A Little Lip ;)

Aaron's come a long way since this picture was taken at about two weeks old. For one, he's grown into his lips, as my sister-in-law, Traci, insightfully pointed out yesterday! Gotta love this old-school pic ... and these bubba-licious lips!

Goodbye, Gina!

One of my closest friends, Gina, left for Egypt last week with her sweet family. Her Foreign Service assignment was changed from Jordan to Egypt, and they'll be there for two whole years. We will surely miss them! Goodbye and good luck, Gina! Wish I could say we'll visit ... ;)

p.s. Yellow, anyone? :) (This was not planned.)

We Have A Kitchen!

The plumber came a few days later than originally scheduled, hence the late post. We are so thankful for the following things: running water at the kitchen sink, countertops, appliances, cabinets, a floor that doesn't squeak, food in the pantry, and a happy place to prepare meals. I appreciate these things so much more after having gone without them.

It's been almost exactly a month since we moved in, so to have a fully functioning kitchen is very, very wonderful. Thanks to the many people who helped and provided good design advice. It came together!! We're so happy!



Don't worry! These are the "before" pics. :) Yes, we actually bought this house!

And, some after shots.


We decided to go with light maple cabinets, and we chose dark countertops for contrast.





I found the cute valance on the clearance rack at Lowe's, and my Mom custom-fit it for the window. Thanks, Mom!


We custom ordered this rounded corner so no one (short people) would poke an eye out. ;)

It's done!! It looks better in person! ;) Doesn't it always?!

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!
This dress is so unbelievably cute. I LOVE the green. I want one in my size!! Check the link for a chance to win!

The Joys of Home Ownership

This has been hard for me, living in unorganized chaos (as opposed to organized chaos.) I consider myself (or try to be) a fairly neat and tidy person, and living "in flux" has flung me far from my comfort zone. But all of these experiences are for our good, right? I've thought of five reasons, in no particular order, why I love being a homeowner, despite our current dwelling situation.

1. May sound silly, but I love having a mailbox at the end of our driveway. It's so nice and convenient to have a mailbox right there! What a concept. :)
2. I love being able to do what we want with this place. Granted, it's been hard work, and I have definitely developed a love-hate relationship with this house (which is probably quite often the case with fixer-uppers,) but it has been so rewarding and fun to see the progress and to watch as things come together.
3. This is the biggest place I've lived in since living at home - and I love it! I love the extra room.
4. I love that we're creating memories here, in a place our very own.
5. I love our quiet, peaceful neighborhood and neighbors who are friendly and helpful. I've been taking Aaron on walks every single day, and I love how walker-friendly the neighborhood is. And the weather has been wonderful! Clear, blue skies and not too warm. It's actually felt quite a bit like spring around here.

So there you have it. A few things to be thankful for on this happy Thursday. Stay tuned for pics as our counter tops are being installed tomorrow! Then the plumber comes Saturday, so the kitchen should be fully functional this weekend. Yah! It will be so nice to get a bit more settled. Any ideas for our inaugural meal?? Mike's cooking. ;) hehe, just teasing. :) He definitely deserves a good homecooked meal!

Privacy! At Last!

One of the things I've looked forward to most (other than the kitchen getting finished) is the installation of our blinds. Mike talked me into these cordless cellular (accordian-style) blinds -- over mini blinds -- so we wouldn't have to deal with the blinds bending, breaking, etc. I totally love them! I think they have a less "corporate" look to them (nothing against mini blinds!! That's what I've had most of my life.) Anyway, it's very nice to have privacy, especially after a couple of weeks of ducking when walking past windows, when necessary. I love my privacy!! Oh, the things we take for granted ... like window treatments! ;)