Kate's prayer and Brooks' talking

Tonight, Kate got stuck on her prayer. She kept saying, "And, please help.... and please help...". Finally Scott said, "Please help what?" She said, "Please help Tristan (the dog) not to spit."

Brooks is talking more and more. And, we are understanding him more and more!

-Monday morning I got him out of the crib. He immediately said, "Banket!" I asked him if he wanted his blanket (as I was reaching for it) and he said, "Peese"...

-Wednesday night, during the devotional, he was incredibly good. Afterwards, I gave him a big hug and said I was so proud of him. He said to me, "I quiet! I quiet!"

-Tonight I was getting him ready for bed. I asked him if he had given Daddy a kiss goodnight and he said, "No ma'am". He then runs into the living room, gives Daddy a huge SWAK, and runs back to his room where I am waiting.

The girl with gumption

So, after purchasing this chandelier 2 weeks ago, I decided yesterday that I was going to find someone to re-wire it. After several phone calls, I found there are only 2 people in our area that do this. The first place charged $45.00/hour + material cost. The second I went by with the light to get an estimate: $120.00!

So what did I do? I called my Uncle Tommy who is an electrician. I asked him if this was something that I could do myself or did I need to have it done by someone else. He said that I could do it myself - it wasn't that hard to do.

That was 7pm.

After quickly taking the light apart - which was pretty easy by the way - I headed off to Lowes to get the parts I needed. I spent $15.00 for them, including the 6 bulbs needed.

That was 8pm.

So, while Scott and I were watching The Bucket List, I was rewiring the light. Now, I must confess that the sockets were in good shape and didn't need replacing. If that were the case, it would have taken me much longer.

Ready to hang. 10pm.

So Scott, knowing that I need to get projects done THEN (bad habit of mine), agreed to help me hang it. It took a little while to get it anchored, but here is the end result! The lighting is beautiful - so much prettier than the other one we had. I didn't even recognize the light on the ceiling last night that I see in the picture!

So, necessity is the mother of invention. When that guy quoted me $120.00, I quickly learned how to rewire a light!

This picture is not a good one - but oh well. You can see it in the day.

Just another day...

Work was busy today.

Dr. B did buy the clinic lunch in honor of my upcoming birthday! What a nice surprise. It beat the tuna fish sandwich that I had brought with me (that I ended up eating for supper). Anyway...

My coughing is improving every day.

I am going to the dentist for a cleaning tomorrow. I can't stand going to the dentist. I do it because I should, but I make myself do it. But I hate it.

I have been asked recently what book I am reading. It is 'The Friendships of Women' by Dee Brestin. It is a fabulous book and I couldn't recommend it enough!

Poor Bullet has a boo-boo

So, Thursday was a pretty interesting day. I got bit on the arm by a dog. When that happens on the first appointment, you feel really great about how the rest of the day will go... Then, late in the day, a dog who had been sick all day (a 2 pound dog that was snake bit the day before) died with the owner present and hysterical.

All this I could have dealt with.

Then, one of our employees accidentally backed into my parked car in the parking lot.

Oh, did I mention that she doesn't have insurance?

I was amazingly calm the entire time (I was even quite impressed with myself). I just kept hearing my Dad's voice in my head saying, "It doesn't do any good to get angry. Things happen. Getting 'out of sorts' will only make a hard situation worse". Maybe I will have been a good witness to this employee. I really like her.

The adjuster will be out tomorrow to check out the damage, and from there I go get estimates.



Kate didn't take the news well... (LOL!)

Yes, we name all of our vehicles. Bullet is my car, Rudy is Scott's truck. Mom's car is Skeester. Brooke's car is Cooter. Rick's old car was Flash - not sure he has named the new one. Casey, does yours have a name?

Makes me sad

This morning Scott and I learned of some friends who are going through a divorce.

Even though your marriage is fine - and we are happy (at least I am... HA!), it is very scary when this happens to a family whom you know and love. I think that it should scare me - scare anyone - that this is such a sad reality. I called Scott and talked to him. I felt better talking to him. He said I sounded more shocked about this than my car... (Oh... I have to blog about that later...)

All day long I have thought of them, prayed for them, and prayed for us. Not just for me and Scott, but all us young marrieds with young children whom love the Lord. Please pray for all of "us" and for them; aren't we glad that God still listens to "generic" prayer requests?

A small day

Tonight, coming home from church, Kate said that she was sleepy. In fact, she said, "We were all sleepy". I replied, "Yes, ma'am, we are ALL sleepy. We've had a big day."

And she replied, "Mama, I've had a SMALL day..."

Where have my treasures found a home?

Yes, so we didn't get this dresser this past weekend. But, we saw 2 of them (similar) while on our adventure. We got this chest maybe 3 years ago at a local auction. They had been trying to sell it for several weeks, but no one was interested in it. It is solid oak (mine and Scott's fave furniture) with a chest on the side. No one at the auction seemed to know what it was for. Well, we figured it out this weekend - the smaller chest was used as a hat box. How cool is that? The ones we saw this weekend were over $1,000.00 for sale - and we DIDN'T pay that much for ours. We thought that was pretty neat!

Here is a close up of the motif on the bed. This is a picture of the foot board. It is just the neatest little thing.

Where have my treasures found a home?

I still have no idea where to put this AWESOME column that I found...

OK - here are our matching lamps! The table that we purchased is on the right side of the bed. On the left is a small table that was my great-grandmothers. Their heights were similar - just requiring 1 book to make the difference (a first edition of Black Beauty, of course)

I moved the table sideways so that it doesn't stick out as far.

Where have my treasures found a home?

Above is the circular black grate I got at Leeds. I wasn't sure what I would do with it, but it was such a great price, and I love the uniqueness of it. After placing it on the table (while unloading the truck) it occurred to me - a trivet for my table!

Here is my favorite tool box - ready for flowers for next year. It is still my favorite find.

Treasure Hunt, Day 1

Day one of our treasure hunt! We first stopped in Clanton at D & G's Antique store. For those who can, it is a great source of salvage antiques - iron, fence work, weather vanes, etc. It was a great store. After spending over an hour there, we were off finding places on the way to Montevallo. We spent a lot of time driving in the country and saw some pretty sights.

The following pictures were from Cedar Creek Antiques. This store is located in home built in the 1830's in Alabama. It is laid out as a "dog trot" (a home consisting of 2 rooms on either end of the house with a hallway down the center). She specialized in antiques from Alabama and colonial days. I just LOVE stories like hers. It is a truly special place to see.

After arriving in Alabaster, we stopped by one of my guilty pleasures - Old Time Pottery. I am so happy to say that we purchased our first set of matching lamps for our bedroom. Yes, we have been married for over 11 years now - it's about time.

We stayed with Rick and Brooke while there. That Thursday night Big Red's wife, Patty, stayed there, too. She is so nice, and we had a blast trading stories on home renovations. Let me tell you, you haven't heard anything until she tells you of the house they bought and are renovating. Anyway, she was so fun and we laughed and laughed!

Love these lamps!

Patty, me and Brooke

Treasure Hunt, Day 2

Friday we headed out early to go to Pell City, to Landis Antique Mall, to pick up the chandelier that we purchased 2 weeks ago. While on the way, we saw this huge billboard showing Bama Flea Mall in Leeds. Of course we detoured there and it was HUGE. I think we walked around for almost 2 hours. I got a really pretty grate (I haven't made a picture yet), Scott got some books, but again we struck out on the end tables.

After getting the chandelier we were told of 2 more places to try - Cottage Antiques and the Shelby Co Flea Market. Cottage Antiques was a quaint little place off the main drag. After looking around, I spotted this beautiful old fence post (?) - I'm not sure what it is, or what I could do with it for that matter, but I just loved it! So, we got an incredibly good price on it - $12.00 and it was ours.

Next, while heading to SCFM, we spot another store on the road. We (literally) whipped into the parking lot of the older home and looked around. That's when I spotted this bed. Now, we weren't shopping for a bed. But, this one was beautiful. It is made of solid oak with panels. There is a beautiful carved motif on the headboard and footboard of a basket of flowers. I inquired about the price and the owner (after showing that it did need some work) offered it to us for $40.00! Well, I scooped it up! Even Scott was excited about it. It will end up being Kate's bed - after some TLC.

The SCFM was a total bust, so we headed on home after that.



The bed and post - I will post some better pictures in the coming days...

These were pictures of some furniture descriptions from Saturday's trip. Notice the peculiar spelling of some of the words.

This was Scott's find! I have collected Breyer horses for years now. Although I don't get many anymore, this one was pretty special because first: it wasn't a horse, and second: I didn't have it! It was a very reasonable price, so Scott got himself a treasure!

Treasure Hunt, Day 3

On Saturday we got up early to hit the Bessemer Flea Market. It was only about 20 miles from R&B's house. I could hardly sleep the night before (no kidding) for my excitement! Well, it was a bust. It was an outdoor market mainly comprised of Barack Obama shirts and, the ultimate outdoor market killer: Avon. So, we started asking where we could go next.

The next 2 markets were in _____. OK, so I can't remember - but it was somewhere north/east of B'ham. Anyway, they were fabulous! We found 3 treasures there, and then we headed off to Trussville. That antique store was interesting - being in an old nursing home. Now, you had to get past the fact that it was an old nursing home, but the vendors were neatly divided into each room and they had a working cafeteria that served "meat and 3" for daily lunch. We didn't find anything there we loved, but it was neat all the same.

I think we hit 15-20 antique stores/flea markets in 3 days. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. Next, I plan on showing you where these treasure of found places in our home!



This tool box was my favorite treasure of the weekend. I plan on using it on my dining room table filled with dried hydrangeas that will HOPEFULLY bloom next year...

Here is my tool box with the neatest old rolling filing cabinet. This thing is heavy! The top lifts up to reveal the storage. We are going to use it as a side table or night stand.

Of course, Scott being the UPS man he is, was able to get everything loaded in it's place!

Fun, fun, fun!

We are having the best time gallivanting around B'ham! I got some treasures I can't wait to show you - and some great deals!!! More later!

It is hot

Since we don't have the luxury of trotting down to the beach like some Florida cousins that I have do... we just keep pulling out the sprinker! And, YES, Brooks is in a diaper. At this point in the morning, we had been working outside for a few hours, and the kids were so sweaty. I dragged out the sprinkler and took most of their clothes off. They cooled off and (you guessed it) Scott was out there too, teaching Kate to jump over the sprinker. My 3 children! :)

I guess this is how we cool off in Alabama - in the sprinklers with our diapers.

Right before church I took a minute to get some pictures of the kids in their "semi-matching" clothes. Kate was ready for some pics, and Brooks was NOT. In fact, he kept saying, "Inside!" and I asked him if he wanted to go in, and he said, "Es Ma'am" *I think that qualifies as the first time my stubborn son has said that without being prompted.

Their brother/sister pictures are getting better!

Happier days!

I got a good report from my Dr today - I did in fact have pneumonia - but it is much better now. I told Mom that I was pretty proud of myself for sticking it out at work last week, now really knowing what I have. Today I have felt better than I have in probably 2 weeks. I worked until after lunch and then spent some of the afternoon at my Dr's office.

I snapped some pictures of the kids in the bathtub tonight. As you can see, they are hamming it up. When I see these pictures of Brooks, I see how much he is growing and changing. Remember previous bathroom pics?

Better by and by...

Thank you for all the well wishes! I am finally feeling better (although I don't sound it), after a weekend of bed rest. I spent most of the time either on the couch or in the bed. By Sunday night I was tired to being at home.

Back to the grind today. Fortunately, today was really a breeze considering. The bottom fell out at 5pm when an emergency came in - we quickly figured out that the dog had been snake bit. She was shocky on arrival, with her temp over 106 degrees, her heart rate in the 240's and her front leg swollen and bruised. I gave her everything but the kitchen sink and we worked on her over an hour before her temp started coming down. When we left she was 104 degrees and heart was 200bpm. I will be shocked if she lives through the night, but all we can do is wait and see. She is, by far, the worst snake bite I have seen. Jennifer, be sure you relay to your husband. I did everything but give anti venom (we don't have any).

Dr. B's flights have been diverted/cancelled/whatever so I am going into work tomorrow. I am hoping she'll be there by lunch. At this point, it's not that big a deal - and Scott is off work for the week. But, we are going to be ANTIQUE HUNTING starting on Thursday! I am so excited - our "mini" vacation will be going to any and every antique store/flea market we come across. I have been DREAMING about this (really, over the weekend...) and am so excited about it!

My frequent blogging will begin again starting next week. I hope to have more interesting and funny things to share - better than "I'm sick again" updates!

*Got a call at 9:30pm and this dog had died... Again, I am NOT surprised!

Wilted flower

I have a vase of wilted flowers on my dining room table right now. If I had more energy, I would take a picture and show them to you. Because, this is the only description of me right now.

I started coughing (again) on Saturday. I went to the doctor on Monday and I have either: bronchitis or pneumonia. They weren't ready to hang their hat on either. I got 2 shots in my hip - and was thrilled when I remembered I was wearing my panties that say "Monday" across the waist ban (I won't go into how I got these). Yeah, how adult did that look? Anyway...

Tuesday I went into work about 11am. Dr. B went to Canada for the rest of the week, so I am running the clinic. That night I went to a CE (local veterinary association meeting) that I didn't get home from until 9:45pm. And, I drank PLENTY of tea from Jim and Nick's, that was FULL of caffeine, and consequently lay awake in the bed most of the night. Set me up well for the rest of the week.

Wednesday I spent half the morning in the bathroom from the antibiotics my doctor prescribed. Not getting home last night until 8pm, I went to bed shortly afterwards. I did get a new prescription, though.

Worked all day today. I felt worse today than yesterday. Great.

The good news is that I have to work tomorrow, and then I get the weekend off!

The hardest part, other than working sick as a dog (haha - I know), is that I miss my kids! They spent the last part of last week visiting GranGran and PawPaw, got home Sunday, and I have either worked or been in the bed sick since. I don't think I will get much quality time this weekend, because I hope to be in the bed getting better from whatever I have.

And, I go back to the doctor next Tues for more x-rays... And, I imagine the plot will further thicken...

Dedication to our 4th

(In my feeble attempt to be funny, you must HUM the tune of the Star Spangled Banner while reading this post... LOL!)

Oh, say can you see
this chandelier light.
I can't wait to display
over our kitchen table!
(that's right, Scott said I could get it!)

No, it's not stripes or plaid,
but our new room curtains!
With their flowers and trim
they are perfectly lovely -

And, our mantle's been changed,
adding fluted columns
and painted bright white
(but it's not finished yet)

Oh say can you see the beautiful
mud on our walls.......
Ore the spare bedroom....

Whose color,
I'm not happy.....

with...

(to be continued on Labor Day)

My new favorite home improvement project...

Well, much has happened since I last posted...

The kids have been visiting Gran Gran and Paw Paw since Thursday night. I haven't seen them since before work on Thurs. - and I miss my kids! We know they are having a ball visiting, and Scott and I have been able to get some overdue home improvement projects done. Well, that's the story of this house. But, I digress...

We decided to tackle (finally) the spare bedroom - the only room to remain largely untouched in our home renovations. It started with partially removed wall paper, wood crown and base boards... you get the picture. We spent the day Friday getting it prepped for Saturday.

Now, back to my favorite new project - mudding sheet rock! I just had a blast doing this. I had to repair a good bit of sheet rock that was damaged while removing wallpaper (the wall wasn't sized prior to the wallpaper... I hear the groans of others who have had this fun...). Well, let me tell you, if you need some mudding done at your house, just call me. Now, I don't like the sanding afterwards... but I love the mudding.

Yesterday, we painted the room, and I'm not happy with the color I picked out. I wanted a pale blue color - and although the color is just what I picked out, it reminds me of a nursery color. Perfect for a nursery but not for my spare bedroom. I think Scott groaned out loud when I said that I wasn't really happy with it.

We spent the rest of the night painting and getting the house in order for the coming week. I have to work the entire week - good for the money, bad for me missing my children! Scott and I are tired today but very proud of the further progress we have made.

Pictures are coming later on. I have to work the entire week, so they may be slow in coming...

Our busy day

I choose to put this picture of Brooks up, because he has been keeping us laughing for several days now.

Today, the kids and I went with Mom and Dad to an antique mall in North AL. Dad repairs antique clocks and had a movement that he couldn't get to strike. So, we went up with him to get the movement looked at by another clockman. While they worked, Mom and the kids and I shopped! That was the neatest store and we had a great time. I found a chandelier at a GREAT price that I would LOVE to put in our kitchen - so I took pictures to show Scott, and hopefully convince Scott! We may be back there in a few weeks - and if it's still there.... :)

After eating and giving the kids some time to stretch their legs, we went to see my brother, an optometrist in B'ham, to visit and get Dad's yearly check done. Then, it was a trip to a shoe store to find me some work shoes that will keep my feet from hurting, to Books-A-Million and then to Rick and Brooke's house for supper. Then we came back home.

Some funnies from the day:

1. This morning Brooks started laughing while I was changing his diaper, and he said, "That's funny.... That's funny!"
2. While eating, he was cracking up laughing every time that Mom blew her nose. Really, it was the funniest thing he had ever seen.
3. He talked to Daddy on the phone and laughed the entire time, because Daddy was saying "You want a piece of me?"
4. At R and B's house, Mom had Kate get on their scale. She asked Kate what she weighed, and she said "32 pounds!". Then Kate asked Mom to get on the scale, and she did. Mom asked her what she weighed, and Kate said "400 pounds!"
5. Coming home tonight, I was "singing" the "Daddy song" to Brooks (it goes: Daddy... Daddy... you get the picture). I just got started and he put his fingers to my mouth and said "Shhhh....!"

Our busy day

Dad with Richard - another clock specialist

My kids look totally thrilled to be at the antique store.

I LOVED this chandelier - I am hoping to convince Scott that he loves it too!

I was so surprised that Brooks wore this hat, and that he loved wearing it!