Happy Reformation Day!

Ok, so she's dressed for Halloween but... I decided to spice things up a bit and rather than say "Happy Halloween", which is rather cliche and very pagan in nature, I thought I'd get your wheels turnin' this morning and offer you a "Happy Reformation Day". So, do you know what it is? I must admit, I used to not know either. I had not ever celebrated Reformation Day prior to my precious time at Faith Pres in Anniston, AL. Reformation Day marks the day in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. At that time Luther was dissatisfied with the teachings and practices of the Catholic church, mainly the abuse of the practice of accepting indulgences (money in exchange for the pardon of sins). This prompted Martin Luther to argue that we are justified through faith in Christ, who paid all debts of all sinners in full by his ultimate sacrifice. Thus, starting the Protestant Reformation. Because I do have friends who are Catholic (who read this) it's only fair to mention that not only was the Protestant Reformation started, but also, the Catholic Reformation which focused on examining their theology, doctrine and having a personal relationship with Christ.

Moving right along to more shallow and less important issues... a few years ago (I think 4) we bought a chair. It was a chair that was kinda ugly. I knew it wasn't "cute" or "fun" when I bought it. But it was a good deal. And if you don't know me well but read this blog, you've probably learned that I am cheap. And since the chair was a good deal I bought it and made it work. I decided it was time for the chair to have a makeover. I love a before and after picture so I thought I'd show y'all an exciting transformation that can take place at an upholstery shop. Without further adieu here's the ugly chair before...

This is the best picture I could find... it's from our house in Tallahassee. The chair was covered in a fabric that was "atztec" in nature and faded hues of red, gold, and green. Not all that exciting. Well, with the help of my sister I found some outdoor fabric that is stain resistant and weather resistant (so if our new roof leaks the chair won't get wet). Anyway, one trip to upholstery shop, $150, and 5 short days later, the chair is covered in a cute navy blue and white trellis fabric (which I think is even pictured on E's website in yellow?) and adorned with some antique brass nail head trim. Pretty dramatic, huh?! It's a little loud but I love it and think it will be very nice in the family room!

I was so pleased with this chair that I made a run to the Highlands Antique Mall yesterday with my SIL (sister-in-law) and found a few more items in my favorite booth (which just so happens to be the cheapest)... and decided I couldn't pass them up!! I now have 2 (Thomasville) wing back chairs and a Chippendale sofa for my living room!! I may have to wait until next year to have them upholstered but at least I snagged them before anyone else did! Can't wait to show the afters... but for now, here are the befores!

Floors! Floors! Everywhere!

We had a great weekend here at home and had the pleasure of keeping our two nieces so that their "mommy & daddy" could go to Auburn to watch the Tigers win! Morgan and Paige love their cousins and the girls are welcome back anytime. Friday night I thoroughly enjoyed myself at "Girls Night Out" with 10 ladies from church! We had a wonderful dinner and watched The Devil Wears Prada. It was great to get out of the house and actually stay up late. If you know me well at all, you know I have a hard time staying awake past 9... you'll be delighted to know that I managed to stay awake during the whole movie! It was a very cute "girlie" flick! Here is a picture of my nieces. Paisely (left) and Penelope (aka "Nellie"). They were great house guests and only ate one smores granola bar! :)

The floors are all FINISHED and look fabulous! They're a little dusty as the dust seems to still be settling from all the grinding they had to do on the high parts of the slab. We are very pleased and they even cut us a huge deal! I'm not sure if they felt sorry for us after all the debating over whether or not to keep the terrazzo to save money or if it was just out of the kindness of their hearts! We do know it wasn't a mistake (Justin questioned him on the bill) and for that we are very grateful! They were super nice guys and very patient with us! Here are a few pictures! Now, we have to hop on getting all the shoe molding down and start crank on that kitchen... it will be time to move in before we know it!!

I knew he'd smile when they were all said and done!

Sewing room/Office... but the blue counters are going to go... I changed my mind

They are building a really small (8,000 sq ft) house next door... at least it won't be a bad view

A good decision to put wood in all 4 rooms!

And last but not least the rooms that caused us much grief! I'm very relieved to see the wood throughout!

I just finished my 3rd Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll and thought I'd offer you a little advice:

-Line your cookie sheet/baking pan with parchment paper... it makes it so easy!
-I did mine in a 16x12x1 cookie sheet. The batter doesn't spread all the way across the entire sheet... probably 4/5 of the way. But it doesn't melt all over the place so you can just spread it evenly across the pan even if it's not all the way to both ends... make sense?
-Wet your dishtowel completely under the sink and then wring it out really good. Don't soak it but don't just spritz it with water either!

Erika, I made one for you to take to the tailgate tomorrow... you girls think of me when you eat. How is that I always seem to miss out on these fun gatherings!?

Oh, and by the way, Lenzie, Graves, and Abby... I was just teasin' about your blogs! I hope y'all know I love to read what's going on in your lives and I imagine y'all all have much better things to do than update your blogs... 3x a day! :)

Top of the Morning to ya'!

I wasn't going to post this morning... but then I started thinking... I get so disappointed when I click on blogs that I enjoy reading to see the same (burrito {Lenzie}, kids sitting in a pumpkin patch {Graves}, new baby {Abby} ) over and over again. So, I thought, although I have nothing tremendously noteworthy to say this morning, at least you'd have something "new" to look at when you click on this blog! :) And for those of you who like to "stalk" I hope that gives you just tad bit of excitement this Friday morning!

Seeing as how fall is now in the air in LA (lower Alabama) I'm going to make my all-time favorite dessert this afternoon... Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll. It's the same recipe I've used for years and always tastes DELICIOUS and is much easier to make than it looks! And always gets "oooos and ahh's" from a crowd. So, if you're looking for something festive, fun, pumpkin & cream cheese, I highly recommend this one! Mmmm!

We've had a productive week at the house and by the grace of God we are still married and sleeping in the same bed. It's been a rough one this week. That dad gum terrazzo will get you every time. As aforementioned in this blog, we discovered terrazzo as we peeled back (sounds so easy) our carpet, linoleum, and tile and thought we'd see what we could do with it. We went ahead and ordered the floors for the "great room" (kitchen & family room) because we had decided to put floors in there. I'm a little bit particular and like a seamless look and think floors should only change at thresholds. Well, last week we decided we'd at least clean the terrazzo and see what it looks like. I told Justin that if he spent all this time (4 days!) cleaning them, would he promise to not be upset if I still don't like the look and want wood?! Well, 4 days later, lots of sweat equity and long hours... unfortunately (for Justin), I still wasn't big on the terrazzo. Don't get me wrong... I think it could be really cool in the right location (sun porch etc). But seeing as how our house is more "traditional" I just couldn't find myself happy with it. It was only in the kitchen and den and the transitions into these 2 rooms were drastic and involved thresholds because the wood was higher than the terrazzo. The wood (wild pecan) looked so "finished" and "rich" and the terrazzo looked so "cold" and "unfinished". There's a big stone fireplace in this room and to me the wood would be more appropriate in this room. So, after much debate (thankfully not too heated) and great patience on behalf of our floor guys (who sat around looking at us yesterday as we tried to make up our minds) we decided to put the floors in the kitchen and family room too. It was a stressful decision and we could have saved a lot of money... however because the floors are tongue and grooved coming back later wouldn't be easy and would leave the floors with strange thresholds... where as now the look will be seamless.

For your viewing pleasure I'll attach a picture. I think you'll see what I mean about the rooms (which are open to one another) look drastically different and that the wood will look EXCELLENT throughout! :)

3 posts in one day...

So, I just found on the Fox website that one couple learns that their unborn baby has Trisomy-18 and are facing whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. I'm assuming if any of y'all are regular stalkers of this blog that you have read some of Boothe & Conor's blog. I wish this couple could read the Farley's blog... I'm certain it would impact their decision.

Check this out...

I have a Fox News feed on my Google homepage and this morning I noticed a headline entitled, Exploring Abortion Through 3 Women's Right to Choose . I have a strong opinion on this subject and wondered what on earth they were going to say... in a nutshell there is going to be a program on this Saturday evening Oct. 27 at 9pm (EST-- that's 8 CST) on the Fox News Channel that follows 3 different women who are contemplating an abortion. The article doesn't say what their decisions are, rather, says to watch the show. Talk about a cliffhanger! We have basic cable television but I may have to find someone who gets Fox News on Saturday evening. Since Fox prides them self on being "fair and balanced" I'm hoping and praying that the message of the Gospel will somehow make it's way into this program and that women who are watching who are pregnant and contemplating an abortion will be informed of alternatives that would allow their children the chance of life.

Here are a few statistics that never cease to blow my mind and break my heart...

Abortion in the United States - Statistics

There have been over 48 million abortions since 1973.
The annual number of abortions went from 744,600 in the first year of legalization, to a high of over 1.6 million in 1990. In 2003, there were 1,287,000.
There were over 3,500 abortions per day in 2003, 146 per hour, about one every 25 seconds.
For every 1,000 live births, there were 312 abortions in 2003.
There were more that 148,000 second and third trimester abortions in 2003.
In 2003, more children died from abortion than Americans died in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf Wars combined.
A 2004 survey of women seeking abortions indicated that only about 7% of women cited typical “hard cases” (rape, incest, or some health concern with either the baby or the mother) as the primary reason they were seeking abortion.
An April 2004 Zogby Poll found that 56% of respondents support legal abortion in only three or fewer circumstances: when the pregnancy results from rape or incest, or when it threatens the life of the mother.
At an average cost of $372, the abortion business is a $400 million a year industry.
Nearly half of all abortions are obtained by women who have already had at least one abortion.

I hope these stats (that are from the CDC and posted on the National Right to Life website) will tug at your heart like they have mine.

Just something to think about...

To Terrazzo or Not To Terrazzo!?

Terrazzo floors that Justin is trying to unearth

We were thrilled to find lovely terrazzo floors beneath the carpet, linoleum, and tile in the kitchen/great room... however, cleaning and restoring them has been a challenge. A challenge that we keep going back and forth on; do we do it or not (I should actually say, should Justin do it or not)? According to my research these terrazzo floors are quite a luxury and if we wanted to have them installed (if we could even find someone to do it) we'd be looking at about $50 to $60 a foot! The only thing that I can compare them to is Zodiaq Quartz. I took this picture this morning after Justin spent several hours on a orbital sander trying to sand off all the tile grout and linoleum glue. I know they can be beautiful... the question is... can we get them there? I'm hoping that we can. The wood floor guys have assured me that the thresholds into the other rooms of wood will be smooth but I still am having a hard time picturing the transition from this to wood... especially when there are 4 entrances into these rooms. Thankfully my very talented sister seems to think they will be PRACTICAL and BEAUTIFUL. I'm hoping she's right. We've already purchased all the wood flooring for these 2 rooms and thankfully the supplier said they would return it all for us. So, we'll see how the restoration process goes. The good thing is that we can save a TON of money by doing this! Justin's over there now... buffing away at the grime on top of them. The electrician is still there today and I'm scared to death to see the bill... I feel like he's been there a week.

I also wanted y'all to meet Carol, she's Paige's new baby. She hasn't been without her for a couple days now and I'm starting to feel like the mother of 3. Thankfully I didn't have to give birth to Carol (although she's rather small and probably wouldn't be hard to birth). I find it so amusing that a 15 month old has a baby doll. Morgan has never been attached to a doll or blanket so this is throwing me off. I tried to leave Carol here when the Raiger and I went to get Morgan from school and she threw a fit so Carol came with.

Ok, I'm off for now! Happy Tuesday!

A Great Weekend

The girls snuggling tonight when we got home... (Morgan with "Peter Cottontail" and Raiger with "Annabel")

It's Sunday night and the girls are in bed and have been since 7:30 (why don't we do this every night!?). Justin's watching baseball and I'm on his laptop uploading pictures and wondering how it works because it's all wireless. Technology blows my mind.

Anyway, we're home and had so much fun at the beach. I always consider myself blessed to have in-laws that are selfless, giving and gracious. They have taken us on many trips and treated us to many luxuries that we otherwise would never be able to do and for that I am so grateful. This weekend was one of those weekends that Justin and I would only have dreamt about. We stayed at the Grand Sandestin Hotel in Baytowne Village and it was absolutely wonderful. We dropped the girls off with Erika and Chance on Friday evening (another luxury) and headed straight to the restaurant where the party was to happen. Dave was very surprised and rightly so. Somehow Jennifer managed to pull off a HUGE surprise and there were around 90 people there to help celebrate... some from as far as San Diego. We had the entire second floor and it was a fun and festive atmosphere. With full intentions of making the most of my time with my husband without children I decided it would be fun to partake in a glass of Chardonnay from the open bar. This proved what an absolute weeny I am. I feel like I've been breastfeeding or pregnant for the last 4 years and should have realized that a glass of wine when you're starving and it's past your bedtime is probably not a great idea! Next time I'll have dinner then the wine! (And Robin, perhaps I'll have to try yours from a box!)

Saturday morning we picked up the girls from E and Chance's. They of course spoiled them rotten with a trip to Pizza By the Sea for pizza and then took them to get new books & a new rabbit. Morgan hasn't put Peter Cottontail down since she got him. In fact, tonight I heard her in Paige's room and I walked in to find her in Paige's crib with a book and she had the rabbit covered with a blanket and she explained, "Shhh... Mommy, I'm reading to Peter Cottontail... he's so tired!" I couldn't resist a picture so I ran to get the camera and then when I managed to find it and get back in there this is where I found her...

She managed to make her way to the top of Paige's changing table and she said, "Shhh Mommy! I'm trying to concentrate on changing Peter Cottontail's diaper... he has a big poopy!" She had wipes and diapers and the whole 9 yards. It's been a big night full of lots of pretending and make believe... I love it all and just watch waiting for what will be said next!

Anyway, we picked the girls up Saturday morning and went to visit with some close friends from Anniston that were at the beach on vacation. We had such a wonderful and formative year while we were in Anniston that the friends we made there will be our friends for life. It was great to see Morgan playing with her friend Ava that she hasn't seen in over a year. And we loved meeting their new precious angel, Annie Benton!

We made a stop in Seaside for lunch on our way back to Baytowne. We somehow spent the rest of Saturday afternoon trying to get the girls to take a nap at the hotel. It sure is challenging to travel with kids... new rooms and strange beds and an exciting new hotel with a huge pool makes nap time almost impossible... which we finally gave up on by dinner time Saturday. We joined up with Justin's parents and brother (Ryan) and his family and spent a wonderful evening at Hammerheads. The kids got to join in with the band and they all got to sing "House" on "Brick House"! I felt like I was at an Auburn band party. And I was hoping Morgan would not start singing "She's a brick.... house" Thankfully she only picked up on her line "house"!

Justin watched the game last night and I couldn't keep my eyes open... I fell asleep and when I woke up in the middle of the night he informed me that we lost and I was thankful that I didn't force my eyes to stay open to watch my Tigers lose. We stopped by Erika and Chance's again this morning on our way out of town. Her new office looks awesome and I'm hoping she'll post some pictures of it soon on her blog. She has such talent and it comes so natural for her. She's like my in-law's; always willing to give of herself for me and others! Thanks sister!! We love you (and Chance) thanks for babysitting Morgan and the "woman". And sorry Paige kept you up through the night... did my girls set the baby calendar back even further? I hope not!!

Click here for more pictures from this weekend.

MommaSissy

We're all ready to come see you! Morgan has packed a bag of all her essentials... books & blankets. I'm not sure why kids can't look normal for pictures. The first picture I told Paige to open her eyes (@ least she can obey a command). The second picture I told Morgan to open her eyes (she too can obey a command)!

Caroline, you can click here to get to E's blog. But the address is... http://urbangraceinteriors.typepad.com/the_blog/

We're heading out this afternoon for a fun filled 50th birthday party for my brother-in-law (that's right 50th... not a typo) at the beach. It's a surprise but I'm about 100% sure he doesn't read my blog so I think I'm safe. The whole Stickler family will be there and it should be a great time. Chance and Erika have graciously offered to keep the girls tonight. Morgan is thrilled and Erika will be wiped out by tomorrow morning!

The family was doing well this morning, considering their circumstances. The boys are being discharged today. So please please please pray for them... going home will be very difficult without their mother.

Random Stuff

I'll start tonight with an explanation of this picture. This is the Raiger (I'm starting to fear that her name may "stick", well at least I've never met another "Raiger"). She is my youngest daughter and she is 15 months old. This is the part of the blog where I once again add the "I'm her mom" disclaimer. In case you didn't know, my Raiger is the smartest, cutest, sweetest, most hilarious 15 month old child on the the whole EARTH! And if you want to know about the smartest, cutest, sweetest, most hilarious 2 year old on the planet--- I can go there too! But back to the Raiger... she will only eat her meals using a fork. Because we live in a crazy world (filled with crazy people who like to sue companies that make children's forks with sharp points) finding a fork for a child that is actually sharp enough to "stab" a piece of food is nearly impossible. So, being the resourceful mother that I am, found a sharp "baby size" fork intended to be stabbed in the end of an ear of corn and then lathered in butter. She loves it and won't eat without it! Meal time with this one makes me laugh! Shelli... she and AR could be sisters in their headbands!

Well as you can see by my lame title "Random Stuff" I'll switch gears entirely and fill you in on my friend Chris. It's been a while since I've updated you so here's the latest in a nutshell: he started chemo today (48 hour dose in hospital--- please pray), tomorrow is his 30th birthday (Happy Birthday, Chris!), the surgery was a success (with only one minor setback (infection in leg)), he's doing chemo at home to be near his family (answered prayer), he sounds great and looks great (answered prayer), and he's engaged (answered prayer--- I really LOVE his fiance-- she's as sweet as they come, loves the Lord, and is a Tiger Fan!) Wow... lots is happening in his life! I know he'd appreciate your prayers!!

Also for those of you who are late night bloggers... I'm taking breakfast to the hospital tomorrow for the family (and the extended family they have in town) in our Sunday school class who was involved in the car accident. Not sure what that will entail as far as seeing the boys and Cliff or not, but I'd love your prayers for the right words (not sure there are any now) and I'd also love for y'all to continue to pray for these folks. The boys are doing better and are out of ICU. Extended family has arrived and I imagine they are all feeling overwhelmed with what is before them still.

We've had a good week! Justin has been working hard on the new house and the electrician has been there the last 2 days. The floor guys have yet to show (which isn't necessarily bad-- due to the fact that we're not quite done painting--- believe it or not!) and the cabinets in the kitchen are going to need a little extra TLC from a cabinet expert. A few minor setbacks, but we're still seeing progress so that is good! The fluorescent light is down in kitchen and the other awful chandelier in kitchen is down and the recessed lights are in in the den and kitchen. What a difference a little light will make! My pendants are in over the bar and things are coming together. The gas company is going to run gas to the house for us... which is great.... but means no propane so I'm not able to justify those gorgeous gas lanterns... maybe one day! Justin has worked his tail off (Morgan loves this saying and always says, "people don't have tails!") painting every square inch of this house. I'm glad it's the 5th house I've convinced him to paint... the first one took so much convincing and he's finally starting to trust me. He's also on the couch now watch baseball and talking to himself... or maybe he thinks I'm listening! :)

Well it's getting late and I'm pooped. I hope that you all are doing well... anyone try any of my favorite products yet? Mom called from Walmart yesterday and wanted to know if I thought she would be "Light/Medium" or "Medium" in the Smart Shade make-up... it made my day! :) I love you Mom! Too bad some blog stalker broke into my house and stole my Smart Shade make-up... that's for you Sister! Just wait 'til you have 2 kids and no sleep... you might start to process your thoughts the way I process mine... oh dear! Ok, I'll share what I'm talking about... ironically, the day after I posted my list of "favorites" my Smart Shade make-up went missing... I made the mistake of asking Sister if she thought someone who read the blog came to my house and stole it. It's ok for you to laugh out loud now. You know I drink that poison stuff and it really kills my brain cells. Erika said, "Darby, you have got to be kidding me. Do you really think someone broke into your house to get your make-up!?" Now that I hear myself say it, that does sound pretty ridiculous. I'm laughing so hard right now that Justin just checked on me because he thought I was crying... I've been known to do that in front of the computer screen too. Erika has a blog now so I'm up against some tough competition. The only difference is that you'll be able to afford the products that I promote... you'll have to take out a second mortgage for hers! And my kids are cuter than hers.... and don't bark as much!

Time for bed! And if anyone did steal my make-up... I'd like it back. Even though I've already replaced it! You can never have too much of a good thing!