Labor Day Weekend

Oh, let's see what can I tell you about.  This past weekend was spent in Zanesville, Springfield and back in good ol' West Virginia.  We headed to Zanesville on Friday to spend the night at his parent's house before we headed to a wedding in Springfield on Saturday.  We left really early for the wedding so we could stop in and see some of Jesse's family that live over that way, and we're both really glad we did.  I unfortunately didn't take nearly enough pictures of the weekend, but it was a great time to be sure.  The wedding was beautiful (congratulations, Steph and Matt!) and we had a great time seeing friends and family.  Sunday was spent relaxing with Mom H, playing with Lily and Jesse helped out with some yard work before we headed home Sunday evening.  That drive home was super exciting, as it was raining the entire way from Parkersburg to Clarksburg-- typically an hour drive, took us at least 1.5 hours.  There were parts of the drive I could barely see the road, and everyone was going incredibly slowly and cautiously.  It was quite the storm, and Lily slept like a champ through the whole thing (wonder who she gets this from..).

We got to visit with Jesse's grandparents before the wedding.  The one of Lily and her great-grandpa Brennan is the only one we got of great-grandpa looking at the camera.  He loved Lily's painted toenails and was talking to her about them in the other 10 pictures Jesse took :)

At the wedding: 

Sunday:

the flowers are ones that Mom H gathers the seeds from and replants every year.  they were her great-grandmothers (is that right?), making them Lily's great-great-great grandmother's flowers.

playing on Grandpa's tractor

In other news, I'm working out details for Lily's 12 month pictures :) they're going to be super fun, and even if they don't turn out according to the plan, I think they'll still be cute.  Hopefully we'll be doing those next week, as it's supposed to rain all the rest of this week (as I look outside and notice the sun shining..thank you, Weather Man for an accurate forecast).  But, the weather is turning cooler, and I couldn't be more excited about it.  My runs outside have been so much better than when it was a million degrees (obviously) and the cool air encourages me to actually run.  I love it!

before things get too crazy..

No garage sales this weekend.  Ok, one, but I didn't buy anything.  I have noticed this summer that I have a compulsion to stop at garage sales.  Where ever we go, if I see a garage sale sign I want to stop and feel like I need to stop at it and check it out.  There are a few specific places we go fairly regularly that always seem to have a ton of signs as we drive past..and we just keep right on going.  It kind of makes my heart sad inside, thinking of all the deals I'm missing!  Sad and pathetic a bit, I know.  But Lily, Zeke and I were going for a walk at the park and I saw a sign as we were driving home that I just had to stop by.  They had some cool stuff, nothing we needed though.

Anyway, before this weekend really kicks off, I felt like I needed to update so I could start next week with a clean slate and no back tracking on my blogs.

Last weekend, we took a little road trip up to Pittsburgh to the Renaissance Festival that is in town.  One of the guys I work with is in it, and we all had a good time.  Jesse asked me within the first 10 minutes of being there why we hadn't done this before: there was food, knives, chain mail..and if he was to go back in time to live, I'm pretty sure that's the time period he would have picked anyway.  I reminded him that I was a whale at this time last year, and he just nodded and ran off to look at the swords.

Lily rode on her first ride with cousin Ethan.  And loved it.   And I was one of those mom's that took 3,000 pictures of it.

we know these people :)

just love this picture of Kayla, Fiona and the Queen.  Lily was a party pooper and didn't want to sit with them.

she stayed a safe distance away with Aunt Julia

and mooched water from Uncle Mike..

Nothing too exciting has been happening..Lily is walking all over the place now and I think I am starting to see tooth #5 coming through on the top.  She's been kind of finicky with her food, too, so I'm anticipating a growth spurt.  Hooray.  I guess that's about it..I'm not sure what all we're getting into this weekend, but I'm looking forward to it!  Go check out my other blog for udpated Lily pictures!

garage sale Saturdays!

I actually tried going to some garage sales yesterday, but I had my post-operation doctor's appointment yesterday morning and only had time for about 3 sales before I had to drop Lily off with a friend and go to the appointment.  A word of advice for people who want to do a garage sale some day from someone who goes to many sales: don't be overly zealous about selling your stuff to people.  Ugh.  There is such a thing as a good sales person..but just about everybody I know gets annoyed and turned off by the overzealous and pushy sales person.  And garage sales are just not the place for you to practice your salesmanship.  Because honestly, I don't care how much you bought your piece of whatever for 20+ years ago.  If I wanted it new at full price, I'd buy it new at full price, and if I wanted to know the price, I'd ask.  Last weekend, you may remember that I mentioned going to a house that basically we could just sort through and ask if it was for sale?  The guy was asking absolutely ridiculous prices on everything: Jesse picked up an old sling shot and asked the price.  He was told that "oh, 10 years ago I bought those for $20...I'll sell both of them to you at $15 apiece."  Really?  $5 off 10 year old USED stuff?  Jesse chuckled and told me later he was thinking more along the lines of both sling shots for $3.  Not 2 for $20.  My personal favorite I hear a lot is, "I just couldn't let it go for less than $xx, I put $xx into that."  Telling me prices and how you wasted your money isn't going to convince me why I should pay more for your USED item.  Some people..

Anyway, sorry about the tirade, but yesterday, a lady had about 20 things in her garage she was selling.  And she kept trying to sell everything to this other poor lady.  Everything the "customer" picked up, the sales lady would tell her how much it was, how much she bought it for and why it was a good deal.  I just left, even though there were some things I was interested in, her prices were higher than I would want to pay.  I know beggars can't be choosers..but I promise, if I need/want something new, I won't be looking for it at a garage sale.

End rant.

Today, Lily and I went out.  I had my list of sales I wanted to check out and the order I was going to stop in.  I'm never this prepared when we go out on our adventures.  I didn't come home with a ton, but did have some great deals: got a big box of clothes for Lily for $10-- I told her to give me a price and I'd take the whole box.  She thought about it and said $20, then shuffled through the clothes and dropped it down.  Which is good, because I definitely wouldn't have been buying it if she hadn't.  And I'm not sure what's going on with this area of West Virginia, maybe it's going out of style, but I have seen a TON of Coach purses and bags.  Today, I came home with a messenger/laptop bag for $20 (talked her down $5) which I'll be using as a diaper bag/purse (you mom's out there know what I mean) until I have use for a laptop bag and a $15 Coach duffle bag for my friend, Jen (also talked down $5).

pile of clothes I'll sort through after I wash them

my new bag! yay!

I didn't take a picture of the bag I got for Jen, but this is what it looks like..

I also got a picture frame and a blank scrapbooking book for my MIL.  Man.  If I was into scrapbooking, I would get all my books at garage sales.  I hear they can run pretty expensive at the store normally, but when I can buy them blank for $1 at a garage sale?  That just seems to make good sense to me..

And since I mentioned it and I have such caring and concerned friends, my appointment with the doctor went just fine.  He was pleased with how the incisions looked and how I was feeling so he cleared me for activities again!  Hurray!  Which I was kind of already doing anyway, so it's good that he "cleared" me to pick things up again.  I may or may not have "forgotten" I wasn't allowed to do certain things occasionally..but I went for a run today.  Ugh.  Two weeks of no running didn't give me the best times today, but I'm pretty sure I'm still going to do my best and push through my training and run my half marathon in October.  Seven weeks of training for 13.1 miles should be sufficient, right?

xoxo

11 months.

I think I'm going to be in denial for the  next month that Lily is almost 1.  This just doesn't seem right.  I've been trying not to be awkward and reminisce about "this time last year, I was..." but I'm pretty sure I have.  And thankfully, Jesse and my friends put up with me.

I really wish she would cooperate and look at the camera..if I can talk him into it, I may get Jesse to come help get her attention and take some more pictures.  But still, I think she's cute, whether she looks at the camera or not.  And, obviously, Tigger had to make a cameo in these: one of her current favorites is to put her doll or stuffed animals on the rocking chair.  

I also recently made her a blanket.  I may have mentioned that when she's tired or falling asleep, she likes to pinch, scratch and claw at the back of your arm?  While this is of course endearing (ugh, not so much!), I decided it needed to stop, so I started making her a blanket with a satin edge.  Jesse can attest to the fact I got very frustrated working with satin ribbon and eventually had to change my game plan to conquer it, but I finally won:

supplies

trying to make a straight edge since the fabric cutting people at JoAnn's can't

ever try turning a satin corner?  don't.  either buy a blanket that already has the satin or just give your kid the spool of satin ribbon, you'll be a happier camper.

tada!

I love this blanket.  First, because I made it.  Second, because it has hippos on it.  Third, because I made it.  Lily seems to like it ok, but doesn't care one way or the other on too much and doesn't carry it around like Linus.  Which I was secretly hoping for, but that's ok.  

Other than that..Lily's been walking for about a week now.  Last weekend she really started to get the hang of it, and has been trying to walk more than crawl.  Everyone has been asking if she's been getting into everything, and really, she hasn't.  I'm not sure if it's because we never put stuff up out of her reach and so she just doesn't care, or she is more entertained by other things.  Yesterday, she did walk over to one of our end tables, pick up a can of pop that was half full and walk it over to me without dropping it.  I kind of was impressed..

That's it for now, I suppose.  I'll try and update more, Jesse informed me yesterday it had been too long since I updated last.  So here ya go, Jesse!  You better read it!

xoxo

garage sale wins

Jesse was kind of judgmental of my finds today during Lily and my adventures out garage sale-ing.  But I don't care, I like what I found and they were all good deals.  Sorry Jesse ;)

cedar chest, 2 storm lanterns, basket of books, bag of clothes and kid rocking chair

I was pretty excited!  One lady doing a sale had a few tubs full of clothes from 2T-4T.  As she and I were chatting (I know her from the Y), I suggested that instead of me digging through the bin of 2T clothes trying to find only what I wanted, I would take the whole bin for $15, or whatever she thought was fair.  She went with it, and I ended up with 30+ pieces!  Score.  She has triplets (I think?), so there were some boys stuff thrown in there, but I'm not concerned, Lily can still wear it.  Except for the one pair of boys underwear I found, I will draw the line at that, even though they were Star Wars.  I didn't look through the bag too much-- figure I'll do that when I'm folding them with the laundry later-- but I did find this gem, which honestly, made the whole purchase worthwhile: 

comes with matching gloves!

I'm so excited for winter now and for Lily to wear this all the time.

Jesse was judging the cedar chest I found, but I talked the lady down $15, and I like it.  My original thought was to put it in our living room at the new house to act as a coffee table/blanket holder but Jesse vetoed that and said we could do that with the other hope chest I have, but that one is "too ugly" for living room display.  Hmph.

There is one that I'm hoping will be available for perusal tomorrow.  As I pulled up, the older gentleman running the show came over as I got out of the car and led me to the garage where the "sale" was.  I use the term loosely, because it looked like he'd been a pack rat for a few decades and just decided to open up his garage and say "make me a deal on what you see."  I was so overwhelmed!  American Pickers would have had a hay-day.  There was a ton of old furniture, I saw a China cabinet pushed in a corner, tools, carpeting, a few dog cages..it was weird.  He also told me that he had stuff in his house, but I didn't think it was a great idea to check that out alone.  I asked if he'd be around tomorrow, and he said he would, weather permitting.  So keep your fingers crossed for blue skies so Jesse can go check it out!  I did chuckle when I pulled in because it was two old guy sitting on their porch drinking beer.  At 10:30a.  But one of them was opening a can and I'm assuming that the carbonation got the better of him because it just spewed everywhere.  I live in a neat town.

xoxo

back in action

...well, trying to be, anyway.  Jesse and I are doing well, I think, with finally being able to process everything that happened at the hospital and in the following days, and I believe I am recovering fairly well.  My incisions are looking good (in my opinion), and only one is sore/tender.  I've been taking the percocet very sparingly, as anyone who has ever been on this can probably tell you, it makes me pretty dizzy and woozy which just isn't fun.  We've certainly been blessed with wonderful friends, family and adopted family all across the country, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the thoughts, prayers and distractions this past week and all the people who offered to help..thank you all!  Jesse and I have never had to deal with anything like this, and are praying we never will again, but a special thanks to everyone who has been there and offered words of support and encouragement.  Please keep us in your prayers as you think of us: we're not out of this yet, but I think we're on our way there.

Anyway, moving on.  I think it is now safe to announce that we are buying a house!  YAY!  We're really excited, and it's been in the works for a month or so, and everything is looking good and really coming together.  It's small, nothing fancy, but we're pretty pumped about it.  We're getting a place out in the country with a bit over 17 acres, a few of which are meadow, the rest hills with trees and a small creek running through it.  Jesse's been scheming and planning everything he hopes he can do with it.  The house itself is in pretty decent condition and we won't have to do too much to it to move in, the main thing is the carpet upstairs needs to go.  Everything else can wait until we have more money for projects.  Dumb money.  Without further ado, some pictures!

through the front door: dining area and kitchen

turning right from the front door: living room

missing a stove and fridge, obviously

the previous owner built the house himself.  including the cabinets.  I'm very impressed with his skill!  and for the record, those cabinets are so tall that even Jesse will need a step ladder to get to the top.

hallway.  boring.  two rooms on the right are bedrooms (farther back will be Lily's), first on the left is stairs to the basement, second is our bedroom.  attic and a door outside at the end.

our room..nothing exciting. 

2 closets and a half bathroom in our room

room in the basement with a small secondary kitchen.  there was a fridge down here, not sure we'll replace it.

again

room.  there isn't really anything exciting about basements until you fill it with your own stuff.

again.

view from the front door/deck.  that's our garage on the right and our land across the street.   

garage.  there was a workbench here, but they apparently took the top part.  easy enough to replace, and Jesse is already planning on his workshop.

planning where I'm allowed to park and where all his tools will go.  very nice garage!

I think this is my side.  

part of our meadow and creek

floor plan so you can put it all together yourself :) the house is built into the side of a hill (kind of) with a walkout basement so you have to go upstairs to get to the main floor.  the "deck" on the left side is what we'll use as the "front door," opening into the dining area and living room.

I suppose that's it!  We're looking forward to being somewhere that will be ours.  Not that moving 4 times in 3 years isn't fun..but..it's not.  

xoxo