Under the Tree

I took way too many pictures this year and don't want to sort and edit them today, but I did want to blog. So, I'll share some of our favorite gifts from Christmas weekend. It isn't the most important part of the weekend, but it is the easiest pictures to grab today!

Marcus is never sure what to buy me, so I always give him a detailed email full of links with the gifts that I would love. It makes his life easier and I get things I want/need. I make sure the list has more options than he needs so that I am still surprised on Christmas morning. This year, my big gift was the mason jar drink dispenser from Pottery Barn. I have wanted this for at least a year and didn't need it, so I never bought it. So excited to have it! I also got Toms and some fun stuff for the kitchen.

I think this was Marcus' favorite... a remote control helicopter like you see at the mall kiosks. He had mentioned one would be fun last Spring and I was glad I remembered come gift time. He also got some gray Converse and much needed clothes!

Christmas with Abby was interesting. She wasn't very excited about having presents, opening them, or the gifts inside. She got some needed items and some fun and exciting things, but none of it really made her "squeal". We stopped opening presents on Christmas Eve because she just didn't care. We hoped it would be better the next morning, but she pretty much wanted to play with what she had.

Here are a few of her favorites.... cardboard castle! I had never seen this, but it has been on FB all weekend with other kids. My Dad and Jacque got this for her. She has fun coming back to color it throughout the day.

Abby has had the most fun playing with her race cards and track. I bought this months ago at a craft fair and am so glad I did. The cars just go on batteries and the track is plastic and assembles easily. We have tried multiple configurations and love watching the cars chase each other!

Abby's "big" gift was actually given to us just a few weeks ago and we hid it in the garage until Christmas morning. She got a battery powered Barbie Jeep with it's own CD player. She was so excited to sit in it and told everyone who called that she got a new car for Christmas, but she got off it in 2 minutes, said it was scary, and hasn't gone back outside? I think she'll warm up to it and drive all over the place before long.

Finally, she has taken to these little vintage dolls since she opened them. She first called them martians? Weirdo! Once we convinced her they were baby dolls, she needed them to have names. Since they are vintage, we named them after 3 sisters of Abby's great grandmother whom she is named after. 

Meet Mary, Mabel and Maxine...

Hope you got all you were wishing for, too!

Still Working on It...

... our new back patio that is!

I knew I wanted a bid red umbrella on the new patio, but I wanted them to go on sale! I didn't think I'd get one until August, but for the holiday weekend they slashed prices and I jumped on it! I love that we can move it around and that it covers both the love seat and the chaise lounge at the same time!

We also added some new flowers this weekend. We are trying out a few that were recommended to us for drought resitant and that called for full sun since the patio isn't shaded.

If these don't die (and get returned to Lowe's) in the next few weeks, we'll spend the time to plant them in the ground!

We are having some friends over on Monday and I'm thrilled that we have seating for all 6 adults outside! We've been working on our ability to entertain outdoors since we three families got together in camp chairs last year!

Messy Weekend and HCG Update

We had a child free weekend filled with lameness :) Friday night we stayed in, Saturday's highlight was a long nap and after a housewarming party, we ventured out to the grocery store. We are old. I know it now!

Abby spent the weekend with my Mom and sister so that Marcus and I could do a little home improvement- we called it Project FLIP. In the front of the house, we have a guest bedroom, Abby's room, and my craft room. We flipped the guest room and craft room over the weekend.

It involved cleaning out the guest closet, also known as the juggling dump zone! Can you believe how much juggling goods Marcus has acquired? Sheesh! We had shelving in the old craft room closet to move over and the ceiling fan and chandelier had to be flipped. We also sent a car full to Goodwill and I gave a friend a tub full of scrapbooking supplies. It felt good to clean!

Abby's room is in the middle of the other two- so we dumped the furniture from the first room into her room. Thank goodness she wasn't home!

I'll share pictures of our new spaces soon! The guest bedroom is now smaller and more cozy with less sunlight (and without the pesky street light coming in) and a lower ceiling. It is a good room for sleeping! My craft room is now big enough to also be a home office. I can do more in there, enjoy the natural light, and not feel as cramped!

While we were working inside, this happened outside! Our new patio is being poured today! It is 15' wide by 10' deep and will house our new patio furniture nicely! Marcus put it all together this weekend as well. I can't wait to sip lemonade on my chaise lounge while Abby plays!

It was so tempting to eat out and have date nights while Abby was away. I realize how much we celebrate (even the little things) with food. That is one of the habits this diet is helping us to break. We actually ate in, child free, on Friday night. That never happens!

In 21 days, I have lost 13 pounds and Marcus has lost 11. I have seriously stalled and we think it is because I am not eating enough- I just am not hungry! But, my body might think I am starving it and hold on. So, this week I am upping my water and my vegetables to try and get back on track. We have both lost more than 5 inches (10 combined) between our arms, chest, waist and hips. Exciting!

I hope to lose 4 pounds this week- I have a special treat set aside for myself when the happens!

Backyard Love

I've never been an outdoor person. I look awful in shorts. I get hot in capri pants. I burn easily. Swimsuits are from the devil. But, this sweet girl loves to be outside. She wants to play on the swings, in her water table, and eating anything outside makes her giddy with joy!

Check out her cool popsicle stick holder! I found it at Babies R Us- it holds the juice and gives her something not stick to hold onto. It can also be flipped over and hold an ice cream cone! Genius!

So, since we are spending so much time outside, we made a few purchases. We have our favorite handy man bidding on a patio extension this past week. We are looking at bricks or stained concrete. Our current patio is long and shallow- we want to keep the length and extend it 10-15 feet. We also (since it was on sale) bought the patio furniture below. Momma needs a comfy place to sit while Abby plays!

New Floors

I post much of my home decor stuff at Your Little Birdie, but this is too big to not share here also! I will share all the flooring details and process there and just the giddy excitement here!

We hired Lowe's to install new laminate wood flooring in our living room and formal dining room this past week. It took them 2 full days to do it all.

It was a big mess watching it happen- with slab issues, carpeting tacking coming up, and dust everywhere, but the finished product is so worth it!

The new space almost echos- it feels so big and open.

Abby says the new floors are "neat". We just love them!

Landscape Update

Pardon me if I repeat myself....

When we bought our house, I knew the front flower beds needed work, but we couldn't make it a priority over the baby or the inside of the house. The flower bed borders were too tall and it only allowed for big shrubs which I don't like.

This is a picture of our shrubs from last month. Marcus had already pulled the short ones on the left side of the bed. We had these big ones pulled 2 weeks ago. Just like these front yard trees, we have spent each weekend putting layers upon layer of dirt in the beds to build them up which will allow for small things to be planted.
Here are our new flowers and the beds freshly planted. We needed full sun items and low water plants. This area is direct sun most of the day and we aren't faithful waterers! They look so barren, but I look forward to seeing our Texas skullcaps and knock out roses bloom as the spring turns to summer.

I also bought this cute turquoise beverage cart on clearance for $30 for the front porch. Now, I need to dump the fake winter plant and put a big fern on here! I'm still looking for a fun outdoor piece of art to hang above the swing. It'll be a Round Top fall find!

Outdoor Day

What a busy day OUTDOORS we had! We drove to Lampasas this morning to have family pictures taken at Four Jacks Ranch in Lampasas. The ranch photographer is a high school classmate of mine and it was a wonderful low stress experience. Sandi did a wonderful job winning over Abby and I can't wait to see the results.

Afterward, we came home for lunch and a short nap before venturing out to the local nursery and Lowe's store for our front yard landscaping project. Here are the items we bought at the nursery. We then bought some basic grasses at Lowe's. Abby rode around in the flatbed on wheels and had so much fun! It was like a big open wagon. She was waving and laughing as she explored the nursery.

She did not want the ride to end and would not let go of the handle when Marcus tried to remove her. Once she discovered that him pulling her actually pulled the "wagon" she had the best time pulling it around the parking lot.

When we got home, we set her up on the front porch with her milk and Nilla wafers for snack and unloaded all of our goods in the beds.
Final landscaping pics to come!

Front Yard Fun?

We spent much of Sunday in our front yard trying to make some additions I've envisioned since we bought our home 2 years ago. We were pregnant via IVF 10 days after buying the house, so yard work wasn't a big priority. After an escrow rebate, a trip to Lowes and getting Abby to tolerate the feeling of grass on her skin, we made some progress toward our project! The homeowner before us made these beautiful limestone flowerbeds. They are huge- about 6 feet round. They are also very tall and have nothing in them unless you count dry wood mulch! We had planned to put some grassy items or ground cover in here; however, since our trees are newer, it was recommended that we do about 1 inch of compost and add another inch every few weeks until we hit the height we want. There was fear that a newer tree and such a large amount of compost may strangle the roots and kill the tree. We also have a large very tall flowerbed across the front of the house. Marcus has pulled up the little bushes and we have someone coming to pull up the taller bushes. We'll then add compost and landscaping to that area. It is a big project!

Since Abby was enjoying the grass on her feet and practicing her one-handed guide walking, we set her up near the tree to play with Kyleigh's old Barbie garden tools. She loves water, so we decided to let her get all wet with the sprinkler and keep on playing!
She loved it and played in the grass/dirt/water for much longer than expected. I was able to help pull some weeds while she played.

Every good yard project ends in the bathtub! Happy girl!

As a side note, we've hit the bumps and bruises stage! Abby fell over and hit her eyebrow on the open dryer door and then landed on the tile and hit her cheek. It was traumatic ;)

Our Next Step, Before She Takes Hers

We registered for and received many baby safety items for our home. The time is drawing near when Abby will be mobile and we'll need them. This past weekend Marcus begin installing the new features. We had plug covers in place already for our friend's children, but we didn't have any safety devices in place for our mini-blind cords which I understand are a major strangulation hazard. Marcus installed our super easy cord shorteners on Monday. They raised the blinds cords out of Abby's reach. We put them on the 4 sets of blinds in our house that have long cords.

The next step is cabinet latches. Our kitchen is pretty big and therefore he has to lineup and screw in 17 of them. After the kitchen, we'll need to install them in the bathrooms! Yikes!

Mother's Day and Painting

We moved into our house 10 days before I got pregnant, so there hasn't been much time for painting projects. But, I have ideas and this weekend, I followed through with one. Our entryway has multiple cutouts like this one. I want to paint them to highlight them more, but wasn't sure which direction to go- a shade darker than the rest of the house or my favorite red.

Here is the before:

and the after. The colors looks a little more yellow in the picture than in real life. It is called Applesauce Cake. I love paint colors!

Also, I was remiss in showing you my Mother's Day gift. My vintage ring of Abby's newborn photo was my present, but since I opened it a few weeks ago, Marcus made sure I had a present on the actual day. Look- I got a snuggie (fleece blanket with arms as seen on TV)! I love it and am sure to use it this winter on my big leather chair while watching football. Thanks Marcus!

Our New Bedroom Additions

Doesn't she look tiny! We broke down and bought a new mattress Monday night. We have talked about for months each morning when we both wake up sore! Our super soft pillow top was not good for us. We kept holding off debating upgrading to a king bed, but the investment in a new mattress became new bedding, headboard, etc. etc. We just bought a cheap mattress and will upgrade in the next few years.







We also recently added a treadmill to the bedroom! Yea! My Dad and stepmom are out of town until September so they let us borrow theirs. I love it- I can walk/run for 30 minutes after Abby Lu goes to bed and do it in private with my TV running those girly shows that Marcus doesn't watch. Let's hope I love it long enough to get those baby inches off. I want my full wardrobe available to me again!

Yard Envy

Oh to be retired and tend to roses all day long!

New TV Wall

Congratulations Heather- you are correct! Marcus painted our TV wall cut out a dark red color on Saturday while Abby and I were in Round Top. It looks wonderful!

One Year Ago Today...

... we were moving into our new house! Yea!

Since then we have not done any home improvement, but have plans! This is the wall with the cut out where the TV is located. Last night we bought the paint to spice it up. Depending upon how it looks, we might paint a few more accent areas.

Anyone want to guess what color it will be? If you know me, it should be pretty easy, hint hint! I'll show the after picture in a couple of weeks.

Storm Pictures

Here is a picture of the rain and hail coming down on our front yard during the crazy storms last week.

Storms are so much louder in this house. I think it is due to the lack of a covered patio to block the windows on the north side and the window boxes that push the windows out more. It was crazy loud!

Thirty Two-rreffic Day!

Marcus planned wonderful birthday for me!

When I walked out of the bedroom Saturday morning, there were roses and tulips on the bar to surprise me. (they spent last night in Marcus' car!).

Marcus took me to breakfast after my bloodwork in the wee hours. We tried The Omlettry which is a central Austin dive. Marcus' omelette was good, but my pancakes were a little dry.

After breakfast, I met up with my Mom and spent the day house shopping- curtain rods, rugs, etc. Thank you Mom for all of your sewing help!


At breakfast, I opened some vvery thoughtful gifts- thank you Marcus, Katy, and Alison. Love it all! Marcus even commented that he needs to call my girlfriends when he can't find a gift for me.

He did buy me a lovely James Avery bracelet I have wanted and found a cool Austin vendor for these retro chairs for our backporch. Two red chairs and a table are on their way to me!


After hanging some curtains and getting more presents, thank you Tiffany and Cristina, we went to dinner! Marcus arranged for a group of our frends meet us last night at Cheesecake Factory, one of my favorites. Gotta have Strawberry Shortcake on your birthday! I appreciate you guys and girls celebrating with me!

Here's hoping this year is truly terrific!

Favorite Moving Pictures

for a small second I questioned my need for so many shoes. Shoes boxes take up a lot of space in the moving spectrum.

the moment passed, the shoes were packed and no one was lost in the shuffle to the new house. thank goodness, I need them all!




the move was hard on kitty. we have been saving a cat carrier in the garage for 5 years for just such an occassion.... that is, until the movers packed it in the truck without the cat. Marcus ended up moving her in a laundry basket and a trash bag. If you know JG, you know how that ended up!




Yea, new furniture! We got 2 new dining room tables, a new coffee and end table and a new desk for Marcus' office. Once the trash man removes them today we can park in our garage again!

I am curtain shopping this weekend and promise to post new inside pics of the house on Sunday. We are so close!

It Isn't All Sunshine and Puppies!

IVF has ups and downs and today was down.... this is the painful bruise or burst blood vessel that occurred on the site of my injection. I added Gonal-F to my daily injection routine and this is what it did to me!

I called the doctor and they said "some people are more sensitive". I was prepared to be cranky or weepy all the time, but not covered in bruises. I will be doing Gonal-F for at least 10 days! Tonight, the injection did not hurt nearly as much and did not bleed. I hope that is a good sign and I don't get a matching blue spot for the left side.

With this drug, there is a high chance of cysts, so I will seeing the doctor and giving blood every 3 days until the retrieval date which is looking like March 31st. This month! Wow!

On a side note, we closed on our old and new house today! Yea! We'll be unblogable for a couple of days but will return with great pics of the new house.

Woo Hoo!

Let the inspections begin, the packing commence and the new house fall in our laps!