Feathering the Nest

I decided to change my "look" a little bit over here. First of all I loved my old style that Danielle of the Design Girl did for me. I was one of the first blogs that she ever did loooong ago and I figured it was time for a fresh new look to make the blog a bit more "me". Ya know, to go along with my whole "cleaning and simplifying " season of life. This was my first attempt at doing it on my own. I am by no means a whiz at this computer stuff. Luckily I found these free graphics over at http://www.thegraphicsfairy.com/. She has great tutorials and very easy directions so I thought I would give it a try and I love how it turned out! If you are looking for some nice vintage artwork for your blogs or projects go check her out!

Happy Chinese New Year!!! Happy Valentine's Day!!

There is alot of celebrating going on around our house today!! First of all, being that we have a Chinese daughter we continue her traditions for her and celebrate the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. It is something that she really looks forward to! We decorate our home with couplets on each side of our door, we have oranges and tangerines in bowls, we hand out red envelopes with money to the kiddos and we always eat some special Chinese dishes and Myah wears her silk dresses that we bought for her in China. I love keeping this tradition alive for her. We have a very special Chinese friend who always remembers Myah during the Chinese holidays, the other day she gave Myah a beautiful red heart box filled with 3 porcelain boxes painted with pink flowers and they were filled with special Chinese jade jewelry. We are always so touched by her generosity.

Of course we LOVE Valentine's Day around here too. Sadly, we had a snow day on Wednesday when Myah was supposed to have her party , the snow day paired with the kid's mid-winter break moves her party till next Wednesday, she was bummed! But the kids loved the snow day!! My sweet hubby has to work this weekend so there is not much in the special date night department for us but we did go out for dinner the other night. I plan on making cupcakes tomorrow with the kids, ya know, sweets for my sweeties! I hope you all have a special day, I know we will! Gung Hay Fat Choy!
The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. On the Chinese calendar, 2010 is Lunar Year 4708.
On the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on Sunday, February 14, 2010 — The Year of the Tiger. This year, the date has special significance since it also happens to fall on Valentine's Day making it a doubly auspicious day to celebrate in the West.
Happy New Year Chinese zodiac2010 Chinese horoscope New Year FoodsNew Year Recipes
If you were born in 914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 or 2010 - you were born under the sign of the tiger. Like the tiger, you are one of the most caring and thoughtful signs in the Chinese zodiac. You have a lot to say on the best way to right society's wrongs, and quite capable of defending children, friends, and loved ones against all enemies.
For the tiger in 2010, any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome, so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally.
Famous people born under the sign of the Tiger? They include Emily Bronte, Sheryl Crow, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Dickinson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jay Leno, Karl Marx, Marilyn Monroe, Marco Polo, Beatrix Potter, Queen Elizabeth II, and Jon Stewart.

Dayton'a' 500

Dayton starts drivers ed today... boo hooo. My baby is growing up! He is just thrilled and I am a wee bit nervous. This is huge! What a strange feeling knowing that my little boy will be driving down our local streets behind the wheel with someone else in the car besides Mark or I . I feel very confident in the company that we chose, Mark used to "moonlight" as a drivers ed instructor at this place and we at one time owned our own company. But there is just something about letting your child operate a moving motor vehicle that leaves me unsettled. And to top it off, we are supposed to get our biggest snow storm of the year this week. Yikes! I am hoping that they will not put these young drivers out on those roads! We have always called Dayton "Daytona 500" since he was a little guy, lets just hope he doesn't drive like that! I am excited for him to start this phase of his life and I am sure eventually I will be glad that he can run himself everywhere, sometimes I feel like painting my car yellow and charging for rides! I just can't believe that he is now old enough to start driving, time flies people, enjoy your sweetie pies, they grow up so fast!

Office Re-do

Before:
This is how it looked before, dark and rich. Not me. I have since decided to listen to my inner voice and "lighten things up"! After: Just a coat of paint and some moving around of furniture in the house and I have my office/craft area. We painted it the same shade of blue as the dining room since you see both of these rooms the minute you walk into our front door.

I found this tiered stand at HomeGoods, man I love that place! Of course crayons are a staple in our house so they got their own little jar. And see that calendar, well I saw it in Wisconsin shopping with my friend Sherry and she sent it to me after we arrived back home! I love it!!

I do need to get some window treatments in here but oh well, someday. I like to keep all of our special photo albums close to the front door, ya know, in case something bad happens. Trust me, my good friend had a house fire and the firemen told her they could go in and get one thing out for her, she had always left a tote of photos in her dining room by the door, she was able to tell them exactly where they were and they were saved! I keep a box with special adoption stuff for Myah in there too.

I need to update my pics of the kiddos! I think I need all white frames in here.

I had these fabric bins around the house and I needed a cheap no cost solution for a cohesive look on the shelves. So I put them all together in one place and they worked!

This lamp started everything! I loved it and it finally went on clearance at HG's so I bought it not knowing where I would put it. But I knew it was my taste and used it as my inspiration piece. This was the beginning of my beachy feel to the house.

I don't usually like alot of clutter but I needed a way to keep all of our school supplies and crafty items together in one place. I was fed up with having to go down to the basement or a different closet everytime I needed something. This works perfectly for our family.

Winter Cleaning and Redecorating

The Foyer: My $50 hall tree has found its way back into my foyer, I tried to hang some hooks and a chalkboard in this space but it really became a catch all and always looked messy. So back came the hall tree and I am happy again! I put my super cute Peter Beaton beach tote on the hook to remind me that warm weather will be her again! Also in the entry is this cool photo holder that I have adorned with lots of old family photos.

I found this quilt at my favorite antique mall the other day for $11! I love using these for outdoor photos with babies/children. I placed it on top of a quilt that was my great grandmothers and even though neither one of them is perfect I love them!

The Dining Room: I needed a place for all of my white serving dishes so I displayed them in my shabby cupboard.

My sister gave me one of her paintings that she painted and did not like, I love having a super-uper talented lil sis!

I love the new blue in this room, such a serene and calm space now! Years ago it was a russet red!

I love my antique dining set, it is just petite enough for this space. I have debated about giving it a white paint job, what do you think?

I was playing with my camera and tried a new angle! I have to chuckle inside when I look around this room and my most favorite pieces in there were free!!!! Here you can see that we have 10 foot ceilings throughout the house. Even though some of the rooms are smaller they appear larger because the ceilings are tall.

I always love to go through the house in January and get rid of everything that does not have a function in our home anymore. It takes me just about all of the month to go through every closet, drawer and room. I am still dealing with the donation piles I have laying around but everything is at least organized right now and I can start fresh. Next comes the painting and then after that spring will be here and it will be time for the house to get a really good cleaning. I usually use the winter months to do these kinds of chores, we go into a hibernation mode around here in the cold temperatures so I figure if I have to stay indoors I might as well put myself to good use! I use this opportunity to re organize cupboards and drawers, and usually the furniture gets moved around a bit as well. My friends always tease me that my house is never the same place twice! Iam always trying to utilize the space I have to the best of its ability. I have limited amounts of storage so it does me no good to keep something that I don't even use when it is taking up prime real estate in my house. We have been painting lately, I had a few tables that I wanted white so I just whipped out the 'ol paintbrush and went to town and I love how they look now! We also are painting our outdated oak bathroom cabinets as well, they are getting a new white paint job as well. I love the white/cottagey feel to things and I figure I have lived with those cupboards for almost 10 years now, it is time for me to like them! I am hoping to tackle the staircase spindles this week! I will give you the grand tour. Here are some pictures from the main level of our home, I will show you the changes taking place on the other floors/rooms later. I love my new office makeover! I have been busy!

New Year, New Me

I am learning. Lots of new things about me and myself, for me, myself and my family. I have not really been very personal on here. I have not shared many of the situations that have been going on in my life, but because I gave up on writing in a diary since I was like 16 or something, I have come to consider my blog my personal journal of sorts. So I feel it is only fair to myself to put my thoughts down in writing so I may come back someday and say "hey, look how far you have come" . Because in all honesty, I feel like I can already see some progress.

I cannot tell you how liberating it was for me to say that 2009 was over, or the whole 2000's for that matter! A new year a new decade, how much more of a clean slate do I need? And to top it off, this year I enter my 40's! I am saying goodbye to my 30's. I have so many friends who tell me that their 40's have been wonderful. I can't see into the future or anything but I do know that my 40's should be a time in my life where I am more settled into my marriage, my family, my priorities and my friendships, I can enjoy them more now, I am not trying to "figure" everything out, I pretty much know how our life works, who my dear friends are, have a sense of who I am and my style, and have completed our family. My 30's were spent creating a haven of a home for us, many gallons of paint later, I know what it takes to make my loved ones feel comfy and loved, ( it doesn't involve a paint chip and a roller I know that for sure!). We were struggling with having another child, after many years we decided to adopt Myah, our family finally felt complete and that nagging voice inside my head (and uterus) was quieted. Our family lost so many loved ones in my 30's that I actually stopped counting. Life had to take many new turns and it was not easy. Mark and I dealt with everything in stride but it took its toll. We have shared many heartaches together that have only made us stronger as a couple. Even though we had a rough 10 years, I thought 2009 would kill me. After my Dad passed away in January I was a mess. Worried about my mom, my sister, son, Grandpa etc.... I put my needs last like I always have. But you can only cover your wounds for so long before they start to get infected. I became infected alright. I had some womanly problems that led me to being severely anemic. I actually went to the ER one day because I could not see without seeing spots everywhere. I was scared to death, first they thought it was my heart, so I went through tests for that and thankfully everything was alright. Then I was sent to a wonderful gynecologist who gave me every test she could think of and finally gave me some answers and some medication to help. I started to feel better. Then I started having severe stomach problems. I spent the better part of a month laying in bed, on the couch, not eating, lethargic, nauseous and depressed. This was my second bout with these episodes this year. It was shortly after my Grandma passed away, I really think it was stress. I could not be strong anymore for anyone. I was sick, worried, sad, depressed and lonely. Words that I had never used to describe myself before. I cannot tell you how much my hubby helped me through this time. I could not stand to be away from him, I would get paranoid thinking about him being gone to work and me getting sick again. I would look forward to getting up in the morning at 5:30 to take Dayton to school, I had to focus on the tasks at hand to get through the day. As long as I had a purpose I was ok. I could not get rid of the mumble jumble in my head. I finally went to the Dr. and told him that I needed something for my stomach and for depression. He assured me that after all I had been through this year, it was normal for me to feel this way. It was not normal for ME. I am a happy go lucky person, I am goofy, witty and fun. I can make light of most situations. Not this time. I knew I needed something to clear my mind. He gave me a few prescriptions and I cannot begin to tell you how much better I felt.....immediately! He told me I have IBS, that is what is causing my stomach to act the way it does, I am not one who likes to take any kind of meds but I knew myself well enough to know I could not fight this on my own. I used to pray so hard to God to help me through this. I truly believe He sent this new Dr. into my life. I told the Dr. myself after my 6 week check-up that he saved me. I have a whole new diet to follow, I can no longer eat dairy (some but no milk or ice cream which I love!), I no longer eat fast food at all, no soft drinks, mostly just water, Sobee and juices. Hardly any sweets or chocolates, no lettuce (that was a hard one to let go), no pizza, basically everything I loved had to go bye bye so that I could feel better. I can honestly say I don't miss it. I was willing to do anything in order to feel better. I was so excited to have the holidays arrive, it really gave me something to focus on and celebrate. I feel so much better now, like a new woman. And the very exciting part that I never expected was that I have lost weight. Almost 20 pounds now, and it feels wonderful! I went to a party the other night and my friend hardly recognized me! Now I am not so sure that I look that different but she sure thought so and the positive comments I hear are so encouraging. At least there is a bright side to getting sick and not eating anything you love ever again. Ieven fit into the skinny jeans that were always in the back of my closet. I really need a shopping trip! And the best part is that my mind is clear for the first time in a long time, I can laugh like I used to, I love deeply, and I am happy. As a matter of fact, Mark and I are more completely and madly in love with each other than we ever have been. He is my rock and he even told me that he loves me almost too much. I am blessed beyond measure. We have always been close and in love but I really think getting through this past year and seeing all the heartache and sickness really brought us to a new level of love for each other. And my relationship with my children is better than ever. Yes they are still the obstinate teenager and the testing toddler but I able to deal with them in a more loving and compassionate way. I love them dearly and I want them to remember me as a loving mother someday, not the mom who always yelled and found fault.

I am so excited for my 40's actually, I can hardly wait to see what they bring. Dayton will have proms, graduate, go to college, maybe find true love, and become a man. Myah will start school, meet friends, become a teenager and become a young woman. Will she ask about her younger years and wonder "why", or will she be thankful? Mark will retire, start that chapter of his life, maybe teach at a college or be a groundsperson at a golf course, what ever he chooses, he deserves, he sure has worked hard for our family, hopefully we can travel and enjoy each other for a change. And me... well, it is really hard to say. I have been taking a photography class and would love to pursue that even more, I would love for that to be my career someday. We'll see. I am just praying that I stay healthy and can enjoy every moment to the best of my ability. I would love to be able to spend more time with my mom, I have so much to show her! I want to be a better cook, a better friend, more organized, more creative and more adventurous. I took these two pictures for my class assignment today. One is just fine the way it is, but the other one has had some tweaking done to it. Both are beautiful in their own way. Kind of like how I feel right now. I was ok the way I was but now I am better after a bit of tweaking. I think we all need to be tweaked every now and then. Whether spiritually, physically or mentally, how can you be improved? It has been a huge challenge for me but I am finally in a good place, I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Welcome 2010!!!! Bring it on!!!

Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours we wish you a very blessed Christmas and New Year. I thought I would leave you with a few of our holiday traditions from this season. I always take a photo of my kiddos for our Christmas card. This was the winner this year. My how they are growing, Myah is now 4 and Dayton is 14. I love to take images from around our home (besides I can show you another tradition I have, getting good deals at Joannes when they go on sale the week of Christmas this Wish sign was only a few dollars! )

A local church always puts on a drive through Nativity. Our family just loves going to this each year. They are always lined up down the road to get into it. They give you a cd to listen to while you drive up to each scene, it is the story of Jesus, so amazing! The kids love that we get free hot cocoa and cookies while we wait.

I love decorating the outside of our home, our neighbors go all out with their lights, it is such a treat!

This year we cut our own tree down for the first time, it was so much fun. Afterwards we took a train ride into the woods to Santa's log cabin and spent some one on one time with him and had cookies and roasted marshmallows. It was very special for Myah, not so much for Dayton!

Santa was waving at us while we were on the train.

Here is our perfect tree!

Myah's preschool put on a super cute Christmas program/breakfast. She took her job of being on stage very seriously!

Of course it would not be Christmas without SNOW!

We had a cookie decorating/baking day with my sister's mother in law and my mom. It was so sweet and the girls had a blast!

Myah loved helping Margaret squeeze the icing out.

Happy Holidays from me to you!!!!!