Well. From what I am told, I no longer have any baby-making parts left in my body. I had a total hysterectomy last Wednesday, spent one night in the hospital, and haven't done much of anything since (except walk from the bed to the chair with a pitstop at the bathroom every now and then).
Exciting times. Let me tell ya...
My sleep schedule has been the biggest issue I've had since I've been home. You know when you wake up and see the clock say 11:00 and you take another minute or so to wonder if that would be 11 am or 11 pm? Yeah. That's where I am right now.
I really haven't had much pain at all, but when I have it's mostly been in my back. I was able to have the laproscopic surgery done, and really it's been a cake walk after having 2 c-sections. I did not expect to feel so well so quickly, but really, I feel pretty normal, and actually a little bored.
(Actually a LOT bored today because I'm home alone and am not allowed to do anything even though I feel fine and Robbie has to work late so I will more than likely not even see another human being for the next 24 hours.)
(But I've taken my TIVO from only having 2% free to now having 40% free, so technically I have accomplished something.)
(Yay, me!)
Robbie has been absolutely amazing. Even the night nurse at the hospital told me I've got a good man. If he even thought I needed something, he was up trying to get it for me. Since we've been home, he's done all the cleaning, cooking, laundry, and taking care of the kids. He even cooked some chicken in the smoker for me and made me some chicken salad for when I'm home alone and need an easy lunch.
I used to think that he had no idea what all I did around here and would never be able to make it without me, but now that he's doing it (and doing it REALLY WELL, I might add), I think I may need to step up my game.
I am married to superman. Be jealous.
As far as the kids go, my mom had them the first few days, Robbie kept up with them over the weekend at our house, and today they are at Robbie's parents house in Hope and will spend the night with them tonight. I miss having them here, but I would try to do too much if I were here alone with them, so I'm very thankful for my parents and Rob's parents for offering to keep them whenever we ask. It has made my recovery very easy.
I have only left my house 2 times since I got home from the hospital Thursday. One was to go to my nephews birthday party Saturday night, and the other was to go to church last night. It feels good to get out of the house, but both times it wore me out. I think I even experienced my first hot flash (Hello menopause!) after church last night. I was standing in the foyer talking to some friends when I realized I was suddenly sweating and felt the need to step into a refrigerator to have any chance of cooling off. When we got in the car I turned the air on high and down to 60 degrees and Robbie looked at me like I was crazy. A few minutes later, I was fine. That was wild.
I have chosen to take a hormone replacement (which I started the day after surgery), and that hot flash has really been the only sign of menopause I have had. Emotionally, I have been fine. I have cried a few times. But hey (in my best Uncle Si voice), have you watched any of the Olympics? I mean, really. If you can sit there and watch Jordan Wieber's hopes of an individual Olympic medal get crushed because of one step out of bounds and not have a tear for her, or see sweet little Gabby, whose single momma has given everything she had to make her little girl's dream come true and then watch her earn her spot for a chance at the gold and NOT cry, then you're the one with an issue, my friend.
Seriously though, I am overwhelmed by all of the texts, calls, visits, cards, and prayers over the past week. I really have the best husband, family, and friends a girl could ask for, and that is something I do not take for granted, so thank you.
I think now I'll see if I can go from 40% free on my TIVO to 60%. This is a task that has never been accomplished in this house, but I believe I can do it. It will take a lot of perseverance, but I do believe it can be done.
Y'all have a great one :)
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Picture wall
Today I am linking up again with Kelly's Korner for her Show us your Life home tour. Today's topic is how you display pictures in your home.
This is my favorite wall in my house. It is only pictures of my boys, most of which I have taken with my own camera. I'm horrible about getting professional pictures made, so I just have my own made into 5 by 7's or 8 by 10's.
This is the view from the other end. I chose all black frames that didn't match so it will be very easy to add to this wall.
The next 2 pictures are of the bookshelves on either side of our fireplace in the living room. This is where I keep all of the scrapbooks that I've completed since we've been married, along with a few other framed photos.
Below is a hutch that was a dark green color until about a month ago. I painted it white so it could go in our bedroom, and I have pictures of Robbie and I displayed on the shelves, including one of our first dates, engagement pics, and a club function from our Harding days.
So that's our pictures! I can't wait to look around at other houses to get more ideas on how to display things. I really want to do something with my boys school pics, but I haven't decided exactly how I want to display them, so I'm hoping for ideas on that!
This is my favorite wall in my house. It is only pictures of my boys, most of which I have taken with my own camera. I'm horrible about getting professional pictures made, so I just have my own made into 5 by 7's or 8 by 10's.
This is the view from the other end. I chose all black frames that didn't match so it will be very easy to add to this wall.
The next 2 pictures are of the bookshelves on either side of our fireplace in the living room. This is where I keep all of the scrapbooks that I've completed since we've been married, along with a few other framed photos.
Below is a hutch that was a dark green color until about a month ago. I painted it white so it could go in our bedroom, and I have pictures of Robbie and I displayed on the shelves, including one of our first dates, engagement pics, and a club function from our Harding days.
So that's our pictures! I can't wait to look around at other houses to get more ideas on how to display things. I really want to do something with my boys school pics, but I haven't decided exactly how I want to display them, so I'm hoping for ideas on that!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Recipe, Surgery, and Family Fun
I've got several things going on that I need to get caught up on, but first up: FOOD! I tried a new recipe last night and since it is a rarity that my entire family actually likes the same dish, I thought I would share.
Lemon Baked Shrimp
1 stick butter (yeah, it's not very healthy)
1 lemon
1 bag fresh shrimp
1 packet Italian seasoning(I used something called Hawg Rub and garlic powder
instead because that's just what I had)
Melt a stick of butter and pour in a 9 x 13 pan. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter. Put down fresh shrimp, then sprinkle seasoning on top. Bake in oven at 350 or 15 minutes.
Y'all. It was so good. It came pretty close to Red Lobster's Shrimp Scampi. I served it with pasta (with just butter and Parmesan), fresh corn on the cob, and garlic bread.
It will be a regular at our house from now on.
Moving on...
So tomorrow is my surgery. I went through all of the pre-op fun (sense the sarcasm) today and didn't really get nervous about the surgery until all of that. It just got real for me. I do not care to be asked if I would be ok with a blood transfusion should one be necessary. Or to be asked if I had a will. Or who would be in charge of my decisions should something happen and I couldn't decide for myself. Or if I had a specific funeral home in mind should I die (I kid, but why not go that far with it after all of the other morbid questions?).
Anyway, I decided that freaking out was the natural thing to do after thinking through all of these decisions. And for a few hours today I was in full flip-out mode. But I decided that I may need to reserve the flip-out, crazy person mode until after I've actually had the surgery and have instant menopause to blame. So I'm good now.
Giving it to God and just breathing.
Of course, it could be because I'm now afraid it may be some of my last breaths EVER, but I like to think it's because I've calmed down a bit.
I'll try to update later in the week on how it's all going. Unless I don't respond well to the possibly needed blood transfusion and have landed in funeral home of choice.
Wow. I've got to stop.
Changing the subject completely (this is where you say YAY!), last weekend was a great weekend for us. My birth father's sons (my half brothers) came to visit. My brother JJ, his wife Heather, and their daughter Kaitlyn had been here a few times before, but this was Blake's first time to get to come.
You know how they say if you have 2 kids, they will be completely opposite? Well that's JJ and Blake. JJ is a country boy. He hunts, fishes, and listens to country music. Blake is a city boy. He spends a lot of time indoors, hanging with friends, playing video games, and listens to techno music (or I think that's what he calls it). Night and day, my friends. But I have a lot in common with both of them in different ways, and it was neat to have them both here to hang out with for the weekend.
JJ brought his own fishing poles and bait. He caught a pretty good size catfish in our pond and the kids enjoyed getting to watch him clean it in our yard.
All of the kids fished, and Aaron had a pretty good size fish on his line at one point, but it broke loose before he could get it up.
We also all spent a lot of time riding 4-wheelers. Especially my little city boy, Blake. (Oh, he's gonna get me for this!) Every time I looked up he was hopping on a 4-wheeler.
And I'm pretty sure this is the dirtiest he's ever been in his life, and was a tad sunburned, but he was loving every minute of it.
JJ's wife (Heather) and I were talking at one point about watching people and realizing the significance of certain moments, and I looked out and saw Robbie helping Kaitlyn with her fishing line, and I thought about how awesome it was that this is even happening. I didn't even know these boys until last May, but now I very much think of them as my brothers, Heather as my sis-in-law, and sweet little Kaitlyn as my niece. And I love every minute I get to spend with them.
Now it's getting near 9pm and I can't eat anything after midnight, so I think I'll go make me something to eat.
Because you never know. It could be my last meal ever. ;)
Lemon Baked Shrimp
1 stick butter (yeah, it's not very healthy)
1 lemon
1 bag fresh shrimp
1 packet Italian seasoning(I used something called Hawg Rub and garlic powder
instead because that's just what I had)
Melt a stick of butter and pour in a 9 x 13 pan. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter. Put down fresh shrimp, then sprinkle seasoning on top. Bake in oven at 350 or 15 minutes.
 |
| This is the pic from pinterest, not mine. But mine looked about the same. |
Y'all. It was so good. It came pretty close to Red Lobster's Shrimp Scampi. I served it with pasta (with just butter and Parmesan), fresh corn on the cob, and garlic bread.
It will be a regular at our house from now on.
Moving on...
So tomorrow is my surgery. I went through all of the pre-op fun (sense the sarcasm) today and didn't really get nervous about the surgery until all of that. It just got real for me. I do not care to be asked if I would be ok with a blood transfusion should one be necessary. Or to be asked if I had a will. Or who would be in charge of my decisions should something happen and I couldn't decide for myself. Or if I had a specific funeral home in mind should I die (I kid, but why not go that far with it after all of the other morbid questions?).
Anyway, I decided that freaking out was the natural thing to do after thinking through all of these decisions. And for a few hours today I was in full flip-out mode. But I decided that I may need to reserve the flip-out, crazy person mode until after I've actually had the surgery and have instant menopause to blame. So I'm good now.
Giving it to God and just breathing.
Of course, it could be because I'm now afraid it may be some of my last breaths EVER, but I like to think it's because I've calmed down a bit.
I'll try to update later in the week on how it's all going. Unless I don't respond well to the possibly needed blood transfusion and have landed in funeral home of choice.
Wow. I've got to stop.
Changing the subject completely (this is where you say YAY!), last weekend was a great weekend for us. My birth father's sons (my half brothers) came to visit. My brother JJ, his wife Heather, and their daughter Kaitlyn had been here a few times before, but this was Blake's first time to get to come.
You know how they say if you have 2 kids, they will be completely opposite? Well that's JJ and Blake. JJ is a country boy. He hunts, fishes, and listens to country music. Blake is a city boy. He spends a lot of time indoors, hanging with friends, playing video games, and listens to techno music (or I think that's what he calls it). Night and day, my friends. But I have a lot in common with both of them in different ways, and it was neat to have them both here to hang out with for the weekend.
JJ brought his own fishing poles and bait. He caught a pretty good size catfish in our pond and the kids enjoyed getting to watch him clean it in our yard.
All of the kids fished, and Aaron had a pretty good size fish on his line at one point, but it broke loose before he could get it up.
 |
| Aaron's fish was making a big splash! |
We also all spent a lot of time riding 4-wheelers. Especially my little city boy, Blake. (Oh, he's gonna get me for this!) Every time I looked up he was hopping on a 4-wheeler.
 |
| Rob, Austin, and Kaitlyn |
And I'm pretty sure this is the dirtiest he's ever been in his life, and was a tad sunburned, but he was loving every minute of it.
 |
| Isn't she a DOLL?! |
Now it's getting near 9pm and I can't eat anything after midnight, so I think I'll go make me something to eat.
Because you never know. It could be my last meal ever. ;)
Monday, July 16, 2012
Camp, Job, Surgery, and Friends
Last Sunday, we set out for Oklahoma to drop Aaron off for a week at Mountain Fork Christian Camp. This is the camp I went to when I was growing up, and to see my kids up there just makes my heart happy.
There are three weeks of camp every summer. The senior session, middle session, and junior session. This year was Aaron's last year at junior camp, which makes me sad for a few reasons. One, it means my efforts to keep him from growing up aren't working. And two, my family pretty much runs the junior session. My oldest brother, Johnny, is the director for that session. His wife, another brother of mine, and my mom are all cooks. I had 2 nieces, 2 nephews, and another sister-in-law that were working up there as well this year. And Robbie is also usually up there to help, but didn't get to go this year.
Aaron feels like he owns the camp in junior session, so I'm afraid middle session may be a rude awakening for him next year since he doesn't know many people that work it and he may not get to go back in the kitchen and request pizza on a bun while everyone else is having sandwiches.
Having to eat sandwiches with everyone else when you KNOW there must be some pizza on a bun left in the fridge...well that's just sad.
Camp goes from Sunday to Friday. We took him up there on Sunday, went back to visit on Wednesday, and went again on Friday to pick him up. I really like going up on Wednesday's because that's the night Billy Blakeney (aka Brother Billy) speaks. Brother Billy was my preacher while I was growing up, and he and his late wife, Mrs. Cornez, were like grandparents to me. He always mentions her during his Wednesday night camp devos, and I always leave with tears because I love this man more than I even have the words for. I know that when he passes they will have a beautiful reunion in heaven. Brother Billy married Robbie and I almost 15 years ago, so he has known Robbie for at least that long and they have gotten close (and have even shared a camper) the past few years of camp. I called them Gran and Granny when I was little, and still find myself calling him Gran sometimes.
Mrs. Cornez passed away years ago, and the amphitheater at the camp is named after her. There is also a Billy and Cornez best camper award given out on Friday night, and I was so proud of Aaron getting runner-up for that award this year. He also got first place in the horseshoe tournament (which surprised me because I'm not sure he'd ever really played horseshoes before).
After the awards ceremony Friday night, Brother Billy and I were able to talk a while and he went on and on about how impressed he is with Aaron's willingness to help whenever needed and that he always has such a good attitude.
Coming from anyone else that may not have meant much.
But from this man, it meant everything.
Ok, I am crying. Must move on.
On a different note (because suddenly I'm a hot mess), I've been thinking about possibly going back to go to school to get my master's in education. I subbed quite a bit at the elemenatary February through May of this year and fell in love with everything about it. I decided the only way I could know for sure if this is really what I want to do is to spend as much time as possible at the school. So a few weeks ago, I interviewed for a job at the elementary school that Austin attends. On Thursday, the principal called to tell me that she would be recommending me to the school board to be hired. She texted me as soon as the meeting was over Thursday night to let me know that I had been approved, and I couldn't be more excited about it!
The past 11 (almost 12) years of my life I have been a SAHM (besides selling Mary Kay for many years and working part time at a preschool), so this will be a change for all of us. But I'm not worried since we had a dry run back in the spring with me subbing almost every day, and it worked very well for us. The boys like having me there, and, without going into everything I like about it, I will just say that I just feel like this is where I belong.
It is a welcomed change and I'm so very thankful for the opportunity.
Also on Thursday (as if getting a job wasn't enough for one day), I decided to have a hysterectomy. It's a decision I've gone back and forth on for 2 years now, but it is time. My surgery is scheduled for next week and will be done laproscopically, which means it is not as invasive and has a much shorter recovery time than the traditional method, so I should be recovered by the time school starts. I tell you this not because I think anyone cares to know my female issues, but to ask to be remembered in your prayers next week. I'm going into it hoping that I can be one of the many women that come out on the other side of it saying it was the best decision ever. I'm just ready to feel better.
And last but CERTAINLY not least, I got to see one of my favorite college friends, Carol, last week. She and her son, Bobby, came to our house last Sunday evening and spent the night with us. I haven't seen her in about 10 years, so there was a LOT of catching up to do. Carol and I shared a bunk bed for a few months while we were living in Italy, and we got to travel Europe together. It was so neat and a little surreal to see our kids playing together at our house almost 16 years later. She and I sat out on the dock Monday morning and talked while our kids drove each other around on the golf cart. It was just perfect and I was sad to see them leave when it was time to go.
Long talks with old friends...priceless. :)
That's all for now. I hope you all have a great week!
 |
| Aaron and Austin, sitting on Aaron's bunk. |
There are three weeks of camp every summer. The senior session, middle session, and junior session. This year was Aaron's last year at junior camp, which makes me sad for a few reasons. One, it means my efforts to keep him from growing up aren't working. And two, my family pretty much runs the junior session. My oldest brother, Johnny, is the director for that session. His wife, another brother of mine, and my mom are all cooks. I had 2 nieces, 2 nephews, and another sister-in-law that were working up there as well this year. And Robbie is also usually up there to help, but didn't get to go this year.
 |
| Ethan, Aaron, and CJ |
 |
| Aaron and Sam showing off their muscles |
Aaron feels like he owns the camp in junior session, so I'm afraid middle session may be a rude awakening for him next year since he doesn't know many people that work it and he may not get to go back in the kitchen and request pizza on a bun while everyone else is having sandwiches.
Having to eat sandwiches with everyone else when you KNOW there must be some pizza on a bun left in the fridge...well that's just sad.
 |
| Aaron, Ethan, and CJ, getting silly |
 |
| Aaron and his friend Madison in the kitchen |
Camp goes from Sunday to Friday. We took him up there on Sunday, went back to visit on Wednesday, and went again on Friday to pick him up. I really like going up on Wednesday's because that's the night Billy Blakeney (aka Brother Billy) speaks. Brother Billy was my preacher while I was growing up, and he and his late wife, Mrs. Cornez, were like grandparents to me. He always mentions her during his Wednesday night camp devos, and I always leave with tears because I love this man more than I even have the words for. I know that when he passes they will have a beautiful reunion in heaven. Brother Billy married Robbie and I almost 15 years ago, so he has known Robbie for at least that long and they have gotten close (and have even shared a camper) the past few years of camp. I called them Gran and Granny when I was little, and still find myself calling him Gran sometimes.
 |
| Brother Billy, preaching in the Cornez Blakeney amphitheater |
Mrs. Cornez passed away years ago, and the amphitheater at the camp is named after her. There is also a Billy and Cornez best camper award given out on Friday night, and I was so proud of Aaron getting runner-up for that award this year. He also got first place in the horseshoe tournament (which surprised me because I'm not sure he'd ever really played horseshoes before).
After the awards ceremony Friday night, Brother Billy and I were able to talk a while and he went on and on about how impressed he is with Aaron's willingness to help whenever needed and that he always has such a good attitude.
Coming from anyone else that may not have meant much.
But from this man, it meant everything.
Ok, I am crying. Must move on.
On a different note (because suddenly I'm a hot mess), I've been thinking about possibly going back to go to school to get my master's in education. I subbed quite a bit at the elemenatary February through May of this year and fell in love with everything about it. I decided the only way I could know for sure if this is really what I want to do is to spend as much time as possible at the school. So a few weeks ago, I interviewed for a job at the elementary school that Austin attends. On Thursday, the principal called to tell me that she would be recommending me to the school board to be hired. She texted me as soon as the meeting was over Thursday night to let me know that I had been approved, and I couldn't be more excited about it!
The past 11 (almost 12) years of my life I have been a SAHM (besides selling Mary Kay for many years and working part time at a preschool), so this will be a change for all of us. But I'm not worried since we had a dry run back in the spring with me subbing almost every day, and it worked very well for us. The boys like having me there, and, without going into everything I like about it, I will just say that I just feel like this is where I belong.
It is a welcomed change and I'm so very thankful for the opportunity.
Also on Thursday (as if getting a job wasn't enough for one day), I decided to have a hysterectomy. It's a decision I've gone back and forth on for 2 years now, but it is time. My surgery is scheduled for next week and will be done laproscopically, which means it is not as invasive and has a much shorter recovery time than the traditional method, so I should be recovered by the time school starts. I tell you this not because I think anyone cares to know my female issues, but to ask to be remembered in your prayers next week. I'm going into it hoping that I can be one of the many women that come out on the other side of it saying it was the best decision ever. I'm just ready to feel better.
And last but CERTAINLY not least, I got to see one of my favorite college friends, Carol, last week. She and her son, Bobby, came to our house last Sunday evening and spent the night with us. I haven't seen her in about 10 years, so there was a LOT of catching up to do. Carol and I shared a bunk bed for a few months while we were living in Italy, and we got to travel Europe together. It was so neat and a little surreal to see our kids playing together at our house almost 16 years later. She and I sat out on the dock Monday morning and talked while our kids drove each other around on the golf cart. It was just perfect and I was sad to see them leave when it was time to go.
 |
| Carol and I |
Long talks with old friends...priceless. :)
 |
| Austin and Bobby |
That's all for now. I hope you all have a great week!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Our Bathrooms...
Today I'm continuing with our home tour with Kelly's Korner, and the topic is bathrooms.
We have 3 1/2 bathrooms in our house, but the master is my favorite, so I'll start there.
We went with poured marble (with a granite look) for the counter tops in our bathroom. The most important thing to me when I was working on the house plan for the bathroom was to make sure I had a vanity where I could sit and put my makeup on. Call me crazy, but it really bothers me to stand while applying makeup and so I LOVE my vanity space!
And since I wanted to have room for my makeup and hair products in front of me, my cabinet builder suggested that we put my sink over to the side, which is a little different because I don't have a mirror over my sink, but all I really use it for is brushing my teeth. And I already know what I look like while I'm brushing my teeth. And if I just really wanted to watch myself I could turn a little to the left and I could see. But we've been in this house for 5 months and I don't think that's happened yet.
This drawer is one of my favorite things about my bathroom. I am not a fan of cords everywhere, and who wants to unplug and put away their hair dryer everyday? This is one thing I truly appreciate about my house daily.
I love that some of these drawers still don't have anything in them!
We have a pocket door separating the sink/closet area from the tub, shower, and toilet area.
The first thing you see when you enter the second area is this beautiful mirror that I got on clearance at Hobby Lobby.
To the left of that is our whirlpool bathtub. I love this tub. A lot.
Above the tub is our built-in towel holder. To me, rolling towels is much faster than folding them, and I think this is a pretty way to store them.
And this is our shower. It is about 5 feet long so a shower door is not needed. One of my least favorite things to clean is a shower door, and we have none in this house! I also absolutely love the built-in seat.
You know when you're building a house, a husband and wife can look at things very differently. Robbie REALLY wanted to have a TV in the bathroom, and I did not. But he won. And it actually turned out to be pretty neat because the TV rotates so that you can watch it while you're in the shower, in the tub, or on the toilet. Austin loves taking a bath in there and watching 'Thomas the tank engine' on the television while he soaks, and Robbie turns on Fox news while he is getting ready.
And this is our toilet. Nothing fancy. Just a toilet.
The next bathroom is our little 1/2 bath that is under our stairway. This is the bathroom that most of our guests use, so even though it's little I wanted it to be cute.
This is another mirror I got on clearance at Hobby Lobby. I really like the way it looks, but it is SO hard to clean!
And I got these pictures at Kirkland's on sale.
Each of the boys have their own bathroom upstairs. They are pretty much the same in the way they are laid out.
For Austin's bathroom, I found a shower curtain that matches his diamond-plate border that's in his bedroom.
The pocket door goes to his closet.
For Aaron's bathroom, we continued the hunting theme from his bedroom.
I got almost everything in his bathroom from Cabela's and Bass Pro. And sadly, none of it was on sale or clearance.
Hope you enjoyed the tour of our bathrooms! Y'all have a great weekend!!
We have 3 1/2 bathrooms in our house, but the master is my favorite, so I'll start there.
We went with poured marble (with a granite look) for the counter tops in our bathroom. The most important thing to me when I was working on the house plan for the bathroom was to make sure I had a vanity where I could sit and put my makeup on. Call me crazy, but it really bothers me to stand while applying makeup and so I LOVE my vanity space!
And since I wanted to have room for my makeup and hair products in front of me, my cabinet builder suggested that we put my sink over to the side, which is a little different because I don't have a mirror over my sink, but all I really use it for is brushing my teeth. And I already know what I look like while I'm brushing my teeth. And if I just really wanted to watch myself I could turn a little to the left and I could see. But we've been in this house for 5 months and I don't think that's happened yet.
This drawer is one of my favorite things about my bathroom. I am not a fan of cords everywhere, and who wants to unplug and put away their hair dryer everyday? This is one thing I truly appreciate about my house daily.
I love that some of these drawers still don't have anything in them!
We have a pocket door separating the sink/closet area from the tub, shower, and toilet area.
The first thing you see when you enter the second area is this beautiful mirror that I got on clearance at Hobby Lobby.
To the left of that is our whirlpool bathtub. I love this tub. A lot.
Above the tub is our built-in towel holder. To me, rolling towels is much faster than folding them, and I think this is a pretty way to store them.
And this is our shower. It is about 5 feet long so a shower door is not needed. One of my least favorite things to clean is a shower door, and we have none in this house! I also absolutely love the built-in seat.
You know when you're building a house, a husband and wife can look at things very differently. Robbie REALLY wanted to have a TV in the bathroom, and I did not. But he won. And it actually turned out to be pretty neat because the TV rotates so that you can watch it while you're in the shower, in the tub, or on the toilet. Austin loves taking a bath in there and watching 'Thomas the tank engine' on the television while he soaks, and Robbie turns on Fox news while he is getting ready.
And this is our toilet. Nothing fancy. Just a toilet.
The next bathroom is our little 1/2 bath that is under our stairway. This is the bathroom that most of our guests use, so even though it's little I wanted it to be cute.
This is another mirror I got on clearance at Hobby Lobby. I really like the way it looks, but it is SO hard to clean!
And I got these pictures at Kirkland's on sale.
Each of the boys have their own bathroom upstairs. They are pretty much the same in the way they are laid out.
For Austin's bathroom, I found a shower curtain that matches his diamond-plate border that's in his bedroom.
The pocket door goes to his closet.
For Aaron's bathroom, we continued the hunting theme from his bedroom.
I got almost everything in his bathroom from Cabela's and Bass Pro. And sadly, none of it was on sale or clearance.
Hope you enjoyed the tour of our bathrooms! Y'all have a great weekend!!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
San Antonio
Last Thursday we set out for a long weekend get-away to San Antonio. My kids had never been there and I hadn't been in years, so we were all excited about it.
If you've ever been to San Antonio, then you know that one of the things you MUST do is walk down the River Walk. Our hotel wasn't far from it, so we were able just walk to it.
Once we got down there, the first thing that Austin noticed was that there is a boat ride that you can take that goes right down the middle of the River Walk. We decided that was probably the best way to see everything, so we purchased our tickets and hopped on a boat.
The tour guide told us all about the history of the River Walk and the buildings surrounding it, and we saw all of the restaurants and shops that line the River Walk, so it was a ride well worth it in my opinion.
San Antonio is a beautiful city with a neat history. Something Austin has been wanting to do for months now is to go on a cave tour, and he found a brochure on one in San Antonio. Aaron wasn't super excited about going to it, but once we got there he changed his mind pretty fast.
If you've never been down in a cavern, I recommend it. It's cool to see how the stalactites and stalagmites grow and the thought of all of this being over 200 feet below the ground is pretty amazing.
We walked down steep walkways to get to the bottom of the cavern. And then walked back up to get out of there. It was a great workout to say the least.
There were no elevators and no other way out than to climb the steep hills to get out. I felt a little bad for the older people in there that were having to rest A LOT on the benches, but I guess that's why they had all of the warnings to not go in if you had any medical problems. I'm sure they all eventually made it out, but it was quite strenuous.
The boys also enjoyed the pool at our hotel while we were there. They haven't gotten to swim much this summer, so this was a treat for them. We would play all day and then come back in the evenings and swim.
And what's a trip to San Antonio without Sea World? We all had a blast there. We went to several shows while we were there.
The sea lion show:
The dolphin show:
And, of course, Shamu:
The shows were very entertaining and it made me want to be a dolphin trainer. Not so much a killer whale trainer. But I do love dolphins and could watch them all day long and not get tired of it. They are so graceful and they seem to understand their trainers as if they can actually talk to them. It was beautiful really.
Also at Sea World, there was a splash park where the kids could play in the water. We didn't expect this, so we hadn't brought any swimming clothes for the boys. But it was quite handy that they had a shop right next to the splash park where they sold bathing suits and towels, all for the discount price of...well, ok. It wasn't even close to being a discount price, but both of them really needed new suits anyway, so why not get some that say Sea World and cost 3 times as much as they would from Wal-Mart?
They had so much fun playing in the water and the weather was just perfect. It was overcast all day so it didn't get really hot, and it sprinkled several times on and off throughout the day, which kept it cooler.
Well. That and Dippin Dots.
There were also some rides that the kids got to do. Austin and Robbie went on the big roller coaster to which Austin said "Mama, I almost 'froed up'.
There was also a huge playset (imagine McDonalds playplace on steroids) that they both spent a lot of time on. Austin makes a new best friend everywhere he goes, so every time he went up in it, he came down with a brand new friend.
One of our favorite things there was where you could feed and pet the dolphins. Both of the boys got to touch dolphins and that was certainly one of the highlights. Dolphins are just so happy. They look like they've always got a huge smile on their face.
So this was our long weekend. It was a trip that we all enjoyed and would go back again and again.
I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th tomorrow!
If you've ever been to San Antonio, then you know that one of the things you MUST do is walk down the River Walk. Our hotel wasn't far from it, so we were able just walk to it.
Once we got down there, the first thing that Austin noticed was that there is a boat ride that you can take that goes right down the middle of the River Walk. We decided that was probably the best way to see everything, so we purchased our tickets and hopped on a boat.
The tour guide told us all about the history of the River Walk and the buildings surrounding it, and we saw all of the restaurants and shops that line the River Walk, so it was a ride well worth it in my opinion.
 |
| Apparently my flash was bright. |
 |
| This is the Rivercenter Mall, located at one end of the River Walk. |
San Antonio is a beautiful city with a neat history. Something Austin has been wanting to do for months now is to go on a cave tour, and he found a brochure on one in San Antonio. Aaron wasn't super excited about going to it, but once we got there he changed his mind pretty fast.
 |
| It was beautiful walking down to the entrance of the cavern. |
If you've never been down in a cavern, I recommend it. It's cool to see how the stalactites and stalagmites grow and the thought of all of this being over 200 feet below the ground is pretty amazing.
 |
| Going down... |
We walked down steep walkways to get to the bottom of the cavern. And then walked back up to get out of there. It was a great workout to say the least.
There were no elevators and no other way out than to climb the steep hills to get out. I felt a little bad for the older people in there that were having to rest A LOT on the benches, but I guess that's why they had all of the warnings to not go in if you had any medical problems. I'm sure they all eventually made it out, but it was quite strenuous.
 |
| Going up... |
The boys also enjoyed the pool at our hotel while we were there. They haven't gotten to swim much this summer, so this was a treat for them. We would play all day and then come back in the evenings and swim.
And what's a trip to San Antonio without Sea World? We all had a blast there. We went to several shows while we were there.
The sea lion show:
 |
| This walrus actually turned over on his back and started doing crunches at one point in the show! |
 |
| I love how sea lions get a running start and then glide on their tummy's. Looks like so much fun. |
The dolphin show:
And, of course, Shamu:
The shows were very entertaining and it made me want to be a dolphin trainer. Not so much a killer whale trainer. But I do love dolphins and could watch them all day long and not get tired of it. They are so graceful and they seem to understand their trainers as if they can actually talk to them. It was beautiful really.
Also at Sea World, there was a splash park where the kids could play in the water. We didn't expect this, so we hadn't brought any swimming clothes for the boys. But it was quite handy that they had a shop right next to the splash park where they sold bathing suits and towels, all for the discount price of...well, ok. It wasn't even close to being a discount price, but both of them really needed new suits anyway, so why not get some that say Sea World and cost 3 times as much as they would from Wal-Mart?
They had so much fun playing in the water and the weather was just perfect. It was overcast all day so it didn't get really hot, and it sprinkled several times on and off throughout the day, which kept it cooler.
Well. That and Dippin Dots.
There were also some rides that the kids got to do. Austin and Robbie went on the big roller coaster to which Austin said "Mama, I almost 'froed up'.
There was also a huge playset (imagine McDonalds playplace on steroids) that they both spent a lot of time on. Austin makes a new best friend everywhere he goes, so every time he went up in it, he came down with a brand new friend.
One of our favorite things there was where you could feed and pet the dolphins. Both of the boys got to touch dolphins and that was certainly one of the highlights. Dolphins are just so happy. They look like they've always got a huge smile on their face.
So this was our long weekend. It was a trip that we all enjoyed and would go back again and again.
I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th tomorrow!
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