island destination

omg.

we bought a freaking island.

i've been wanting one since we tore down

the wall in the kitchen.

we considered having one made, but all the

estimates came back at $1400.

boo.

we have a lot more important updates that

 i'd rather spend money on, so i crossed it

off my list for now.

then, my friend sent me a few awesome ideas

on how to build one ourselves.

honestly, that's probably the smartest way to go,

but ain't nobody got time for that.

and then i searched online for one to buy,

but they were either chinsey or way too expensive.

dang the luck.

until... (sound the trumpets)

we stopped in sutherlands.

have you ever been there?

it's amazing.

waaaay better than lowe's.

a friend of ours suggested it over thanksgiving

and i kind of forgot about it.

but he mentioned it again when he stopped by our house,

so when i saw one off the side of the highway

with nothing else to do, we decided to take a look.

ronnie was impressed with their beer prices,

but i loved all the furniture.

plus they had cow hides.

we're totally going back for one of those.

but when i saw this beauty,

i thought it was perfect for our space,

thankfully, ronnie agreed.

and the best part?

it was only $700 (including the two chairs).

HALF the price.

wahoo!

 

see the star?

i hate it.

ronnie is cutting it off.

but besides that,

its perfect.

now ronnie just needs to case that door frame

and hang the pendants over the bar.

badabababa - i'm lovin' it

 

 

 



eighteen weeks

i'm  eighteen weeks.

weight?  i've gained 3 lbs. not a huge deal, but i can tell my body it already changing. i don't think if i was walking down the street someone would guess i'm pregnant, but i feel fat.

cravings?  cereal, which is a reminder of my pregnancy with brette.  and not healthy adult cereal, but crap like fruit loops.  don't judge.  

side effects? there are plenty.
1. the first trimester was not good.  worse than with brette.  i was puking a lot. with brette i definitely felt sick but i never threw up.  this time, there was puking.  ronnie got so used to it, that one morning i was throwing up and he came in to ask me which socks he should wear.  what. the. hell.  how about a little sympathy.  but around 13 weeks, the nausea wore off and i feel just fine now.
2. i pee somewhere between 2:30 and 4:00 every night.
3. my boobs are bigger.  like i popped a button off my shirt the other day.
4. i'm tired.  it was worse during the first trimester.  i took A LOT of naps. it didn't help that i was fighting the flu and a cold. but even now, there is a chance that i might be in bed by 8:30.

baby?  baby is the size of an onion and is around 5 inches. he/she can also blink and swallow now, which sounds good to me.  i felt some kicking for the first time last week too.  i got annoyed with that with brette, which i'm sure i'll hate it after awhile too, but its a nice little reminder that someone is in there growing.

preparations? we haven't done really anything yet.  discussed names here and there.  we've told our family and friends. (more on that later) but the nursery is empty and we haven't even started stockpiling diapers.

the best thing? besides feeling some kicking, the thing i'm looking forward to most is my doctor appointment on march 4th.  we have on sonogram then and will find out if we're having a boy or a girl. i literally cannot wait.  any guesses?  i'm feeling boy, but who knows.

the worst thing?  my clothes have started to get tight.  i'm not in maternity wear yet, but i rock a lot of dresses and leggings.  things that don't require me to button up around my waist. ugh, i'm not looking forward to months and months of a limited wardrobe.

so there it is. 

me at eighteen weeks.

heading out of town

 

 

president's day was monday so

the bank was closed and i actually had a long weekend.

ronnie's been wanting to visit his family in illinois so

we decided to head out friday night after i got off work.

we hit the road later than expected (7:30) which meant brette was asleep

within the first 30 minutes, but it also meant we didn't get to his

mom's until 2:00 in the morning.

and just to be clear, ronnie doesn't do well driving at night

so i got the 11:00 to 2:00 shift.

fun times.

especially since when we stopped at a gas station for snacks

ronnie brought back mustard pretzels.

the grossest thing i can think of to eat.

so we had rain playing as background noise,

ronnie and brette asleep

and only mustard pretzels and water to keep me going.

it was a long night,

but it was a nice trip.

always relaxing.

 

ronnie sits around most mornings talking to his mom and grandma

while they drink at least two pots of coffee.

its nice to see ronnie actually sit around.

something i could do professionally.

and even though our valentine's day wasn't romantic,

its nice to get away.

in fact, ronnie and i didn't even spend the evening together.

he went out with his cousins, while i went to bed at 9:00.

but i am still waiting on my reese's hearts.

those things are tradition and i don't care where we are,

he better buy me some.

 

we didn't get to see all of his extended family this time,

but we did have a little family dinner sunday night

with a few of his cousins and their kids.

brette loved watching everyone run around.

and she found a new love for bologna.

who knew?

and the next day we headed out.

another long drive home

(in the snow)

but i'm happy we made the effort to go back.

sometimes a boy just needs his mom.

 (you can see for miles)

 (honey, brette's new best friend)

 (the barn at his mom's house)

 (relaxing and playing with B)

it's true - here comes baby #2

i made it facebook official without one word on my blog first.

doesn't seem quite right.

but it's true.

the news is out.

baby number two is heading our way.

due july22nd.

brette and this kiddo will be two years apart.

i was super shocked and excited when i found

out in early december.

after september, my doctor said to wait a few months before

trying again, so ronnie and i had decided to wait until after christmas.

then i didn't get my period in november.

i didn't think much of it because

my doctor said that things could be a little off

and it might take a few months to regulate.

but when i didn't get my period in december either,

i started to wonder.

ronnie was over working on our house one friday,

so on my lunch break i headed that way with a pregnancy test in hand.

and yep, a few minutes later it was confirmed.

pregnant.

again.

i was excited, a little nervous and already

further along than expected.

holy cow.

its seriously a good thing i was so diligent

with birth control all those years,

because apparently getting pregnant is a non-issue.

 

and

now we wait.

 

this is me last week at 16 1/2 weeks.

i'll be 18 weeks on saturday.

and look at miss b in the background.

adorable as always.

another week

omg

there are a lot of good things about living outside city limits,

but trying to find cable and internet is not one of them.

i tried calling 3 cable companies and none of them 

"service my area."

so we decided to get satellite and had DISH come out to set us up.

the guy told us we have too many trees and he has no place to put one

unless he puts a pole in our front yard and even then, 

he thinks once all the leaves come in the reception might be bad.

scratch that.

we FINALLY found a cable company that goes to our neighborhood.

they are kind of expensive,

but right now,

i'm just ready to have internet and tv again.

this week:

ronnie made it home from vegas,

tired but in one peice.

we had a game night with friends on friday

and it was nice to do something social instead of work on the house.

but,

the house is coming along.

curtains are hung and a few decorative items have been set out.

our dishwasher was delivered,

so we now have a dishwasher for sale along with a refrigerator.

someone, come buy them both.

brette recovered from her fever,

just to get pink eye from her cousins.

so that's been fun.

i'm ready to lay down and 

watch some tv.

phew.

this week in a nutshell

ronnie's in vegas for a bachelor party.

brette's running a fever and has a cold.

i got a call to go in for an interview on a job i didn't even apply for.

i locked myself out of the house and had to call the fire department.

and it's only wednesday.

 

 

not sure how long it will be before i get the internet.

apparently, no cable company

offers their services out of city limits,

so i'm working on other options.

in the mean time,

i've been running to the library for more books

and few minutes online.

 

 

hopefully i'll be plugged back into the world soon.

ta da! house pics

i am finally going to put up 'before and after' photos of the house

but i would really prefer you think of them

as "before" and "in progress" pics.

lets be honest,

there's still quite a bit to be done.

BEFORE: living room

 

AFTER: the only thing changed is the wood floors.

 BEFORE: dining room

 

AFTER: knocked down wall, wood floors.

new light fixture is next on the list. 

oh and see that white refrigerator?

its for sale on craigslist. 

spread the word.

 BEFORE: kitchen

AFTER: painted cabinets, wood floors, new ceiling, can lighting

(that rug is not staying.

that's a linda turner quick fix.)

 

BEFORE: family room

 

AFTER: wood floors

 

BEFORE: family room

i don't have an after, 

but i promise to take one next time. 

 

 BEFORE: master bedroom

AFTER: wood planked wall, trim paint, wall paint, new carpet.

 

BEFORE: bedroom two (guest room)

 

AFTER: trim paint, wall paint, new carpet.

 

BEFORE: laundry room

 

AFTER: trim paint, wall paint, new light fixtures

BEFORE: bedroom three (brette's room)

    

AFTER: trim paint, wall paint

 brette's closet - no before pic

BEFORE: bedroom four (playroom)

  

AFTER: trim paint, wall paint

AFTER: guest bathroom. (brette's)

i can't find any before pics 

but everything basically got painted.

it still needs a new tile floor,

but that will come later.

and there you have it.

nothing is decorated or hung on the walls,

but i figure i can work on that slowly

and when i do,

i'll make sure and take some true

"AFTER" photos.