So, Here it is!

Well, you asked for it! Here are a few pictures of the house since the furniture arrived. We moved in on Tues. the 18th, but couldn't get a Christmas tree until Sat. the 22nd because there were still so many workers around. We usually go cut a tree at a farm, but there was no time for that this year. Instead, we headed to a nearby nursery. We were so late, they had marked down everything so that nothing was more than $20! We got this great 11ft. $170 tree for $20! Even funnier, if we had waited one more day, it would have been free! So here it is, the prettiest $20 tree you've ever seen:

We also started a new tradition this year, the boys wanted to get a "Charlie Brown" tree for upstairs. So we bought this $5 tree and some colored lights and gold tinsel and let them go to town. They loved it!

So, let me give you a tour. Remember, we are minus rugs and window treatments. Those will have to come later. Here's a picture of the keeping room. This is where the tree is. The furniture faces a big brick fireplace with a TV mounted over it:

Next is the kitchen. You can see that it is connected to the keeping room:

Here is the breakfast area, it is right by the keeping room as well:

Here is the living room. It is on the other side of the brick arch from the keeping room. You can see the dining room to the left. I have some leopard print fabric like the chairs you see to cover the seats of the dining room chairs:

OK, I'm out of time. Next time, I'll show you the rest.

Moving Day

Well, I have found the cord to the camera, and downloaded what pictures I have. I haven't done as good as I wished I had. I really wish I could show you what the house looked like on moving day. You wouldn't believe it. As the movers were moving all our stuff in, there were about 20 workers all over the place: painting, installing appliances, finishing up the trim work, etc. etc. Each day, we worked our tails off unpacking what we could and trying to get things in good enough shape to survive. Here are some pictures of the house a couple of days AFTER moving day:





In true "us" fashion, moving day was not only "moving day", but also the day of Braden's Christmas program at school. I went to the morning show and Richard caught the afternoon one. As stressed out as I was, the program totally changed my mood. It was the cutest thing I had seen. They did the "Cajun Night Before Christmas". If you've never read the book, you should. Santa comes with alligators instead of reindeer and in a pirogue instead of a sleigh. It is really cute, but you'll need someone from this part of the world to read it to you to get the full effect. Somehow, I think something would be lost with your yankee accents! Ha Ha! Here are a couple of pictures from the program:


Yes, they're in camoflauge, but that's how the cajuns do things!!
So, you would think that would be enough for one day, but, oh no, we weren't done yet. Bryce had his band concert at school the same evening. So, we changed out of our "moving" clothes, and into some "real" clothes and headed out to the concert. We left the builder and the workers there to keep working. Here is the handsome trumpet player (with the other boys):

And that was the end of moving day. Needless to say, we fell into bed, exhausted. But never fear, the next day was just as crazy.

I know you want to see pictures of the house. I am going to put that post together next.

We Made It!

I just wanted to check in really quick. We have had a crazy couple of weeks to say the least. I will get some pictures downloaded, but need to find the cords first. We still have workers in and out trying to finish the house that we now live in, but were able to have a wonderful Christmas with all of our family. I hope you did as well. I can't wait to be able to catch up with all of you and see how your Christmas was.

Taking A Break

I will be taking a break for a little while. My phone lines will be transferred tomorrow so I can have the security system hooked up at the new house. That means that I won't have internet for a whole week! I don't know if I can survive. I have been so incredibly busy, though, that it's probably a blessing. I will be packing up the house we're in (trying to make sure I'll be able to find Christmas presents), and making sure the new house is ready. Richard and I spent the whole weekend cleaning the new house. I don't think I have ever been so tired, but we are so determined to get it done. I will check in on everyone when we get moved. Have a great week!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

So I thought I'd share a few updated pictures of the house. We are SO close. This week will be another busy week, but I think we're going to be able to do it! Here are what the pictures are of:
1. The beaded board above the kitchen table. It is reclaimed from an old building. When it came, it still had turquoise paint in the grooves. I LOVE it. The guys who put it up think I'm crazy, but that's ok.
2. The copper hood with the new backsplash. What you see is a shelf that is behind the range. It can hold pretty bottles or salt shakers.
3. My copper apron sink.
4. The kitchen granite. I love it because it looks like leopard print.
5. The wood floors (they still have to be sanded and sealed).
6. My outside ceiling fans. I bought these about 6 months ago, and have been dying to see them up. I love them.
7. Cade's built-in bunk beds. They still have to be painted and some details added.
8. The LSU shower. This shower is HUGE. You can't tell by the picture, but there are three corner seats and three shower heads. It looks like a true locker room. I'll do a post on this bathroom later.
9. My kitchen. The island still needs to be painted, but it is all coming together.

We have worked so hard this weekend getting it ready for the week. I was so tired last night that I could hardly stay up to put the boys to bed, and I am very sore today! I'll post more later, but I'm off to bring Braden to a birthday party.

6 Months Closer!

Well, today marks 6 months that we have been logged in in China. So, in honor of this day, I had to share two outfits I picked up the other day. They were half off, and I just couldn't pass them up.

Everything has been really crazy the past few weeks with the house and all. It looks like we won't make the party deadline, but we will be in for Christmas. Right now, it looks like we'll move on the 18th. This week has been so busy there. The landscaping is being put in. All the lighting is in. All the tile is in, and they are starting on the wood floor. Also, all the granite and countertops are in. I will have lots of pictures to share, but I haven't gotten myself together enough to get it done.

Rural Life Museum

Today we went to the Rural Life Museum here in town. Every year they have one Sunday where they open up and show us what it was like to spend Christmas in the 19th century. We learned how they made sugar from the sugar cane, we saw the old slave quarters, Cade made a grapevine wreath that quickly became a hula hoop. Most of all, I got to take lots of pictures of my cuties with all kinds of great backgrounds. The only problem? It was in the 80's here today. I tried to dress them as "Christmas" as I could, while trying to keep the sweat down to a minimum. That's Louisiana for you. This first picture is of Cade with an old time musket. He and Bryce actually got to shoot it.

This might be my favorite of the three of them together. This was an old church.

Here is the front of the same church. They sell these great live wreaths here. I wanted some so bad, but seeing as we don't even know where we will be spending Christmas, it's just another thing to move right now. I'm already planning for next year!

Here are my four guys. Don't you love the big oaks. That might be my favorite part of south Louisiana.

Here's cutie Cade. He looks so grown up I can't believe it. He has held onto his "baby" look much longer than the others, but now he's losing it. Kinda makes me sad.

Here's Braden. He is wanting his hair long again, so I guess I'll let it grow until the school makes us cut it. It is so cute on him.

And, of course, here is Bryce. He is getting big, as well. It won't be long, and he'll be taller than I am.
We had a great day. We are trying to do lots of Christmas activities since we're not decorating the house we're in unless we see that we won't be moving before the holidays. Now we just need the weather to help us out a little.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!

OK, so can you guess which is which? The good news is that there are only one bad and one ugly (at least in this collage!). The top left is the bad. You should see the mess that is EVERYWHERE! Richard was there late today trying to get things cleaned up so people can work. Next would be the middle, top. Can you say U-G-L-Y?! That is MY bedroom! The picture really makes is look a little better than it does in person. It is so bright, it looks like it should be in a 10 year old girl's bedroom. They will be repainting it soon! The next two pics are of the color I chose for the dining room and the entry. I LOVE this color! It is such a gorgeous shade of turquoise. It totally makes up for the ugly green choice! Next is all the old doors lined up. They were all sealed over the holidays. The middle, right is the beginnings of Cade's built-in bunk beds. They are going to be so cool. The guy is going to use some wooden bats in the design. I can't wait to see it! Bottom, right is the built-in's that are in the children's den. Next is the state balcony. Doesn't it look awesome? It's not finished yet, but I love it! And, finally, maybe my most favorite feature of the whole house: the lockers! Every child has one, and there is plenty of space for jackets, backpacks, shoes, and whatever else they are throwing all over my floor now. They are in the laundry room which opens to the garage. All the cabinets in there are painted this awesome olive green color (the picture doesn't really show the color well). Well, that's the update. There has been alot of work done, but there is still SO much to do. The builder told me today that he doesn't see us being ready for the Christmas party. I had actually given up on that a few days ago, but now I just want to be in for Christmas. I hate not having a Christmas tree up, or any decorations! We'll see which workers show up tomorrow.

Our Weekend

All the boys heading out to hunt in the afternoon.

One of the food plots.

A deer Richard saw.

We had a campfire Friday night. The boys love to chop
up bamboo and watch it burn. We also have a family tradition
of having a marshmallow fight. None of us like to eat them,
so instead of roasting them, we throw them at each other.
Sounds crazy, but it's actually alot of fun!

Well, we ended up all being well enough to have Thanksgiving on Thursday. Thankfully, I am the only one in our house who got the stomach bug. We left Thanksgiving evening to spend some time at the camp. We had a great day yesterday, but then Braden started crying saying his ear hurt, and Cade has been coughing horribly. We came home today so I could bring Braden to the doctor. Sure enough, he has an ear infection. Cade is still coughing, but I am hoping he will get better now that we're home. It has been such a cold, rainy day today, and we have enjoyed having a cozy afternoon at home. One more day until school starts. I am hoping we can all take advantage of it and sleep late!

They're Back!

Well, Bryce and PawPaw made it back safe and sound. He was so excited to share all his souveniers and show the other boys what he got them. He brought me a Christmas ornament filled with shredded dollar bills. He is so cute. Here are a few pictures from their many adventures. There are a couple where they are wearing bicycle helments. They took a bike tour of the city and ended up being the only two. I think it was one of the highlights.

 

 

 

 

The best thing about having him back is seeing how excited they all are to see each other. I don't think they realize how much they miss each other until they are back together again. They have been playing together all afternoon. I'm sure the fighting will start again, but for now, I'm enjoying the brotherly love!

What a Week

This week has been crazy so far! Saturday night, my nephew, who is 10 months old, had a febrile seizure while my brother and SIL were in their car. They called me and told me they were driving straight to the hospital. All they knew was that he was shaking, his eyes were rolling back in his head, and he was unresponsive. Scared us all to death. I ran to the hospital to meet them there. My mom was there too. Ends up, he had a horrible stomach virus that made his fever rise quickly, and caused the seizure. Those seizures don't cause any damage, but scare you to death. Well, you can imagine what happened next: My brother got the virus, then my mom, and then me! I am trying to wash hands and spray lysol as much as possible because I don't want my whole family to get sick.

My dad and Bryce come home today. They have had a great trip. I can't wait to see all the pictures. Hopefully, they don't catch this virus either.

The house is moving along. There were so many people in there yesterday, I didn't even go in (besides that I didn't want to throw up on anyone). I need those workers healthy!

Hope everyone's having a great week. We are still waiting to see if anyone gets sick to know whether we will be having a "feast" or not.

Well, Here They Are

The columns are finally finished. I think the stucco guys have been working at my house (on all the stucco) for at least a month. I love the way they turned out. I can't wait to have the front doors painted and the landscaping in.

The painters were there Saturday priming all the trim, and hopefully are there today painting a couple of the bathrooms because the tile guys are coming tomorrow to start tiling them. We also start forming up the driveway this week, so if everyone shows up like they're supposed to, we might have a chance to make it for the Christmas party. Keep your fingers crossed!! Or better yet, PRAY!!!

Off They Go...

My dad is taking Bryce on a trip to Washington DC this week. They just left for the airport a few minutes ago. Bryce has been so excited about this trip for weeks. I am so excited for him. The fact that he gets to go with Paw Paw and all by himself makes it that much better! I can't wait to hear all about it.

So Cute!

After the kids had gone to bed last night, I was laid out in my own bed. Cade came in and said that his feet were SO cold. I told him to let me sit on them. He stuck his feet under my behind and says "Ooohhh, warm...Mom, you're a seat heater". Yep, there's plenty of "seat" to heat.
Here's my cutie at about 2. I love this picture, it makes me laugh everytime I see it. That is so Cade's personality - a total ham!

They're FINALLY Up!!

I have had these massive 12X12 old pine beams on my back porch for months just waiting to be hung in the house. They are VERY heavy, and to be honest, everyone has been scared of them. My builder has been taking his own sweet time because he needed to figure out the best way to get them up. Well today was the day. The trim guys were mad because they didn't want to have any part of it. Everyone tried to convince me that people don't put these beams up in houses (which I know that they do). I don't know if they do that much where you live, but here, they're pretty common in bigger houses. I have books filled with pictures of big beams hung in houses. I almost let them talk me out of it and let them build a "fake" one instead, but I stuck to my guns. Besides, I already paid for them, and don't want them on my porch forever. The builder also insisted that they were too big, and would not look right. Again, very stubborn, I told him that I would take that chance. So the moment of truth arrived, and I was there to see it!
They had to get every person who was at the house to carry the beam inside. We had stucco guys, painters, trim guys, etc. I wasn't there for that, but would have loved to get a picture of it. Here they are starting to lift it:

Going up:

So the big one is up, and the second one is being supported by the lifts. They'll put a third one up tomorrow. I think they look GREAT! The best part was the builder admitted that he was wrong, and the size looks great! I love it when I'm right!!!LOL


And as a bonus, all the columns are now up, and they have put the first coat of stucco on them. I think they'll be ready for the color coat tomorrow! I'll update then.

Braden's First Deer

Richard took Bryce, Braden and a couple of their friends (and another dad) hunting this weekend. It was a youth weekend, so it was all about the boys. Braden got to shoot his first deer and was so excited. Here he is in the stand. Isn't he the cutest?

Bryce and his friend Hunter got to hunt together without an adult. Makes me very nervous, but they seem to have done ok. Bryce shot a 6 point, but got in big trouble because he wasn't supposed to kill a deer that small. We were proud of him for making the shot all by himself, though.

I have to post these pictures of them with the deer because they are so proud. I know some of you might not like them, but I hope you'll still love me.
Here is Braden with his first deer. Richard said he was so excited that as soon as he shot, he hugged Richard and wouldn't let go. So sweet.

And here are the brothers together with their deer.

The One Column'd Monster

So here it is! Aren't you impressed? This one column has been up for a week now. It was funny at first, now it's just annoying. Did you know that the inside of a column is styrofoam? These massive, strong-looking things could be destroyed by my boys in a heartbeat. They'll be stronger after they stucco them, but styrofoam? They have almost finished the paint color, though, and the doors have been primed. They also finally brought the kitchen island in today. I'll take pictures of the kitchen with cabinets tomorrow.


Just for clarification, the invitations going out was not brave on my part. Richard's office sent them out. I asked him yesterday if we had a back-up plan, and he said, "Well, the invitations went out yesterday". Whoo Hoo!!!

Oh, and by the way, you are all invited!! However, if I were you, I'd come in the summer when the pool is in.

I'm Still Here

I'm here, I promise! I have been swamped lately with life. Between the kids school and the new house, I have been running like crazy. Nothing really blog-worthy though. I have been trying to check-in on all of you as much as possible. I'm addicted to seeing all those cutie pies everyday. We should be getting the rest of our cabinets in today, and I've had 1, yes 1, of my six columns on the front of the house for about a week now. It's actually pretty funny. I'm getting really nervous about the move-in date, though. The Christmas party is on the 14th, and the invitations have already gone out with my new house as the party place!! YIKES!! At this rate, I'll be lucky if I have two days in the house before the party. Can you say STRESS!! Not to mention that the 14th is 11 days before Christmas. Oh well, it will all work out - one way or another!

Better Late Than Never

Oh well, I have one picture of Halloween to post. Our friends Candice and Kiva came over with their 4 kids (the baby was 1 week old). I actually cooked a meal for us all which included blackberry cobbler for dessert! It was SO good I should have taken a picture of it! After dinner, the dads took all the kids trick or treating while Candice and I hung out at the house. It was great! Here is a picture of all the kids heading out:

What A Weekend!

Well, in case you didn't hear, LSU won! By the skin of their teeth. They tried really hard to lose that game, but pulled it out in the end. I enjoyed the game, but enjoyed spending some time with Richard and my friend Rachel. Rachel and I went to kindergarten together and were best friends, but we moved to a different part of town and didn't see each other for years. When we were in high school, we ended up at the same little private school, and have been inseparable ever since. We haven't lived in the same town for 10 years, so when we do get together, we have lots of catching up to do. She has three children who are the same ages as mine, so they love to be together. Her husband couldn't come, so Richard was both of our dates. He was a very good date! It was nice to get a little break from the kiddos. We have another friend from high school who lives in AL and happened to be going to the game. We were able to catch up with her before the game started. Here are me, Fran, and Rachel. We love Fran regardless of her Alabama colors.

Here are Rachel and I after the tigers won:


So, now back to reality, in other words: laundry!! I don't know exactly what my dad did with the kids this weekend, but they sure wore alot of clothes doing it! At least I have an extra hour to get another load in!

Well, today we leave to go see the tigers play Alabama. It is a HUGE game, and I wasn't supposed to go until a couple of days ago. Ends up, one of my best friends is coming with us too. I can't wait! And my kids get to have some quality time with Paw Paw!

I have been SO swamped with the house lately that I have not had any time for the computer. This week has been crazy busy there (which is awesome), but I don't see it letting up until we move in. I will post some updated pictures next week.

I hope I will be able to catch up with everyone soon.

I'm off to pick up this crazy house we live in, so my kids and my dad won't be tripping over dirty clothes all weekend. Which makes me wonder - if I only wash clothes on the weekend, and I'm going to be gone all weekend...hmmmm....

Have a great weekend everyone! GEAUX TIGERS!!!!

He's At It Again

Well, Cade decided to redecorate the walls of his room again. This is what he did a few weeks ago:

So, he disappeared into his room for the afternoon, and then made me close my eyes to see what he had done. This is what is there now. Notice all the stars:

I LOVE it! I especially love the man on the moon with the flag:

I can't wait until we move and he has his own room that he can fill with his creations!

Everybody have a great time trick or treating! I told mine that they could wear anything we already have. After 11 Halloweens, I'm about done with all the costumes. I think I'm going to have a couple of football players and a fighter pilot. All they care about is the candy anyway. Looking forward to seeing all your posts of your little cuties!