I need your designing advice!!

It's show us where you live Fridays at Kelly's Korner again, and this time

I need some help!

I've thought about asking for some advice before on this room, and since it's Master Bedroom time over at Kelly's, I thought I would take advantage of some advice from all of you out there!

Pretty please??

Okay, if you are knowledgeable in design and don't mind expressing your opinion, watch this 44 second clip of our bedroom to get the true feel of spacing and how it is laid out. It's a pretty spacious room (an addition 30 years ago to our 50+ year old ranch)


Are you still here? Hope you're not clicking away just yet from my annoying commentary! ha!

Okay, so here are some still shots. And my questions:

What in the world do I put on that huge blank wall? largish pictures of my kiddos? more art? iron work stuff? nothing?

However, do I need big pillow shams, too? I made the bedspread, dust ruffle, and two of the four pillows before I needed to make Carolina's bedding. I got sick and tired of sewing and never got around to making shams. So, yes or no?
Here are two of the pillows I made. Maybe make pillow shams of more of a chocolate brown shade/pattern if I do need them? This looks so blah. What do I do on either side of the mirror? I have "matching pictures" of me and each of my kids when they were nine months old. . . or what about little sconce thingys? or nothing? Are there too many picture frames? But I do LOVE pictures . . .
Here is the mirror grouping that is on the wall to the right of the dresser. I like it, and I hope you do too. . . This is what you see as you walk into our bedroom from the main door. (We have a jack-and-jill bathroom adjoining our bedroom to Carolina's room)
I like the picture over my hope chest, but it has no meaning or value, it just matches the color scheme and we already had it. I would like to put a collage of old family photos/old wedding photos somewhere. Would it make sense to hang them here, or . . .

on this long wall that is facing our closet doors? My lone wedding portrait looks so lost in this picture from this angle. It doesn't seem that lost in person . . . (That door is the main entrance into our room.)
Thanks for stopping by - I really would like your advice and opinions on how to finish out the room!

Moon Pies and RC Cola

Moon Pies and RC Colas are a southern tradition . . . and the reason for a festival this past weekend in Bell Buckle, TN, population 400.

The real reason we went? Chad and his friend Bradley ran in a 10 mile race to kick off the festival in the BLAZIN' hot weather. Chad said that there was NO shade and NO spectators at all on the course - and nothing to look at except for hay bales and fields. Very different from the half marathon we ran in April! I was very proud of him - he had a smokin' time, especially for his second race ever. However, I might have been more proud that my friend Molly (35 weeks pregnant) and I were able to get the kids loaded up, find teensy Bell Buckle an hour or so away, and be at the finish line by 8:10 (A.M. people!!) If you know me, this is a HUGE feat!! :)

Here is Carolina, Lawton and Annie waiting for their daddies!!

Can you tell he is already hot? (8:15 now)

Sister bear - eating like a horse still! :)

Oh, look! There he is! In the red shirt off in the distance!

He saw us! Yeah Chad! Yeah me for actually getting there in time to see you cross the finish line! :)

Chad and Bradley were two hot, sweaty messes! And yes, they were able to eat a Moon Pie after the race (along with a bunch of other homemade breakfast goodies!) Way to go, guys!

And there was RC Cola all around, too. This is the cutest one I found, though! :) They had lots of neat stores and craft booths that we perused after the race. Fun times with friends - I'm sure we will be back - the racing bug has bitten Chad!

And here's an update on Carolina. We went to the doctor today and her platelets are at 68,000, just a little up from last week. We are thankful they didn't drop again. They are still low, but not at a dangerous level. We will go back in two weeks to get her checked again. Thanks for praying for her!

I wanna be like you . . .

From the words of Jungle Book's "I wanna be like you", . . .

I wanna be like you

(including dressing in matching shirts, shorts, hats, sunglasses, socks and tennis shoes . . .seriously)

I wanna walk like you

(including sitting RIGHT next to you at every single restaurant and being six inches away from you when we're out and about)
Talk like you, too
(I'm trying so hard to say all the things that you say, Daddy!)

You'll see it's true
(you teach me the important things in life, like how to attract all the ducks and what size bread ball to make)

A (boy) like me can learn to be (a man) too!
(carbon copies all the the way to the posture. . .)

Chad, it's so obvious that you are adored by your Lawton Bear and Carolina. They are the luckiest kids in the whole world, and one day they will truly realize that you are their champion, their safe place, their constant.

(and if you somehow missed the "You're My Hero" post, well, it's a perfect tribute for Father's Day. *sniff*)

Happy Father's Day to all the men in my life!

I have the best father for my children, the best Dad, who believes in me (still) and taught me I can do anything I set my mind to, and the best father-in-law, who truly treats me as his daughter (and comes and helps out when we are in a pinch (a lot) for things like a broken hot water heater! . . . )

I love all my men!!

Update on Carolina

Today we went back to the hematology clinic to get Carolina's platelet levels checked. They had dropped to 65,000, which they assured me was not uncommon. After receiving IVIG treatments, and having a great response to the treatment, they said the levels will sometimes drop off. We go back next Wednesday to check her levels again. If her levels drop to a dangerous level again, (which is a possibility - hopefully small), then she will receive another IVIG.

Please pray that her levels will go up some more or at least stay level and not drop into the dangerous zone again. We have so appreciated the prayers, e-mails, comments and concerns for our sweet baby girl. Please keep praying!

Love me some RED!

Kelly's Korner is hosting Show Us Where You Live Fridays again, and this time it is the playroom! Let me just say, I love having a playroom, especially since it is connected to our kitchen. This also happens to be the view when you come in our back door, which everyone who comes to visit comes in. (We strictly only used the front door at our old house, so I love back door guests - it instantly seems so much more casual) Our kitchen cabinets are RED, and we have this RED love seat, so we painted this "accent wall" RED to tie it all together. . .

This is the view to the right when you walk in the back door. The entire wall to the right is a fireplace/brick wall, which we are too afraid to use because of structural issues. . . I actually have a mantle that used to be at my parents house that I have never hung, but then sometimes I want to have custom cabinets made and somehow cover the fireplace and slip over the hearth. Crazy idea? Any suggestions?? This hearth ends up being a dumping ground as we walk in the door and it drives me crazy!!
Chad actually made the train table for Lawton and my dad, I mean, Santa, made the stove and refrigerator for me when I was little bitty. Santa brought them for Lawton when he was two. I wasn't sure if I would ever have a girl, and didn't want him to miss out. He loved them and hopefully Carolina will too one day!

Here's the art area that I made for Lawton. He could care LESS about anything artsy - which distresses me to some degree because I LOVE all things artsy. He has never really colored an entire picture - he just doesn't care. Since making this art table, he has done more artsy stuff, but still not a ton. . . The board is just two huge cork boards that I just staple-gunned (you know what I mean) fabric to. Then I just nailed it directly into the wall! The table is our coffee table that we weren't using. I went to the fabric store and bought some cheap black vinyl. Then I seamed up the corners with a sewing machine to make a "slip-cover" of sorts so it wouldn't slide around, be easy to clean, and match my decor since you see it right as you walk in the door. It does the job!

I love this picture wall. I keep adding more and more pictures . . . I'm going to run out of room soon! The big one in the middle is of my great-grandfather that Lawton was named after. When my grandma found out we were naming Lawton after him, she dug this out and gave it to me. I had never seen it before and framed it immediately! (That's a big ol' black bear he had just killed!) I also love the baby parts pictures of my kiddos . . . treasures forever.

The one on the left is of Lawton when he was 12 months. Chad is the one on the big wheel. LOVE IT! His eyes and that look are still the same . . . :)

The same man at the flea market that made Lawton's furniture also made this piece for me that sits along the front wall. I gave him a picture of something similar from PBKids and gave him my exact dimensions (for the length and height under the windowsill.) It is perfect for this space and keeps all the toys, puzzles, books, etc. organized!

And here is the view of our back door and a peek into our RED kitchen. Thanks for stopping by!

The perfect summer salad

This was dinner the other night. Man, was it yummy!! I have "dinner ruts" quite often, so I thought I would throw this one out there for any of you that are in a rut. Not that this is at all original, because you could find this at most any "chain" restaurant, but you might not ever make it at home. . .

I just cooked the fresh chicken strips in some olive oil on the stove top with a little Kosher salt and pepper. Add a bag of spinach, can of mandarin oranges, strawberries, feta cheese, pecans out of the freezer, and top it with a little Kraft creamy poppy seed dressing. Talk about easy and delicious! I want this again. Right now.
And guess what I just found? This Kraft website has some tasty looking ideas . . . I'm going to have to try some!!


Lawton even cleaned his plate. . . all except for the "leaves". He looked at his plate and said "Why are these leaves on my plate?" It was worth a shot . . .

Hot Doughnuts Now!

Last week we were pretty consumed with Carolina and her doctors visits, etc. Chad decided that he would take Lawton to Krispy Kreme for a special treat since he loves doughnuts and *gasp* has NEVER seen the hot doughnuts come "off the line". The two of them had a special morning out and about while I stayed home with sister and laid low.

They even brought her one back (but not me, . . I can't figure that one out). As you can see, she LOVED her chocolate cake doughnut!! ha! She couldn't cram it in fast enough . . .

You can see some of the bruises on her arm along with her random hives (as well as one of Lawton's old, nasty, stained bibs). This was the day after her IVIG treatment.

A chocolate doughnut makes everything better!! :)

Let's go boil some eggs or somethin'!

I left this pic out of my visit to Karie's house. Shame on me. (Obviously we are lookin' mighty fine at 10:00 at night after a day of wrangling kids.)

After the zoo, we stopped to get half price drinks for the crew during Happy Hour (and a grilled cheese for a STARVING Lawton Bear). And that's when we saw them. . . molten fudge cakes . . . heaven to two crazy moms of five hyped up, hungry, tired, filthy kids. So what did we plan and plot about for the next two days? Late Night Snackin' at Sonic of course. Karie even told Kelly, her husband, about our cravings. He graciously offered to get some on his way home from the hospital, but he quickly took the hint that we needed to get far, far away from the house. ha!

I laugh every time I think about this certain commercial, and sadly Karie had never seen it and I can't seem to find it on the "internets". ha! Please say you know what I'm talking about . . .

All the Sonic commercials crack me up, but especially this one. You know, the one where the two women are (of course) in the car and doing some "Cuh-razy! Like, we're late night snackin'! We're so crazy. . . it just makes me want to go home and, like, boil some eggs or somethin'!" And then WHAP!! Sonic puts up their signage on the screen. I chuckle out loud every. single. time. hilarious. (but I guess it doesn't take much for me!)

So anyways, here we are, two middle-aged-but-kinda-still-young-women going to the closest Sonic and *gasp* THEY WERE OUT OF MOLTEN FUDGE CAKES!!

But, never fear, we did not alter our selections, but drove to the next Sonic over of course!! You won't deter two chocolate deprived moms of some Late Night Snackin'!!

They were good, but you can't replace the peanut butter fudge shake in my book. But more on that later. Promise.

And then we went home and boiled some eggs. just kidding.

I'm not sure what is more sad, though. That we needed our molten fudge cakes so bad or that I can write a whole post about it. Sorry.

Fast friends!

The first week in June, while Chad was in NY working at Camp Shiloh, which is very near and dear to our hearts, I went to visit Karie, my best friend since fifth grade, who now lives in Mississippi. I remember we had just moved at the end of my fourth grade year, and were at a family weekend of sorts with what would become our church home. I remember sitting in a classroom that was designed for rising middle schoolers (I guess) and somehow the question was raised, "Who is your best friend?" She raised her hand and said that I was. I remember looking at her and thinking, "Okay. . . that was easy!" ha! (I seriously think I had known her maybe a few weeks) And so it was . . . don't you wish all relationships were that easy? :)

This might be my favorite picture of the week - Annie, Lawton, Carolina, Daniel and Hudson - at the Memphis Zoo. Can you believe they are all looking? and smiling? Miracle. Lawton is four months older than Daniel and Hudson is three months older than Carolina. (Poor Carolina looks like a peanut compared to him. . . I could have just eaten him up!!
Here are the kiddos in front of the Memphis Zoo - it was a perfect day - not too crowded and the weather was great!

One of our first stops was the sea lion show - so cute!We killed two birds with one stone and let the kids eat the picnic lunch we brought while they watched the show. This picture cracks me up because Lawton is studying the zoo map. He is OBSESSED with maps and wants to know where we are in relation to things. He has always paid attention to where we are going and knows where we are and can usually navigate us around. I tried to warn Karie that he LOVES maps, but she soon realized what I was talking about . . . :) So . . . if you have a map from somewhere and are going to throw it out, Lawton would love to see it! He's got quite the collection going on . . .

Annie noticed this HUGE earthworm in the path and scooped it right up. This girl's not afraid of anything! Love it! They had a special birds and bees exhibit going on - which is kind of funny because he has been acting kinda "scared" of honeybees of late. I'm not sure where his fear is coming from . . .

Daniel and Annie both LOVED feeding the parakeets in the special exhibit. Lawton? Not so much. We headed out of there pretty quickly and waited for them to finish. :)

Isn't Hudson the cutest thing you have ever seen?

The orangutan (in the background) might have been my favorite. God sure does have a sense of humor! ha!

Karie and her kiddos . . .

In the reptile house, Lawton and Daniel were amazed at the huge boa constrictor (or maybe it's an anaconda?) I can't remember now - I just know if I saw that thing in the wild, put a fork in me - I'm done!!

How cute to see their little heads peeking through the railing to see the penguins!

They have a great little wading area at the front of the zoo entrance. Kids were actually in their bathing suits playing in it!

One morning I walked out into the playroom and this is what I found, fast friends watching some television . . . so cute!

So then, that night, Kelly, Karie's husband, decided that it would be fun to let the boys sleep together in a tent in the playroom. He set it all up and the kids watched a show before bed. (This is after they had gotten home from VBS, too.) All of a sudden, Annie decided that playing with the boys might be fun after all! ;) However, when we finally said lights out, Daniel and Annie both decided to go back to their beds . . .

mesmerized by a Berenstain Bears video . . .

And this is where I found Lawton asleep - he didn't sleep in the tent, either! ha!

Poor Carolina - surrounded by all those nasty boys!

Can you believe that Hudson is only three months older? Look at his baby blues!

And this is on the way to a local playground. Soon after this picture was taken, Carolina broke out into some serious hives and I RAN all the way back to the house to get some Benadryl. The doctors seem to think that maybe her intermittent hives (for which I can not pinpoint ANY cause) might be somehow related to the virus that MAY have caused her ITP. Will we ever know? I'm not sure . . .

I am so thankful for the lifelong friendship that I share with Karie and now her kiddos (and Kelly, her husband)! She knows way more about me than anyone else (or at least for that portion of my life . . . ) and we can pick up right where we left off without batting an eye. That's what friends are for . . . ;)

***Update on Carolina*** She seems to be feeling fine - still eating like a horse - and we think her bruises are getting better. They seem to be turning brownish/yellowish - yum - and we have noticed no new bruises. Thank you for praying for our sweet baby girl!