Rocked My World

It’s amazing how a person can go from complete joy to a near state of depression in a matter of minutes. You see, everything went great with Drake’s delivery. Everything was quick and pretty easy. I was totally fine…way better than I was right after Landry, which wasn’t actually that bad. I was simply elated that I could finally hold that sweet, precious boy in my arms and see his little face.

After the family had seen him though and left to go get some lunch {finally}, it was just Colby and I with Drake in the room. Then, the nurse came in and said she was going to take him to the nursery. She wasn’t panicked in any way that set off my mommy alarm, so I didn’t really think anything about it.

Later, our pastor and youth minister came by to see everyone and check on everybody and pray with us. I, still thinking nothing was wrong or abnormal, told them that they had just missed the baby, as he was in the nursery, but Colby could take them down there to see him. After prayer, they all left to go to the nursery, and I had to stay behind because of the lack of feeling in my legs due to the epidural.

They were gone….for a while.

So, I texted to make sure everything was ok. No reply.

Worry immediately sets in.

And then they return. Just Colby and the pastor…with solemn looks on their faces. Heat swept over my body.

I would be lying if I said that I didn’t immediately think the worst. I thought my baby was gone. To all of you mamas who have lost children in some way, I experienced that pain for a split second, and I hope I never have to experience that ever again. I cannot even imagine the hole in your heart that losing a child leaves.

Luckily though, Drake was a fighter but was having difficulty breathing. He had nurses and doctors standing around him. His O2 levels were not where they should have been, and his breathing was very rapid as he struggled. Within an hour of his life, he looked more like an astronaut with his oxygen hood on and wires hooked up to him in every way needed to monitor all of his levels. Thank you, Jesus, for amazing technology!

I was still back in the delivery room trying my best to move my legs in hopes that it would make the epidural wear off quicker, so I could walk good enough to get to the bathroom {that’s the deal with getting to move to the recovery room} and into a wheelchair, so I could at least see him through the window.

In what seemed like forever, I cried the hardest cry and prayed the longest prayer one could in that moment. Pleas for my baby boy to be okay and to not be affected by this in any negative way. And as I prayed…so did countless others, and I cannot be more grateful to all of you who did. God heard our prayers.

Eventually, I was able to go see him on my way to the recovery room. I had the best nurse who knew I was dying to see him. All I had been relying on up until that point was pictures and what my family was telling me. And of course, I was thinking that they were all only telling me half of the truth to try to keep me from being more upset.

While in the nursery, I was terrified as I sat there. I continuously watched the monitors and his little chest going up and down. Every time he would hesitate in breathing for a split second, I would panic inside….afraid that the monitors were going to go off and something else be wrong. I watched my grandmother take some of her last breaths, and it was just like that. That’s an image you can never erase from your brain, and I did not want to have to watch that with my son.

After staying for a few minutes, I had all I could bear and went back to the room. Colby would go back and forth to see what progress was being made with him. That night, I went back to check on him after we had spoken with the pediatrician who said that they had consulted Sacred Heart and would be shipping him there if he did not make progress within the next few hours. As we waited for him to come back late that night, we both fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night and contemplated making my own way to the nursery to see if they had actually had to send him {the nurses assured me the next day that they would have gotten me up for that}, but decided it would be best for me to rest and not venture out alone since I was still getting feeling back in my legs {even then} and had only really gotten around by wheelchair.

The next morning though…

Surprise, surprise!

Colby went to check on him and came back with him in his bassinet. Praise the Lord! Just like that, the Lord had healed him within a few hours, and he was safe to be back with us in the room full time. So once again, family and friends filed in to see our boy.

We are so thankful that Drake has been totally fine minus a trip to the ER at Sacred Heart when he was making wheezing type noises when he fed. Luckily, they cleaned out his sinuses with what looked like a Roto-Rooter, and he has been good to go since aside from just doing a saline spray and suctioning him out every day.It’s a small hiccup, but we are just thankful that he is totally healthy according to all of his doctors and will not be affected by this in any way. Praise the Lord!

And today….Drake is One Month Old!

And because Landry wanted to get in on the action…

Happy Weekend, Everyone! Enjoy the sunshine!

Prepping Big Brother

Going from being an only child to the big brother has to be a big deal for such a little boy! Landry has been my heart and soul for the past two years, and I was having a pretty difficult time coming to terms with our days ending with him being the only one. A few days before I was supposed to go into the hospital, we were going through our daily bedtime routine of prayers and such.

I fell apart.

Like sobbing falling apart.

Apparently, I just needed to get it out of my system because I was fine from that point on. However, I thought it would be fun to have him a little gift waiting for him since he was becoming the big brother and all.

I bought everything {except the shirt} from the Dollar Tree, and it is all stuff I thought he might would have fun with and could keep busy with while visiting the hospital or do while staying away at his Mimi and Paw’s. The labels are from here. There are tons of options on Pinterest though.

In the bags, you will find…

Fruit snacks

Cookies

M&Ms

Big Brother shirt

Coloring book and crayons

Play dough and Play dough cut-outs

Toy car

Sticker scene creations

Looking back, I probably put WAY too much in there, but we put it all to good use in the days we were back home from the hospital and trying to adjust into a life as a family of four. Overall though, I think having something there for him made him feel special and a little less uneasy to seeing his mommy in a hospital bed hooked up to a million wires.

Finally Fall and Finally Back

Since school has started, I have been on a little hiatus. Of course, what I was too sick and exhausted to tell you all at the time was that there was another reason aside from the regular beginning of school exhaustion.

Luckily, things are on the up and up, and I’m feeling much better and gaining some of my energy back. Because of this new found energy, I decided to pursue some of my fall decor dreams since I haven’t done that in a couple of years.

Thanks to some very generous people I have pulled this together with a limited budget and made a decent fall scene that can be used until Thanksgiving. Is it bad that I’m already planning for Christmas though?

Don’t worry! I don’t break out the Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving even though it’s getting harder and harder to adhere to that.

Starting at the front door…a small touch with pumpkins and dried limelight hydrangeas.

And then it moves straight to the front porch….pumpkins, cotton, hay bales, ferns, planters, and a lantern to top it off.

As for the planters, I used a combination of marigolds, creeping fig, celosia, and scaevola.

I’ve got plans for a fall mantel, but it’s just a matter of following through with them. Hang tight…I may surprise you.

On to the doctor tomorrow for our second ultrasound of baby brother. Hopefully will have a video to share soon! We’re taking Landry, so that should be interesting. As always, keep us in your prayers for a healthy baby boy. I’m always nervous until everything is confirmed. So thankful for all God has given us!

Transformation Tuesday

Remember that big boy room that I blogged about a good bit in January? Well….we finally put the plans into place and have made good progress in that room. It’s still a good way from complete, but it is definitely getting to that point.

Right now it is to the point where I can walk by the room and not cringe when I get a glimpse of it.

This is where the room started. It’s really quite embarrassing. It was the room that caught all the junk that didn’t have a place or needed to be hid from the public when there wasn’t enough time to figure out a proper place for it. It had no style. It was simply the room that had parts of other rooms pieced together to get it out of the way.

A sad sight to see…

And this is a long cry from where we began when we first bought the house…Hello blue carpet!!!

I had put together this inspiration board to piece together some ideas of the direction I wanted the room to go in.

So far, I have gotten everything in the inspiration board except for the headboard.

My original inspiration came from the blog Dixie Delights and her little boy’s big boy room.

And for the reveal as it is now…

The to-do list always continues, but here are the major things that definitely need to be done:

• Get headboard
• New light fixture
• Have Euro pillows made
• Move dresser to the room or get a different one
• Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!!!

I think once Landry moves into this room the little signs of life will make this room look much more complete. Until then, I’m just looking for little treasures to accessorize it and for a few more things to hang on the wall. At least it is an improvement from where it first began.

Sources:

Duvet cover and shams- IKEA {I had the shams reduced to standard size instead of king size}

White quilt- Overstock

Bedskirt- Overstock

Down Comforter- Overstock

Baskets- World Market

Bookcases- Target

Curtains- Fabric from IKEA

Curtain rods and rings- Target

Crab art- Etsy by SheilaSmithDesigns

Lamps- T.J. Maxx

Throw pillows- Dirt Cheap {originally from Target}

Big Boy Room Progress

Knowing how long things seem to usually take, Landry’s big boy room/ guest room seems to be moving along quickly….until I go in there and look around. I’ve already made huge progress though!

So far, I have gotten the bedding ordered and on the bed! That was a huge step! I’m having the shams from the duvet set taken in and made to fit standard size pillows.

Thanks to my cousin from Atlanta, Meg, I now have the fabric for the curtains to be made! They are going to be floor to ceiling curtains that flank three windows. I’ve already talked to my handy seamstress from the school and brought the fabric to her today.

I also placed the order for the artwork that will go over the bed. The headboard is a major purchase that will take some saving. Not too happy about that, but that’s the life of a teacher’s paycheck.

While those are some major things off my list, the list is still quite long.

1. Purchase the headboard from Overstock.
2. Get curtain rods and rings to hang curtains from.
3. Have curtains made.
4. Buy Euro pillows and have covers made for them.
5. Paint the room Pale Oak
6. Find some lamps.
7. Paint the speakers.
8. Accessorize
9. New light fixture
10. CLEAN OUT THE ROOM!

And I’m sure I’m leaving something off!

A Check-Check Here & A Check-Check There

Buffalo checks. It’s the “theme” so to speak.

I finally found the perfect inspiration photo of what I had already been planning before I discovered it.

You see, I found this awesomely priced duvet cover from Ikea. Can you say 49.99?

Then, I was making plans on how to buy an extra duvet cover to turn them into matching curtains. And then…I found this picture.

My heart skipped a beat when the blogger of Dixie Delight said that she bought the fabric from Ikea. Say what??? No need to cut up a duvet cover to get the look I wanted? I could just buy the fabric. Ah-MAZ-ING!

To make this bedroom a total hit, I’ve got to make a lot of changes, but if I start now maybe I can get it done in a couple of years. Sad, right? Teacher= P.O.O.R.

Here’s the list…

• Headboard
• Light fixture
• Duvet and Duvet Cover from Ikea
• White quilt
• PB Sheets {like those above}….might just settle for plain white ones
• Curtain fabric from Ikea
• Lamps
• Possibly switch nightstands from master bedroom to guest bedroom
• Artwork on walls {might use Uncle Judd’s contributions}
• Curtain rods
• Dresser {possibly}
• Desk set-up
• Euro pillows and shams
• Boyish, natural accessories
• And paint! {shhh….don’t tell Colby! He’ll kill me}

Don’t worry about the toys….I’m sure we will be making plenty of room for them in his closet.

There you have it, folks! A big boy room in the making!

Big Boy in the Making

Y’all have no idea how fast Landry is growing up! Every day it’s a new word or a new “trick”. It’s so crazy how fast he picks up on things that we do. He learns it and runs with it. We are having to really mind our p’s and q’s around here. We want to be a good example for him after all.

 

Lately, I’ve been thinking about our guest bedroom. I’m sick of looking at all of the random stuff that has piled up in there. It’s really pathetic what the mess has turned in to. Burlap, paper lanterns, random paperwork, books…the list goes on.

One day, this room will be Landry’s big boy room. Don’t get any ideas though. Landry will be comfortable in his nursery for a few more years. In the mean time, I would like to start moving in the right direction, so I won’t be creating a nursery and a big boy room at the same time. Plus, I want to have a room that is comfortable for guests if some of our family or friends come from out of town and needs a place to stay.

I don’t think a pile of junk on the bed is exactly comfortable.

I’ve been looking for some inspiration rooms, and so far I’ve found that I’m fond of buffalo checks for his future space, and I would love for it to be a neutral type space.

Here is a look at what I’ve found so far…

 

 

Of course….those pictures are not my absolute favorites. I’ll share that tomorrow.

I want to be back to blogging. I am NEEDING this outlet to share about my family, my projects, my home, my struggles, and my life.

It’s real life here, folks. Don’t ever get the idea that it’s all sunshine and rainbows. That would be a false perception.

P.S. The links to all of these images can be found on my Pinterest board {link at the top of the page} under Cozy Bedrooms.

1st Birthday Madness

This past week was crunch week in preparing for Landry’s 1st birthday. We went with a picnic theme. I figured we might as well keep the gingham theme going for this year.

I wanted it to be nice and cute, of course. I’ve tried not to go TOO over the top since he’s really not going to remember it or understand what’s going on. You all know I like to throw a good party though. It’s been difficult to reign things in a bit from what I really could have done.

No worries though. It won’t disappoint I don’t think. Let’s hope anyway.

In preparation, I made a banner to go on his high chair. It was a bit time consuming, and looking back I probably could have made things a LOT simpler, but hindsight is 20/20.

 

To make it, I gathered three colors of gingham fabric, pom pom trim, a needle and thread, pinking shears, and hem tape.

I measured the width of the area I was wanting to cover around the high chair and cut that amount off of the pom pom trim.

I then decided how wide I wanted my pennants and pretty much just eyeballed a pattern for the pennants. I traced {lightly} onto the fabric and cut them out with pinking shears.

After I had them all cut out, I laid them out across the pom pom trim just as I wanted them.

This is where I probably could have saved some time. I stitched each pennant {making three small stitches at the beginning, middle, and end….nothing fancy….think sewing a button on}. Truth be told, you probably could have used the hem tape and save tons of time.

After they were all on, I went onto the computer and typed ONE in the size and type font that I felt would look and fit best on the pennants. Printed them. Cut them out. and taped them onto gingham fabric and hoped for the best. THEY ARE NOT PERFECT {but that’s ok with me}. If Santa Claus brings me a Silhouette machine, I won’t ever be in that predicament again.

Once my letters were cut out, I applied them to the pennants with hem tape and an iron.

After reading this, you can see why I rarely do tutorials. I just kind of go for it. I use what I have and try to practice what we preach at school and be resourceful.

To hold it on the high chair, I just used some hot glue. I haven’t detached it yet though. I’ll let you know if that was a good idea or not. Let’s hope for the best.

Tuesday Talk

It’s summer! Actually, we are half way through the first month of summer break. Time must slow down. I’ll have to be back to work before I know it.

In the mean time, I’ve been making myself to-do lists, so I actually accomplish something on my days off. Otherwise, I think I would be permanently camped out on the couch watching cartoons as Landry plays on the floor.

We don’t do too much outside of the house…mostly because I’m a homebody. I’d rather be at home than anywhere else usually. I guess it helps that we love where we live and have a quiet neighborhood, so it is easy to relax here.

I’ve been going to the school to work in my new classroom two days a week. It’s looking more and more like a classroom. Yay for that! I’ll share finished product photos later. There is still so much more that I want to do, and I’m afraid time will run out before the school year starts. If you thought teachers didn’t work during the summer, you were wrong….very wrong. Those classrooms don’t put themselves together, and those papers in those folders don’t create and copy themselves.

Anyhow…that’s not why I’ve popped in today. I wanted to share a dresser makeover with you. As you saw last week, we moved the dining room into the old living room.

Some of you asked about the empty room that it left. Well, we decided it would make a much better office. It’s far from complete, but it’s certainly looking well on its way. The reveal will be later this week.

Remember how I mentioned the book “The Nesting Place”? In there, it suggests looking for pieces that suit your needs at a good price. Just because it is a dresser doesn’t mean it has to go in a bedroom. Put it where you need it!

For me, it was in the office.

I scored this dresser and mirror for $150 {if you’re a Brewtonian, I shop Longevity}. I thought it was a steal seeing as how I looked at another antique shop out of town and saw similar pieces for twice as much with no mirror! If you’re an early riser and don’t have a little one in tow, you could also shop yard sales for even better deals. Unfortunately, that’s not me.

Nothing perfect about it all…except for the fact that it was perfect for the room’s purpose.

I’ve been using Annie Sloan chalk paint to refinish my pieces that I can’t stand to look at as is. For this dresser, I used the color French Linen.

Just a suggestion, but I highly recommend the Annie Sloan brush that you can buy to apply the paint. Aside from the paint and brush though, I bought the Annie Sloan Clear Wax and applied it with a rag, but the lady at the shop suggested using those blue shop rags that mechanics like to use. I think you can even get some at the Dollar Tree or Dollar General.

Now, I’m going to be completely honest. The start up cost is a bit pricey, but once you’ve invested in a brush and wax, you’re pretty much set for a while. The paint goes a good ways, too. I have painted three pieces of furniture with one quart of paint. I’d say that was pretty good.

On the dresser, I did two coats of paint and added wax on the top of the dresser only. If you’re going to be touching it a lot, put wax on it. If not, don’t. For example, you don’t touch the sides, so don’t waste perfectly good wax.

If you’re in my area, go see the girls at Antigone’s. They are so helpful in helping you make your choices and gladly provide any tips and tricks that might be useful to you. If you’re still not confident, they offer classes twice a month.

As for me, I’ve got to put the little man down for a nap, so I can grab a quick shower before heading on over to the school.