The Christmas Clean out

I get crazy wild hairs in my you know what sometimes. I decided (just a few short weeks before Christmas) that our attic and guest room closet needed to be cleaned out. I have an incredible knack for timing.

Everything that we dont have a place for gets tossed into either the attic or closet. I think I've attempted a clean out before but this time it was for real! Probably because I realized that we wouldn't be able to get the big Christmas tree out of the attic unless we cleaned out some things. AND since Santa will soon be here, we needed to get rid of some old toys.


Lantis went out of town for a week before Thanksgiving and I decided the closet would be my chore. It was packed with cocktail and dressy dresses that call for special occasions and several of my old pageant dresses and lots of my old school projects and boards. (I have an interior design degree for those who dont know and in school we were required to do projects, drawings and color boards that take up way too much space...and took up way too much of my social time back then) So....most of that stuff had to go.

I cleared out the closet and then the attic. I took re-sale-able things to a consignment shop, I made a big Hannah Home pile (which still needs to be picked up) and I made a trash pile (which is still waiting on L to dispose of). I also have a few things still sitting in wait in either the attic or closet that need to be put on craigslist or in our next yard sale. Now the closet and attic are in much better shape and Lantis came home to a much less cluttered home. :)

In addition to the clean out I also was able to get most of the Christmas decor up while Lantis was gone, so he not only came home to a cleaner house, but a decorated one. Funny that when he's gone I get tons accomplished...just saying...

Over the four day weekend we just had I guess the cleaning spirit came over Lantis as well and he started cleaning out the garage! It looks cleaner than it ever has! The tools are all put away and on shelves or in cabinets. The riding toys are all neatly arranged, the old HVAC tools have been sent on to a new owner (YAY!), the golf/hunting/and tailgating stuff has all been neatly put away, and the Costco area (the shelves where I keep our bulk food, paper products, and cleaning supplies) has been neatly organized--so much so that it freed up a couple of extra shelves for Hudsons smaller outdoor toys.

We still have a lot that we probably don't need and could get rid of. I still have a few more boxes and things to sort through but I think I've done as much as I'm going to do before the end of the year. This will suffice for now.

Its amazing what 5 years in a home and a baby will do to your storage areas.

Now...we're redecorating the living room. I know. This was a very sudden project. I have wanted new tables in the living room for awhile and Lantis said if we could sell them we could start over. Lo and behold, I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to sell them and they wanted to buy them! We just delivered all of our occasional tables--coffee table, end tables, and console table--to our friends over the weekend. Currently we have no tables or surfaces in our living room so I hope no one comes in and expects to have somewhere to set down their drink. :) I have no idea what I'm going to get to replace those things. I did buy a new rug, I'm moving some of our artwork and paintings around to make things feel new, the stereo is holding up a lamp, installed a new TV and I'm shopping for tables. That's as far as we've come so far. I will keep you updated on project clean out and redecorate. I'll post pics when I'm finished!

Can I use a lifeline?

I've officially entered my insane portion of the year. Hence the reason you haven't heard a peep out of me in a few weeks. I wish I had something new and exciting to report but I do not. I'm busy watching football, scheduling photo sessions, designing Christmas Cards, editing photo sessions, working two crazy jobs, trying to keep the household fed and alive, trying to have a life outside all that, getting Hudson to and from school with everything he needs, trying to be an A+ room-mom (yes I'm following closely in my mom's foot steps for all that know her and I volunteered to be the room mom this year) at his school, and wishing this were "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and I could use a lifeline! Despite the hectic schedule, we're alive and well and happy to have too much going on.

Since I last posted something, we've officially bid summer farewell.

We've done a little tailgating in Tuscaloosa.

We have made it a point to have some fun and most importantly enjoy Hudson.

Which obviously isn't hard to do...look at this guy!

A little superman never hurt anybody.

And prayers from somebody this sweet must be God's favorite!

We are Macy's and we'll put everything on sale for any darn reason

I heart Macy's and other stores like them who will put the entire store on sale for any reason. Oh its Flag Day? Great! Take 50% off. What can I say, they--like me--are festive and will take any opportunity to celebrate any occasion...or get rid of inventory. Whatever the case may be, I love it.

I swung by Macy's last week to take advantage of their ginormous 4th of July sale. If you recall my kitchen craze post a couple of weeks ago you'll know that I'm in great need of a few kitchen necessities. I'm happy to say that I was able to stock up on a few items that we genuinely can use:

These awesome Pop Containers by OXO. When I stumbled across these I felt like Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City) when she spots some prized shoes in a store window. "Hello lover!". Seriously, I haven't been this giddy about something since New Kids on the Block came to town. Our pantry has never been so organized. Now all of our pantry items will stay freshy fresh and its neat. Win, win. There's nothing worse than pulling out a box of Triscuits that you had your heart set on, only to find that they are stale. No more of that, my friends!



Next up, I found some Calphalon pans that were included in the sale. Saute/fry pans were the first items on my "to-be-replaced" list becuase ours were in terrible shape. These were a must have. I've cooked in them a few times already and again, I'm in love! Nothing sticks, easy clean up, and I swear it just tastes better knowing that it came from a quality pan.





I got this little knife. a) its cute, b) I didn't have a santoku knife, c) it was on sale for $10 and d) Martha Stewart says they're great for cutting up sticky items like vegetables. Well, there you have it. No one cuts up sticky veggies more than me. Lots of chopping is required for frozen pizzas, so that was a no brainer.


Last and my most fave, I got some new kitchen towels. I'm sure none of our guests really care that my kitchen towels are stained and holey, but I do. I cleaned out the kitchen towel drawer, sent the grimey ones to the can-be-used-for-cleaning pile and put the new ones in their place. I couldn't find a pic of my adorable new towels online, so this link to their matching oven mitt is as good as its gonna get. They are precious!

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=447518&CategoryID=30192



So this holiday season I'm very thankful for our country and the freedom that that we have and for stores that cater to gullable people like myself. I will buy anything that is on sale. I use the term "sale" loosely because we all know that they are simply reducing it to only a half-way-rip-you-off-retail-price. Regardless, I'm happy and I feel like I made some good purchases!

Kitchen Craze

I have a love for cookware, dishes and kitchen gadgets. Do I cook things that require incredible cookware? Am I a gormet chef? Not even close. I'd love to be, but I have too many other passions to pursue cooking as well.

Before we got married my parents gave me an awesome set of dishes that are fun and funky and I still adore. When we got married I registered for a very nice set of solid white china. After we got married Pottery Barn had this irresistible set of metal outdoor dishes--they are all different bright colors. We cookout a lot in the summer and eat outside when the temperature isn't set on HELL outside so I had to have outdoor dishes right? Then came the third set of dishes. Yes folks, we have three sets of dishes. All very different, but the fact remains...we have three sets of dishes and we usually eat off of paper plates, or plastic plates from Wal-Mart's summer collection. Not kidding. The plastic Wal-Mart dishes are Lantis' fave. They were his prior to our wedding and he won't let me part with them.

In addition to the dishes and china, we have four sets of flatware. I inherited my grandmother's silver, Lantis had a set of flatware before we married, I had a set of flatware before we married, and I sold Southern Living for awhile and I won the entire Gallery Flatware collection one month.

Through Southern Living I also acquired many random serving pieces to add to the random collection I had from our wedding and pre wedding collections.

You would think with all this I would never look in the direction of kitchen related stuff, but that's not the case. I have a girlfriend getting married in a couple of months and as I'm going through her registry I find myself secretly making a kitchen wish list for myself of spatulas, spoons, cute new flatware, new dishes, gadgets, and cookware. What's wrong with me!?

Despite our abundant collection of serving pieces, flatware, and dishes we have a very poor collection of cookware and glasses. Cookware wasn't gifted to us at our wedding, so we purchased some inexpensive cookware at the time. Now, over 4 years later, the inexpensive cookeware has reached its life span. Teflon coatings are scratched, handles are loose and they all need to go. I need the gift fairy to bestow upon me some really nice cookware. While we were at the beach I went in the Le Creuset outlet and drooled on their $250 pots. OMG! I am in love. I want this cookware and I want some in every color.

I am on a mission to save money for new cookware. Probably won't be the wonderful Le Creuset cook ware since it costs a gagillion dollars, but I do plan on getting something nice that will stand the test of time. I've bought the cheap stuff once and I wont do it again. You get what you pay for!! If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

When I've completed my cookware collection I'm on a mission for new stemware and glasses. Occassionally I'm all about a plastic stadium cup, but the incredible collection we have needs to go. We aren't college kids...but a stranger serching through our kitchen would certainly think so!

My favorite things

I'm just in one of those happy, giddy, glad-to-be-alive moods. I'm thinking about all the things I love, couldn't live without and have to have in my life. There are so many things, but..."these are a few of my favorite things" (pretend you hear Julie Andrews singing in her crazy Swiss hat here).

Hudson's belly laughs.

The sunshine and everything about it. The flowers it makes grow. The tan it puts on my skin. The warmth it puts in my soul. The little lens flare it puts in my photos.
The energy it gives my beautiful little boy who is also my sunshine and reason for being every day. ;)

Hudson "helping" around the house.

The signs of changing seasons...ferns on my front porch means spring's-a comin!

Nature. Its beautiful. Amazing. Never ceases to amaze me. Always reminds me what a great God I serve.

I couldn't live without kissing these sweet cheeks.




I need this guy

Baubles, trinkets, pretty shiny girly things--especially if they're personalized.

These two loving each other and being nosy neighbors.

Home.

Bye Bye Crib...Bye Bye Baby Hudson

Hudson's room took on a new look this past weekend. We did away with the crib and introduced the big boy bed. It was so sad for me. I was very emotional all weekend thinking about my baby boy sleeping upstairs on a bed. It made me feel like he was very exposed and vulnerable. I felt like he was much safer and secure in his crib. He could very nearly climb out of his crib and we'd noticed that he looked a little cramped in it. He almost looked too big for it. He's on the large size for his age anyway so I guess its no surprise that he looked like a grown man sleeping on a twin sized bed. We decided last week that he was ready for a little more independence and space especially with the big second birthday approaching this week. We had a big talk with him about the "big boy bed" and how special it was. We were afraid of several things: 1) his bedroom is directly connected to a bathroom, 2) his bedroom is upstairs, 3) he sleeps with a humidifier so I was afraid he'd try to play with that or the plug or something 4) he hasn't woken up in the night since he was 5 or 6 months old and is this going to mess up the sleep schedule? Of course there were a million other concerns, but we baby proofed as much as possible, gave it a try and said if it does not work we'll go back to the crib.

Friday night was his first night in it and he LOVES his new bed!! When we're playing in his room he loves climbing up on his bed and pretending to be asleep for mommy--complete with the fake snore! He's told everyone and bragged about his new bed. He totally took ownership of it. We told him that after we say our prayers and put him to bed at night he has to stay in it until we come up the next morning. He said, "ok!" and that's exactly what he's done. He has not woken up during the night. He lays down after bedtime prayers and says "night-night" just like he always has. When he wakes up in the morning he calls us and stays in the bed until we get there.

He's been fantastic! Looking back he's been an easy kid all around. He's made all of our transitions simple for us. I couldn't have ordered a better baby. Speaking of, this makes it official...he's no longer a baby, is he? He's a big boy in a big boy bed with a birthday coming up in a few short days. Wow. Well anyway, I'll get all emotional on yall in a couple of days when his second birthday is official. ;-) Here are a couple of pictures of his new bed that he loves so much. I'm having a couple of small throw pillows made that match his bedding that are going to be adorable. Yes, he sleeps with all those creatures plus two blankets. He kills me--theres barely room for him! Half of them are in the floor by the time morning rolls around except Bear-Bear of course. He never leaves Hudson's arms. They are quite the pair.

Swing set progress

We have made great progress on the swing set and by we I really mean Lantis. I may have held a board or two or held the end of the tape measure. This is his first carpentry project. He was very nervous about getting it done right because he's a huge perfectionist, but I had complete faith. He's proven me right. Here are some photos: this is after day one. The fort is nearly complete and the arm for the swings and trapeze is in place.

This is after day two of work (yesterday). The fort is complete and the entire thing has been leveled which required us (him) to move some dirt around.

Next comes the slide, the rope/rock climbing wall and monkey bars. I can't wait to get out there and show my son my mad skills on the monkey bars! Ha!

All's Well that Ends Well

Remember how my last post was about all the things that were going wrong last week? The debit card incident? dog covered in syrup? Any of those ringing a bell? I was afraid to blog about it too soon and ask what else can happen for fear of jinxing it and apparently I did...


Saturday morning I had a very early morning photo shoot that was about a 45 minute drive away from my house. I left at 8 and Hudson was still asleep which is somewhat abnormal. Occasionally he will sleep until 7:30 or 8, but not often. We're usually up and running between 6:30 and 7. In conversation before I left Lantis mentioned that he heard Hudson cough a couple of times in the night. I sleep like a log and I hear NOTHING in my sleep. Thankfully I married a light sleeper because when my lights go out good luck getting me up for anything including my child. I thought that would change when I had a child, but apparently I missed that motherly gene. Heaven forbid you have to wake me up in the middle of the night because I will act completely stupid and not remember a thing the next morning. I think I have some kind of sleeping disorder. Here's how bad it is: once (before we were married) my dad had to be taken to the hospital during the night. An ambulance pulled up to our house, medics brought a gurney into our house and rolled it down the hall past my bedroom, worked on my dad, rolled him out, took him away in the amulance and I never heard a thing. My sister woke me up the next day and had to tell me the entire story. Crazy I know...anywhoo...I went to my first photo shoot, took care of business, got back in the car and started driving to sessiong #2. I had a missed call and text from Lantis. He never calls when I'm working so I'm alarmed. The text says: "vomit everywhere, vomit contest, keep working, we're ok." I called him and he told me that Hudson slept until 9, when he went up to his room to get him up it was covered in vomit. Those weren't just coughs that Daddy was hearing in the night. The poor little guy was vomitting all over the place and mommy and daddy didn't even know it. Lantis said he wasn't holding anything--food or drink--down. He had been throwing up for the last hour and everytime he threw up Lantis threw up too because he has a really light stomach. I have never felt more horrible than I did at that moment. My baby has a stomach bug and is throwing up for the first time in his two little years and his mommy isn't there to hold him, wipe his mouth, clean him up, or tell him its ok. You know when you're sick you just want your mommy. On top of that Lantis is handling all this by himself and throwing up at the same time.


I still had one more photo shoot to before I could head home. I debated canceling but I knew she was having her hair done for the occasion and canceling wasn't an option. Next best thing: I called in the troops to take my place. This is when I'm glad that family is close by. I call my sweet neighbor and she had some Gatorade and she took it over to the house. I call my mom to go over and lend a helping hand--the loving mommy touch and her amazing ability to clean. My dad went to Walgreens for pedialite. Within 5 minutes all troops were assembled and on the go. However, little did we know, my efficient husband had already completely stripped the room of all bedding and stuffed animals and everything that had been contaminated. He had already starting washing things. He had already bathed Hudson TWICE! I wasn't shocked because that's exactly why I married him--he can do it all--but I'm always a little amazed even after 9 nine years together. Some men would freak out and retreat. Lantis tackled it all and did it throwing up.

I got home around lunch time and Hudson had been vomit free for about an hour or more. My mom and dad were gone. Almost all the dirty clothes and bedding were washed. The house was amazingly clean--all thanks to Lantis. All I had to do was lysol his crib and give my baby LOTS of love. He never threw up again, but he was a lot more quiet than normal and had a weak look in his eyes. We lounged around the rest of the day, read lots of books, watched a couple of movies, and exchanged lots of love. He took a really good three hour nap that afternoon and has been almost normal Hudson ever since--just a little more lovey than usual. He still hasn't been sick again, just an upset tummy. He still hasn't eaten anything substantial, but is drinking a lot so I guess its ok.

Today was a great day. We went outside to play and enjoy the sunshine and cure some cabin fever. Hudson seems to feel good. Lantis went and purchased Hudson's swing set that is his birthday present and started assembling it. He made great progress. Again, he can do it all. From building a swing set, repairing a car, knowing which stock to invest in, to taking over mommy duties when she's away. He's great to have around. :) This is going to be a great swing set. Lantis is a perfectionist and this is for his baby so he's taking great pains in making sure every board is level and every angle plum. He made great progress today and got the entire fort constructed. Needless to say I think the week/weekend ended well. So...all's well that ends well.


Hudson "helped" daddy with some of the building today with his toy tools which was too cute. He hammered, drilled and sawed on the lumber right with dad. I caught this little moment of them working together on my phone. They are so sweet.

This is a snapshot from our deck of our backyard as it exists today. Soon there will be a massive structure mixed in among the trees where Hudson can be a little boy.

I will have a swing set update when there's more to report so stay tuned.

I am looking forward to a great week and more beautiful weather next weekend!

Check out the Lens Envy blog for photos of this weekend's sessions.

Bedroom update

We finished painting the bedroom a couple of weeks ago and I finally remembered to snap a photo. Now I've got to find something new to put over the bed. Baby steps.

New bedding

I think the curse of having an interior design major is constantly wanting to change things around the house, constantly wanting to have trendy things in the house, being extremely picky about buying things for the house, and being very indecisive about things for the house. I think all that eventually leads to giving up and living with things I'm not satisfied with.

You may remember from a post back in the fall--September I think--that I have been looking for new bedding and ran into a bedding dilemma. I have literally been looking for bedding for over a year and just haven't found what I wanted or could afford. Then the Christmas/spending season arrived and I put my search on hold.

It is so hard to find affordable bedding unless you want the ol' bed-in-a-bag. I have had our current bedding for somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-7 years and I'm sick of it. Its nice and someone may want it when I put it in the yard sale this spring, but I'm done with it.

I ran across some bedding pieces that I really liked awhile back, but I had to find some things to coordinate with it. I was literally to the point of considering having something custom made when it found me today! I wanted something solid white with some bold coordinates and something I could use with my existing curtains because curtains are a whole new dilemma. (Hudson is almost two and still doesn't have curtains in his room!!) My mom makes all the curtains for our house, God love her, and I really didn't want to have to ask her to make something new. Then I'd have to go on another year long search for fabric for curtains. Yikes!

Anyway, I found what I think I'm happy with. Take a peek below! I may replace with solid white bedspread with a duvet and shams from Pottery Barn. Here it is: its the Morgan Collection. For now the solid white bedspread will suffice, but eventually I may switch them out. I'm just happy for a change right now!! :)

Next step is putting something new over my bed. I'm going to do a portrait on canvas--it will be beautiful! And we are painting. I'm shopping for paint tomorrow and we'll get out the rollers this weekend or next week. I'm going for something light since our bedroom is so dark and the furniture is so heavy. I'll share pics after the paint is complete also. Here is the bedding today...