 months, visiting between my sisters and I. But, they love me best and stayed with me the longest. Which actually means they love Drake the best and I was just an after thought. Bygones.
3. I turned 30. Enough said. I weep for my twenties. I noticed today that my elbows are starting to wrinkle. That's only the beginning. It all sags downhill from here.
4. My best friend Shea threw my son to the floor in Old Navy and he ended up having surgery. Right, Shea? That's what she thinks anyway. ;) What really happened was Drake was being a booger and ran away. Shea tried to catch him and he went face forward on the unforgiving concrete floor. Do they purposely not finish the floors in Old Navy, or is it just the bad economy and sucky pres? Oops, I digress...that's another post in itself. Anyhoo, it was actually a blessing in disguise. Drake's top lip connected between his two front teeth and he needed a frenectomy anyway. We would never have known if it wasn't for his little spill.
5. Drake recently had a frenectomy. Poor baby couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before the surgery and he was IRATE when he couldn't have his juice. The surgery went well, but the sedative made hime throw up and irritable. He was bouncing off the walls after his nap though. He also busted the cauterized lip open and I stayed calm, cool, and collected. Just kidding. I panicked and called the doctor. He was fine.
6. I ran the Peachtree Road Race 8 minutes faster than last year. Yay me. Now for a half marathon...Atlanta half anyone?
7. Charles quit teaching and is now working with his dad. If you need any painting done, I know someone. :)

Well, I have an iPad2 and I can't figure the picture uploading thing out, so no pics today. Hopefully tomorrow.

Redecorating

I'm so ready to redecorate. We've been living in this house since September 2008. When we moved in, I decided to paint the walls really rich colors. Our living room is Pumpkin Butter, the kitchen is Chocolate and Olive, our dining room is Spanish tile, and our spare bathroom is Powdered Linen (or something like that). What that really means is a creamy orange-y color, dark brown and green, red, and off-white respectively. I chose fall colors, which I love. But, it's time for a change. I'm ready to go with light grays, beiges, etc...or neutrals. So, I've got Charles painting again. Our Master bath is going to be Hargrove gray. It's a darker gray that has black and gold and green in it. Not so neutral, but neutral all the same. I'm going to handpaint wallpaper on it. Once I do it, I'll post a picture of it. This is probably a really boring post, but something I'm excited about. I'm all about the DIY channel these days. And DIY blogs are awesome too. Other things I want to do with the house:
1. glass in the back porch (it's screened in right now)
2. paint the cabinets in the kitchen and tile or lay hardwood for the floor
3. paint each individual room and add splashes of color instead of drowing in it
4. hang the tv on the wall since Drake loves to push the buttons on it now
5. reupholster the furniture
6. add a tile backsplash in the kitchen
7. bulldoze the kitchen and just build a new one
8. move
Yep, that's all I want to do...it's not too much, is it? :)

Ruffle Wreath

I have a new obsession. It is Jones Design Company! I found her blog and have been reading it religiously for a while now. She has the BEST tutorials. I decided to try to make a wreath for my front door and her tutorial for the ruffle wreath drew my attention. You can find it here. I went to Hobby Lobby for the burlap ($3.99/yd) and got the wreath from Michaels. I used a straw wreath because they are cheaper and inexpensive. I just hope it holds! I had a great time making it and feel good that I now have a wreath that I didn't spend an arm and a leg on. I haven't finished it yet...embellishments are needed and a must. I just can't decide what to put on it. Do I want to go seasonal or holiday-y? I do have enough burlap to make at least 2 more :)

Snow/Ice 2011

Well, 2011 started off with a bang! Georgia was snowed on. It started on Sunday, January 9th and on Monday morning, it was ice! Our front yard became the "Snow Mountain" of Stewart Hollow. Charles and I took turns sliding down the driveway and the front yard on a makeshift sled (the bottom part of Toby's crate). Good times! I can't remember the last time I was sledding...up North when we lived there years ago. My knee is so bruised up from diving and sliding, but it was so worth it!



Drake didn't know what to think about it. At first, when we put him down, he cried. He couldn't figure out how to walk on the ice without falling.

He got the hang of it and loved it! Here is a cutie pic of Drake, daddy, and Toby walking in the ice.

Here's the deal. I love snow/ ice. I am so glad it snowed and we didn't have to work for the entire week. It seems that everyone always wants it to snow, then complains endlessly about it. I don't get that. I had a blast this week just staying inside with my loves and playing and just being together. I couldn't care less that the driveway was frozen over (still is on Friday). The one day we did venture out, we just wanted to be back home. I love being snowed in, I love how beautiful it is when the sunshine hits the snow and ice, and I love the fun that comes with it. We only get this maybe once a year, and never like this, so enjoy it!

RagaBabe Love

I've been introduced to the cloth diapering world. At first, when my mom suggested it (when Drake was first born), I told her she was crazy. Now, when I first thought about cloth diapering, I thought about the gerber white cloths and the plastic pants. Yuck. But, the cloth diapering world is so different now! Now fast forward to 1 year later. We are cloth diapering. My absolute favorite is the Ragababe. This diaper is like magic. And they are so cute to boot! Granted, I have to shake poop into the toilet now, but it's so worth it if it's going to save us money. The upfront cost of cloth diapering is expensive, but will save us thousands in the long run...especially if/when we have more kiddos. We have 6 AIOs and 6 2 Steps. And, I just ordered 2 more AIOs! AIOs or all-in-ones are just like disposables. The 2-Steps are the shell of a diaper and it has inserts that you snap in. So, if Drakey Drake pees on the insert, I can just put the shell aside and reuse it and throw the insert in the wash. I am so excited for this! Fingers crossed that it goes well!

A Merry Fluffy Christmas from Lauren's Little Lovies!

I'm quickly becoming a HUGE fan of cloth diapering and Lauren's Little Lovies is participating in a giveaway from my favorite cloth dipering family - Ragababe! They have AWESOME diapers...the best I've tried. I am so excited about this! Even if I don't win, I'll be glad that someone out there will be able to try Ragababe! If you are curious, you can visit Lauren's Little Lovies - A Merry Fluffy Christmas at http://laurenslittlelovies.blogspot.com/2010/11/amfc-sponsor-spotlight-5-ragababe.html.

Go Long! Go Green! Giveaway!!

A new blog I'm following is doing a giveaway with Go Green Pocket Diapers...Awesome! I am trying cloth diapering and can use all the help I can get! I have tried it and love it so far...for all of you out there considering it, please try! Amazing how one can become a diaper snob :)