I know it's been a while since my last update but things have just been pretty crazy. Emma and Jackson's Gigi is visiting us this week and the kids have been having a blast! I haven't had enough coffee yet this morning to think of anything intelligent to say so for now, here is a very overdo update on our bathroom. We made some more progress since these pictures, but this is all I have for now!

I don't know what we were thinking when we started this master bathroom project but we certainly didn't do it the right way. I think we were so excited to finally start, that we just jumped right in before doing it logically (being an engineer, this is driving me crazy). We pretty much started in multiple places, didn't clean out the bathroom before starting and just didn't think the process through. I love how it's turning out, but the stress has been a little overwhelming because we didn't go about it the right way. But, never-the-less, a good lesson learned for our future projects for us to take our time and do it right and organized from the start.

Having said that, we have been making some good progress since Part One of the bathroom update (at least we consider this good progress with trying to do some updating with a toddler and todfant running around). The cabinets are turning out awesome though. Only time will tell how they stand up to wear and tear, and I have a few touch up spots but here is how the next couple of steps went. I ended up putting on the decorative glaze on both the front and back of the cabinets because it doesn't make that much of a difference on the darker colors but it adds an extra layer of protection...so why not?

This is what the cabinets looked like right after the glaze. It was pretty easy but pretty messy since you painted on the glaze, then wiped it down with cloths.

This is what it looked like after drying for a while....

There were a few spots on the corners that weren't quite covered but this step (the rubbing off the glaze with the cloth part) seemed to make these spots a little worse. I haven't decided whether or not I'll go back and tough these up, or just pretend like I did it on purpose for an "antiqued" look. :)

We also rolled most of the bathroom which made a huge difference! It's hard to get a good picture of the true color, but I really like it. In some lights, it looks more gray, some times it looks more blue. But its light and clean and refreshing!

After 24 hours of letting the glaze dry, it was time for the Top Coat. This was super easy to do and was like brushing on a light coat of milk.

This is a shot of the back of the cabinets right after applying the top coat...

We also took down our giant old mirror and are replacing it with two square mirrors (that we just scored from Lowe's for $27 a piece because they were on clearance - yeah buddy)! Our plan is to replace that light as well but we need to get things a little more organized and back together before tackling that project.

We actually now have the mirror area painted, cabinet doors back on and caulking done around the tub and sink...so more updates to come soon!

Bake Sale & Halloween FAIL

I don't know what was wrong with me lately but today I had both a Bake Sale and Halloween FAIL.

For our upcoming Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk, we are doing a Bake Sale at work and I (without consulting reality apparently) signed up to bring to multiple loafs of bread and a bunch of brownies. Why didn't anyone remind me that was a bad idea with a 2 year old and a 7 month old running the house?

Yeah, so needless to say I'm just starting to bake now, my Banana and Apple Cinnamon bread required a cup of water, a 1/4 cup of oil and two eggs each (that's right...box-o-bread) and my delicious, homemade, super chocolatey brownies that I was envisioning were also turned into box-o-brownies with sprinkles on top that now have three different kinds of oil in them because I didn't even think to check to make sure we had everything.

That's right...Canola, Vegetable and EVOO all in the same brownie mix because I could barely muster up the 1/2 cup that I needed.

My poor coworkers.

I'll probably push the homemade cupcakes that my friend is making first and save my "Triple Threat" brownies for the poor suckers at the end.

::: sigh :::

To top off this wonderful day, I had to order Squishy Halloween Costume #2 less than a week before Halloween. Yup. It took me days/weeks to figure out what they were going to be for Halloween and you guessed it, the costumes were store-bought just like my lame-o brownies and that didn't even work! Emma's is too big, and Squishy's is WAY too big.

Apparently, Emma is like HALF the size of a regular toddler and of course the infant size didn't fit her and despite Squishy gaining like a pound an hour his first few months, he leveled off and now doesn't fit his costume even though I ordered it by weight.

::: double sigh :::

Tomorrow's another day though right?

A Day with The Mama

The weekends are pretty crazy lately with trying to finish the bathroom and just keeping up with the regular laundry and cleaning with a toddler and seven month old running the house. I got to spend the day with them today though and loved every minute of it. The day was devoted to my babies. No cleaning. No painting. No laundry. Just babies.

My first thought was "Hey! I should document every part of this day and do a Day In The Life post!" Then I decided against it because I really wanted to truly spend the day with the babies, and not be stressed about where the camera is, who is chewing on it, did I have the ISO set right, etc.

Before Daddy came home from work, we headed out to play in the yard because it was gorgeous outside. I couldn't resist snapping a FEW pictures of the Squishy in his bear-hat though given the level of cuteness (who could resist with those little ears on the top)! I actually love that you can see his manly little scratch on his face from playing earlier in the day. This kid is all.man.

This was Squishy's first time in the grass so I wasn't sure if he was going to be a fan, ergo the giant old sheet spread out in the backyard. You can tell by the picture below that it didn't take long for Squishy to explore. He didn't even blink when he crawled right into the grass. Like I said...all.man.

Love this little man and his Mohawk.

I kept trying to snap a good picture of Emma but man is she quick! She was sprinting around left and right and every time I tried to get her to pause, she did something to mess with the picture (make a face, turn around, etc). This pretty much sums up Emma's feelings about Mommy trying to take pictures during playtime. I'm pretty sure that this is Emma saying "Take a picture of THIS Mom." ::: sigh :::

Shhh! Don't Tell Daddy....

But I'm already starting to think of a fun Christmas surprise for him. Yes, that's right. I said it. Christmas.

In 2009 it was his "DAD" Picture.

This year...its going to be all about little babies, who love big.

Where I Say Thanks....

Because of a couple more donations to the Alzheimer's Association for our upcoming Walk to End Alzheimer's, I'm almost to my goal of raising $200! So for those that donated...

THANK YOU!!

It's been a very long, very busy, very draining week, so this truly lifted my spirits!

Where I Beg for Money...For Muzzy

This was my grandmother, Muzzy, on our wedding day.

I normally wouldn't use my blog for something like this, but the Alzheimer's Association has a special place in my heart because our family has been directly touched by this horrible disease through the loss of my grandmother. Most of the readers of our blog didn't know Muzzy, and maybe even don't know our family, so I know how easy it is to pass over something like this. I normally would do the same thing. I would brush it off and think that someone else will donate money, or that my $20 won't make a difference and go on about my day. Ever since I saw what Alzheimer's does to a family, I couldn't ignore it anymore.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

I don't know if or how much the little bit of money that Wes and I have raised over the past few years will help, but it's not going to hurt and I only want to top what we were able to raise the previous year. This year, my goal is $200, and I'm almost half way there.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia.

When Muzzy passed away, she suffered from Alzheimer's and despite all of the other complications that she had, this was certainly one that stood out. On good days, she was almost the Muzzy that we knew and remembered while we were growing up. On bad days, she couldn't tell you what your name was, or whose baby that was that visited her earlier that day, or if you were married or not, even though she was a part of your wedding. I choose not to remember much about those days, but at the same time, I'm scared that I'm starting to forget about the good days.

One in eight people aged 65 and older (13 percent) has Alzheimer’s disease.

It kills me to think that my babies will never know Muzzy. It kills me to think that my babies will never know the love that Muzzy gave. She was such an incredible part of my life, and still is. There isn't a doubt in my mind, that Muzzy has been my guardian angel since the day she passed away.

Deaths from Alzheimer’s increased 66 percent between 2000 and 2008, while deaths from other major diseases, including the number one cause of death (heart disease), decreased.

It wasn't just hard to see what was happening to Muzzy, but to my parents who were on the front line of the disease. It was hard to see the pain on my big brother's faces after a visit, or when going to Muzzy's house when she wasn't there. It was hard to see the pain on my sister-in-laws face because she was just as much of a grand-daughter to Muzzy as I was. It was hard to see the pain on my nieces faces who didn't understand what was happening to their Muzzy. My parents especially amazed me in their strength and their compassion and their willingness to give more than they even thought they could. It was hard enough to sit with your grandmother when you knew she didn't know who you were, but I can't even imagine what that must have been like for her sons. 

Two-thirds of those with the disease – 3.4 million – are women.

Muzzy was one of the strongest people I know. She once fell down her basement steps and shattered her hip and pelvis. Despite the incredible amount of pain that she must have been in, she pulled herself back up the steps using only her arms and pulled herself to a phone to call my father. It took her hours we think. The night she passed away we were with her by her side, and she refused to give in until she knew her boys went home. She passed away only a few minutes after we left.

Another American develops Alzheimer’s disease every 69 seconds.

I know this will be hard to read for a lot of my family members who lived this and who still miss Muzzy with all of our hearts. Making a donation to the Alzheimer's Association unfortunately can't help Muzzy, but it can help other family members who may eventually have this horrible disease. It may help your grandmother, or your friend's grandmother, or your parents, or you children.

In 2050, an American will develop the disease every 33 seconds.

It's not much, but I donated as well in Muzzy's name. Not for me, but for my babies, in the hopes that should I ever be affected by this horrible disease, they won't have to go through what my parents did.

If you would like to donate, please visit http://walktoendalz.kintera.org/baltimore/lauraodom.

Thank you. With all my heart.

All Facts & Figures were taken from the Alzheimer's Association

Jackson & Shamie

Little Manly's Best Friend

"My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet."

~Edith Wharton



Master Bathroom: Part One

In between breakfast out with the babies, trips to the park, laundry and cleaning, we continued work on our Master Bathroom this weekend and made some good progress. We had painted a small spot of the walls with the color that we picked out last week but I wasn't a fan of it the more that I looked at it (I wanted grey and it was just too blue for what I was looking for) so I headed back to Home Depot after work on Friday and picked out a new shade of grey, along with a cabinet transformations kit from Rust-Oleum and some new cabinet door handles.

The color we ended up with is Pewter Mug by Behr and we were able to paint the majority of the trim (except for the ceiling since we had to go buy a ladder).

We had also started painting our bathroom door last week. This picture was taken at night so the colors were really funny so I just turned it black and white. We painted the door a bright white that matches our molding now. We have new door hardware waiting to be installed as well.

I was really anxious to try the Cabinet Restoration Kit so I jumped on that the minute the babies went down for a nap. The kit comes with instructions (paper and DVD), Deglosser, Bond Coat, optional Decorative Glaze, Protective Top Coat, Cloths, Scrub Pads and Stir Sticks and was about $75. Here is a picture of the cabinets once we removed the hardware (we never had handles, just the hardware that held the doors on the frame).

The first step was to apply the Deglosser by using one of the scrub pads. I started to get nervous because you couldn't see any difference in the cabinets so I thought I wasn't doing it right! Our cabinets are laminate, but the kit takes care of that as well, so I just kept going with my fingers crossed!

After wiping off the Deglosser and waiting for the cabinets and frame to dry, it was time for the first round of the Bond Coat. You have several options for colors when you pick the kit, we went with Kona, the darkest color outside of black. Here is a shot of the Bond Coat before getting started...

The instructions actually tell you what pattern to brush on the Bond Coat with and this is when I REALLY got nervous because it was REALLY streaky. Good thing they recommend two coats.

I felt much better after the second round of the Bond Coat. This is what the second coat looks like on the back of the cabinets. It's still a little splotchy and I don't believe that any of the follow on coats are tinted with the color so I may actually go ahead and do a third coat, or at least some touch ups.

You only have to wait about 2 - 3 hours in between doing the Bond Coat, but I gave the back of the cabinets a good 24 hours to dry before starting on the front. The only tricky part about the Bond Coat is that it really easily gets bunched up in the corners, so you have to be really careful about not getting excess stuck in the corners because it builds up really fast. Here is a shot of the front of the cabinets after two rounds of the Bond Coat.

Not to bad huh? This is when I started to feel a little bit better about trying this because it started to turn out pretty good!

You get two cans of Bond Coat, and I only cracked open one and here is a shot of how much I used total. So a little goes a long way! That was for two coats, front and back of four cabinet doors and then the cabinet frame under the sink.

Despite all the work we did this weekend, we still have a LONG way to go and our bathroom is pretty much in complete chaos. Oh yeah, Wes was also able to re-caulk in our shower too but I thought I would spare you the before and after pictures of that! I would also like to say that the stuff inside our cabinets are that messy because of the "renovations", but they aren't. Sigh.

Our Master Bathroom Project...

We decided that one of our first bigger home projects would be our master bathroom since we haven't touched that room since the day we moved in our home in 2005. I know. It's bad. We are trying to stick to a very low budget, so I wouldn't necessarily call it a "renovation" although that's what I would love to do, but even little things can't hurt given it's current state!

I don't have a very good before picture to add but I'm hoping to take some in-progress pictures to share. I snapped these pictures I think the week that we moved in, and not much has changed other than a few accessories and pictures on the wall.

So far, we have just painted the ceiling a bright white, and painted the molding white as well as our door (the current color was an off white/cream that was originally painted when our house was built). The plan is to paint a light gray, change the large mirror and light fixture, add molding around the window and hopefully paint the vanity.

Hopefully I will have some updated pictures to show you after this weekend!!

Our Trip to the Farm...

Last weekend was absolutely gorgeous outside so we decided to take advantage of it and head to the farm for some fall fun and pumpkins!! Squishy was strapped in the Baby Bjorn so there aren't many pictures of him, but I promise he was there! I still have a sore back to prove it!

Emma was loving life and one of her favorite parts was definitely the big tunnel. She was just short enough to run through standing up. I'm pretty sure that we would still be there if she had her say.

Then it was off to check out some of the animals. For some reason, Emma was NOT a fan of the chickens...

So we thought we would try a little tractor ride. At first, things seemed pretty good!

I don't think we got five feet before half the kids, including Emma, started crying (and you can see how close all the parents were)! I couldn't resist snapping a picture before Daddy swooped in to rescue her...

Okay, tractor ride = FAIL. Let's head back to the animals. Unlike the chickens, the goats were a big hit!

"Here Mr. Goat! Here Mr. Goat! I love you Mr. Goat!"

Then it was off for the pumpkins! We haven't actually been to a true pumpkin patch yet (where the pumpkins are still on the vines) but Emma didnt' seem to mind. Once she found the bin where the pumpkins were JUST small enough for her to pick up, we were done for. I'm pretty sure she put 7 pumpkins in our cart. It would take all her might to get them out of the bin and carry them to the cart, but as soon as she let go of that little pumpkin, both hands flew up in the air and she screamed "That was great!" Every.single.time.

Since the kids did so good and we were all starving, we decided to head off to one of Emma's favorite places, Noodles 'N Company! She LOVES it there if you can't tell by the GIANT smile on her face.

Squishy was exhausted at this point and had fallen asleep in the car, so we brought him in his car seat and he just chilled the entire time! Amazing!