Becks' Big Boy Bedroom Take One

Beckham will be three on June 27th.  Three!  Cah-to-the-razy.  I will probably talk about this fact a lot in the next several weeks. 

Anyway, though he has never tried to escape from his crib, we collectively decided that an upgrade was necessary and immenent.  In my perfect world, he will have a Big Boy bedroom by his birthday.  In reality, and considering our track record (i.e. 5 month kitchen-remodel), it could take longer.  We shall see.

I don't know that I've ever taken you on an upstairs tour.  {But maybe I have.  This blog is almost three years old, too, so since we're almost 800 posts deep I'm not certain that I haven't visited up there before.}  We live in a 60-something-year-old traditional Cape Cod, with a steep stairway leading to the upstairs bedroom and a half.  When Becks was first born, he slept in the half and we slept in the bedroom.  You can't call the half a "real" bedroom because the stairs open right into it. {Sidenote: Before we add to the Babbling family, we will put up a wall to make it into an actual bedroom.}

Becks was a little over a year when we decided to move him into the actual upstairs bedroom and move our bedroom downstairs.  Ever since, he's lacked a defined space, and his bedroom was more of just a crib and toys and random stuff.  Nothing picture-worthy. 

The first step in this hopefully-not-too-long process was to move everything out of his bedroom and into the loft, pull up the carpet and padding and remove several feet worth of tack strip, and about a gobzillion staples, with the ultimate goal of refinishing the exisiting hardwood floors found underneath. 

Shoo.  That was a run-on sentence if there ever was one! Continuing...

Here's the before shots which will also show the flow of the upstairs much better than I can describe it!

Looking through doorway into Becks' room.

Corner of room shot.  Note those super fancy pink knobs.  So totally can't wait to get rid of those, especially since one's already missing.

 

Opposite corner of room shot. 

Current view of the loft, piled high with stuff from Becks' room and random decor items. 

View from loft looking at doorway to Becks' room.

 Becks' room without carpet. 

The existing hardwood floors are in good enough condition to qualify them for refinishing, and since this is a project that B's tackled before (read all about that starting HERE and proceeding for many posts after!), we're confident that a smaller space, combined with pine planks instead of oak will ultimately lead to a quick job.  {Remember, I'm an idealist.}

So, wish us luck as we head to The Depot tomorrow morning to pick up the ol' sander.  After we try our hand at another marriage strengthener, of course.  We like to call this one: moving furniture down a narrow set of stairs.  It's going to be fun!!!!  Especially since I have the upper body strength of an earthworm.

:) 

Our life in pictures lately...

I just don't think I could possibly catch up {quickly} to all that our life has been lately.  So I'm just going to show the odd pic.  Or twelve. 

It's been a fun life to live, as opposed to blog about :)

There's been cars to repair...

And first-of-the-year diving board jumps to make...

And baby showers to throw...

 These are my girls.  My Donovan Hall/ADPi Housemates.  My forever friends.  Dr.B {in the middle} is having little Ethan in August.  Can't wait. 

There's been bouncy houses to bounce in...

And snow cones to slurp...

And new cousins to meet...

Mimi and Nana M.  I thought this pic was too cute!

 There's been goggles to wear.  When not swimming, of course...

And time with my B well spent...



And this is only, most thankfully, the start of a very rich summer indeed. 

Happy, happy Tuesday to you!

{ Sunspiration }

May was a bad month for blogging. I'm aware. It was an unannounced no-motivation-May.  Forgive. 

But, now it's June!  and June is just full of inspiration and sunshine and I'm going to have to find some motivation somewhere since I have less than 70 days to accomplish about a dozen home improvement projects, vacations, kid-friendly activities, school-related ventures, and two grad school classes.  Yippee!

So, to kick off my summer break, which officially began last Thursday around 1:30pm (amen, halleluia, PTL!), here are my lofty goals for the next three months...

Let's review...

1. Eat popsicles in the park.  And maybe share with strangers.  Safe-looking strangers, of course.

2.  Rig up the ol' Big Boy bedroom.  Y'all know I'm going to have a three-year-old at the end of this month, right?  Gah!

3.  Take an impromptu road trip.  This is sooooo up my alley.  But not necessarily B's, so it might have to be a slightly pre-planned road trip just so I don't freak him out.

4.  Run {almost} every day.  So far, so good.  So long as I continue to get up when it's still cool, not rainy, and Becks is sleeping.  Otherwise, no dice.  Rainy weather or too hot weather usually dissuades me, but I'm going to try to persevere...

5.  Paint lots of things.  The list of things that I want to paint is absolutely daunting.  From mirrors to walls to hardwood floors to everything in between.  Not even kidding. 

6.  Have a yard sale.  Mainly so I can support my summer yard-saling habit.

7.  Host a banana split part.  I wonder who will come?

8.  Aim for 1 date night a month.  Because we've officially been married for 5-years (May 28th if you wanted to know), thereby qualifying us as oldy-weds.  We need to keep it spicy.

9.  Make homemade lemonade.  Yum.

10.  Learn to take better pictures.  Or find friends who can teach me to take better pictures. 

11.  Make a new friend.  Who doesn't want more friends?!

12.  Read 2 novels.  It should be noted that this is one less than I aimed for last year.  Which is still on the high side since I only made it through 1 last year (The Last Song).  And Summer Sisters isn't allowed to count towards my goal because, of course, I'm already reading it as my annual kick-off to summer beach read.

13.  Take Becks to a fair.  I'm thinking of the state variety because I hear the fried food is out. of. control.  Bonus points if they have fried pickles, which are about 12 kinds of amazing in case you've never had the privilege. 

14.  Pick berries on a farm.  Blue, black, rasp - I don't care.  So long as it's a berry and I can eat it, it counts.

15.  See a live band.  Preferably on one of the aforementioned date nights.

16.  Make a "plan" for the bathroom remodel.  The kitchen's been done for less than a month and I already have the itch.  What's wrong with me? 

17.  Do lots of art projects.  Can't even wait.

18.  Host a sleepover for the cousins.  Becks, Soph, and Sutton would have a blast.  Let's pick a date, Chels! 

19.  Make a picture wall.  If you could only imagine the number of undeveloped images on my computer just dying to be processed.  Combine that with my naked walls and I think we've got a winning project on our hands.

20.  Plan and execute a block part with the committee.  L, this is the official written notice that we *ARE* doing this!!!!!

What are your summer plans???

Mini-Milestone

My pumpkin pie finished his first year of pre-school today.  

First Day of School - September 2010

A whole school year gone in a flash.  And while my days in first grade are d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g by, it seems 12 kinds of crazy that my baby boy is moving to the "big kids'" class next year.  No really, that's what his teacher wrote in a note to us: I look forward to seeing Beckham in the hall next year in the big kids' class. 

Big kid?!  What?!

It's true.  Every bit of baby is gone.  No more pacifiers, diapers, or onesies.  All that's left is this amazing little kid who charms our pants off with his sweet little personality and hilarious conversations.  I can't think of one right now, but we're always laughing.  With him and at him :)

Also, he's an *extreme* stinker, keeping us on our toes at all times. 

When he walked into his end-of-the-year program with his class, he immediately made eye-contact with me manning the camera {of course} and would not smile at me! 

He struggled to keep it in for awhile, until he finally gave in and let us have a little grin.

And then he started performing. 

He's singing the "I love yooooooou!" part of Skidamarink.  I felt like a mommy superstar since he was pointing to me!

Love him.

This is when he recognized that the rest of our family was seated in a pew behind me.  Cute!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, friends!

We built this marriage on rock-and-roll. Or hinge side Z-bars.

I have about a bazillion and seven things that I could post about tonight.  But, I'm super sick of writing listy-like posts, so I think I'm going to tell you all about the *free* marriage "retreat" B and I had this weekend. 

Also known as: we installed a new glass door together yesterday.  From 2pm to 10pm.  And, it technically cost $102.82, but I'm going to nix that cost since we provided the labor ourselves (which would have started at $99 if Home Depot installed it).  So, free.  Right?

Anyway, I use the term retreat loosely because it didn't feel very retreaty when I had to walk inside and leave B outside reading about the dang hinge side of the Z-bar because otherwise we were going to cause a dang scene standing on the deck "discussing" it.  And when we were discussing it, I can promise you that words like dang and gee golly were not our choice words.  Especially when we realized we installed the stupid hinge side of the Z-bar on the wrong dang side. 

It wasn't our best moment.

However, the retreaty part of the whole process was that we spent 8 straight hours together, in the sun, working together to accomplish something.  And we came out stronger in the end.  I may have asked for several corny high-fives and maybe even a chest-bump after we finished.  Because it felt 12 kinds of awesome to walk in and out of that door knowing that we, Super B & Super Abby, installed that bad boy ourselves. 

Take that hinge side Z-bar.  *chest bump*

I have no picture of this feat, but what I do have is my new hair.  My new pink hair.  Because I thought it would be totally fun to have a little pink hair mixed in on the underside of my regular highlight for this summer.  I kinda love it. 

The quality of this pic is no good.  But neither is my ability to take a self-portrait.  Forgive.



Happy, happy Monday.  From your resident Jem and the Holograms blogger ;)

{What I Love Wednesday}

Jergen's Sunless Tanning Foam. 

This stuff works just like the sun with zero chance of skin cancer. Also, cheaper than a spray tan (thumbs up), but smells just the same (thumbs down).  

This kid.

Omiword, his chop-diggities (or teeth, if you'd rather) crack me up every time I see that sweet little smile.

Naturally Nora Chocolate Cupakes.

Oh. My. YUM.

A full week free of plumbing issues. 

Paying our plumber's monthly salary in three weeks was enough.  More than enough.

The weekend forecast.

Full of sun and yard sales.  Ahhhhhh.

Super cutie & super cheap owl earrings.

C/O Walmart.  For $4.88.  Loves.

Assemblies. 

I'll take one every day for the rest of the school year.  Anything to pass the time.

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara. 

Love, love, and LOVE this stuff. 

Happy Wednesday, y'all!!!

{Link up with Jamie to play along!}

It's Tuesday. And it's random.

1.  Somewhere in my house right now there is a lump of playdoh just waiting to be squashed into the carpet, smudged into a piece of furniture, or stomped beneath someone's feet.  I just have no idea where it is. 

2.  I am off today for election primaries.  Becks went to school and B is working.  This means I had FOUR glorious, guilt-free, kid-free, husband-free hours today TO MYSELF.  It was sublime. 

3.  I found an amazing round mirror at TJMaxx made from rolled magazine pages, clearanced for ten bucks.  Totally bought it.

4. A lesson in thrifting: Pick up a few old volumes of Reader's Digest novels.  You will not be disappointed. Because the vintage patterns on these little friends are to die for.  I have no idea what to do with them, besides stack them or prop them underneath something, but when I figure it out I'll let you know.  {Also note my absolutely *favorite* novel on the bottom of the stack.  My sister admitted to selling off my original paperback, so I just had to buy this one for $1.  If you've never read Summer Sisters by Judy Blume, I totally and completely recommend it for the beach this summer.  I bet I've read it a half dozen times. Loves it.}

For the record, the bananas in the background of this pic did finally make their way to the garbage. 

5.  A lesson in Target: They're selling Calypso St. Barth goodies right now, and this little silver hurricane is so totally worth $7.99.  When you put a tea light inside, it's like magic with little rays of light peeking out of all those tiny holes. 

6.  A lesson in bedhead: Just throw a damp washcloth on it, let sit, take picture, comb and voila! no more bedhead! 

7.  A lesson in plumbing: do not flush baby wipes down the toilet.  A bad, expensive, disgusting, embarrassing idea.  Also, that snake pulled out three random golfballs. 

8.  I'm out of lessons. 

9.  It's rainy and gloomy for the 276th day straight. 

10.  I haven't painted or hung my thrifted mirror yet, so Becks has taken to using it for entertainment. 

Happy, happy Tuesday blog world!