My Painting Experience

Oh Man, I had to learn a lesson the hard way and not only once, but TWICE!!

I really Love the color turquoise. I have an end table that I plan to paint turquoise, I use it a lot when I paint on canvas, & I've been wearing the color alot lately too. I love the color so much that I decided I wanted to paint it on my wall. This was my first time ever painting but what I envisioned didn't really pan out the way I was hoping. Fortunately I've learned 3 key things about painting your interior. Unfortunately, I had to learn from my mistakes. Word to the wise...

ONE: Just because you like a color swatch, doesn't mean you should put it on your wall.

TWO: It's better to paint a small section of the wall rather than painting the entire thing to realize after that the color is horribly wrong.

THREE: Make sure you pick a color that either complements or contrasts well with the surroundings, ie. cabinets, counter tops, & surrounding wall color. A no-brainer for most people, I'm sure!!!

My neighbor had painted this exact wall in her house a beautiful color which gave me the inspiration to do mine. I headed to the paint store without taking in mind the warm color scheme I already had going on in my kitchen. I chose the color "Green Dream" which ended up being my nightmare!

...It reminded me of toothpaste. I still like the color & think it's fabulous... for a bathroom.

Eager to get it right, I went back to the paint store, this time with a sample of the tan color thats on my other walls. I ended up with this color:

It reminds me of an 80's surf shop...

Tyler was so patient with the whole process & never criticized it once. He kept saying, "this is your thing". I put my kitchen back together after I painted it the 2nd time b/c I was hoping that when I woke up the next morning the color would magically look better to me. But it was just SO awful! I think it would look great on a piece of furniture or as decor pieces here and there, just not on my wall. I had to fix it! ...3rd times a charm right? I went to Home Depot with a piece of fabric to have it color matched. This time I bought a color sample & painted only a portion of the wall... But it was gross. Finally, I threw in the towel & painted it back to the original color, minus the tiny strip above the sink that still needs to be primed & painted...

Booo! Choosing paint colors for your house is not an easy task! I'm going to seek help the next time I decide to paint. I'm thinking about painting the wall surrounding my nook? Green, Coral, Orange??? Hmm, we shall see...

Caroline's Party

The 1st birthday is all about the cake... it's the main event... the moment all eyes are on baby just waiting to see the reaction & the mess. Being a health concious mommy & not wanting to give my daughter a tummy ache, I decided to make her a strawberry short cake. Well, the "rising action" of the night was the moment I placed the cake in front of her. Caroline "dove" right in... We watched her eat it very delicately as if to not mess up her cute cake. Needless to say, she gave us no climax. The whipping cream wasn't spread from ear to ear nor was it in her hair or lap. She was SO careful as she ate each little bite. It wasn't the typical "attack & devour" we were anticipating. There really was no mess for me to clean up afterwards either which was pretty surprising since lunch time & dinnertime she makes wild food fiascos! She ate a very good portion of her cake, she was proper & she was a lady.

A day with the dinosaurs

Preston is so AniMatEd these days. He's at the stage now where he'll pose & smile for every picture, I love it! Before it was difficult to get him to hold still long enough to just get him in the shot. This was a fabulous, fun day at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point...

Unlucky Birthday

Exciting News! Caroline is 1 year old today!!!

But the bad thing about it

...she's sick!

Caroline woke up from a nap thursday with a fever. Friday, her fever got worse & even got up to 104.4 degrees! We went to the doctor & they just examined her & scratched their heads??? (dumb Dr) Said to bring her back if her fever continues. I asked the Dr if she thought it could be Roseola & she said, "No because their isn't any rash"...I wanted to shake the Dr. She should know that the rash comes on once the fever breaks. My daughter was boiling hot, it was a very scary friday.

Well she woke up this morning with that crummy fever again. We're hoping this will all end soon so we can get on with the festivites! ...Our poor little darling. I'm just SO sorry you're sick on your birthday.

It seems like just yesterday this beautiful baby girl entered our lives. Here's how that day all went down:

Everything was planned: I was scheduled for inducement, our suitcase had within it the new & Oh-so soft 1st outfit you would wear, tiny bows & brets, the pink & leopard print blanket... Tyler & I were so anxious to meet our baby girl. My Mom & sister's Lisa & Vicki were waiting with us at the hospital as well. The epidural I had received had only numbed my right side and as the contractions increased, so did the pain. Those who had come to be apart of this special day left the hospital to allow me the peace I needed in that intense moment. Luckily, my left leg started to go numb, but not completely. I dialated very quickly after that. 45 minutes later this tiny baby girl announced her arrival with loud whales & cries! At that exact moment, my mom & two sisters were at the door shocked with disbelief that they had missed her birth by just seconds. The first thing I remember about my baby girl was the creases in her arms. I have small babies but even though she was small (6 lbs 7oz), she was round, she was healthy, & we were finally able to put a face with a name. What a beautiful baby. Everyone surrounded & loved her immediately. Caroline, you have brought more meaning to my life & the role that I play as a mother. I look forward to growing in our love & friendship together. I love you Carebear, Gus Gus, & my Sweet Caroline.

Brand New

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months & the look tells exactly how she's feelin'

Sorry baby. Happy Birthday any ways. xoxo

Teaching Choice & Accountability

I want to preface this to first say that I do not see myself as an expert of parenting by any means ;o) I'm humbled by the inevitable fact that I still have a lot to learn as my kids grow older. These are some things Tyler & I have been implementing lately & we have felt successful with teaching Preston... Most of the time!

Preston is at that stage in life where we can either make or break him b/c he's so incredibly impressionable. He takes things so literally and internalizes everything so Tyler & I find ourselves being very careful with the things we say & what he watches on tv. He's VERY sensitive ;o) Not that that's a bad thing! He's so precious & special & I think this trait is important to have in a world that can be very damaging.

For example, Preston can't stand getting dirty but we're trying to teach him that sometimes our clothes get messy or a little wet & it's no big deal! He will cry & cry & beg for a clean shirt. You would think the world was ending. He's a little dramatic right now, but it's a phase & he's just learning & figuring out life. The upside to all of his sensitivity is that he really wants to do the right thing or as we say in our home, "make good choices".

I learned a method of teaching choice & accountability from my sister Kiimberly & it's something that Tyler & I both use with Preston. Whenever Preston is having a hard day and does something "bad" we will say, "Preston, you're a good boy but you're making bad choices". We never tell him he's a bad boy, rather we Remind him to make good choices. The point is that he gets to choose & then he will either be happy or sad by the outcome of his choice. Every choice has it's consequence, good or bad. He's caught on to that really well. This has been very effective for Preston & this form of positive discipline allows Preston to determine on his own wheather his choices are good or bad. But just like every child, he sometimes has a hard time making good choices on his own. The following quote can come in handy for us parents when dealing with bad behavior:

"Don't skold, punish, or chastise your child but Remind Them of Who They Are, rather than who thay are not". -I can't remember who said this but I wrote it down & refer to it often.


I love this advice. It goes right along with the advice my sister gave me about choices & reminding your child that they are good. When put to practice this can be very effective.

Another thing... Lately Preston has been having bad dreams & will come into our room crying. I beleive tv plays a big part in this & I wish we could get rid of our tv all together! What happens in the day, we process at night while we sleep. What a child listens to 40 minutes before bed is processed in the heart & mind for the next 8 hours. To prevent nightmares we do "nightime nurturing" in our home, which is basically a nightly routine of music (involving both parents), meditation (prayer), & essential oil massage. My kids love their essential oils. Preston laughs everytime we rub them on him but he loves it & Caroline just lays there as though she is a queen being pampered & lets us massage her feet, neck & back ;o) The oils have been very effective & when we do this routine, Preston doesn't have bad dreams. I'll admit we don't do this every single night, but we try.

I remember what it was like to be little. And I still remember my childhood nightmares. They can be traumatizing b/c a child has a hard time distinguishing what is real & what isn't. I'm grateful to have sensitive children. They help to keep our home pure & clean from the filth that is in the world. I want to preserve their innocense as long as possible.