Well... IT IS OFFICIALLY FEBRUARY! BIRTH MONTH FOR LITTLE BABY EDMONDS! I can't believe it. It is a bit overwhelming to even think about!
With that, every teacher knows (and it is my favorite month) because you get to celebrate 100 Day! Being out of the classroom this year, it does make me a little sad, but I got to help Hudson find and count 100 of something and write his clues for kindergarten! He is a great counter and really good at math! We went with the obvious choice of---Chocolate Chips---. (we may have sampled a few as we counted)
Before they left for the cruise, we headed to Tanuki to celebrate Alex's birthday! It was fun to just eat with adults. Karmon, Jamie, and Cameron were there too. I appreciate adult conversation. We tried to learn a few phrases in Korean... we were not good! They play a birthday song (for the birthday boy) and put this creepy mask thing on it. So creepy. Words do not describe the creepiness. Happy Birthday Alex, and Karmon, and Hudson! <3
I am so proud of my older girls at church. They are called the Shipmate class, and we decided in our class time that we would be taking on service projects. They decided that they wanted to help Esther. Esther lives in Tanzania, Africa and is a pen-pal (through the Compassion Organization) with one of the students. The girls wrote their speaking parts, presented it to the church, and are hoping to gather donations to send to Esther and her family. We will be doing service projects about every other month. They are already planned for the year. The girls are so excited! I am so proud of their dedication and love for others!
The mailman was busy, busy, busy at our house this week. I am sure he was happy to deliver all these amazing packages to little baby Edmonds. The first package was from Aunt Jamie (even addressed to "Baby Girl Edmonds" and it is her very FIRST Homage shirt! It is amazing. I can't wait to put it on her. It looks and feels just as comfy as my Homage shirts. If you don't own an Homage shirt... I suggest you buy one. You will love it! I will share a picture of the onesie once I get it washed and ready to go!
Then, a few days later, we got THREE packages for little baby Edmonds! Super exciting! The first was from my former camper, Emily. She has been working on a puffy quilt for us to put in the nursery. I have been so excited to see it. I was beyond excited to tear open that package, take it to the room and see how it looks! (It is perfect. I will share pictures in the Nursery Tour post later). We also got a package from a former student of mine who moved all they way to Florida! They are an amazing family, and I am so blessed they are just as excited about little baby Edmonds. The last was from beebababyboutique. (I follow her on instagram) and it had our headbands!!! I got one for Valentines Day (just in case), one for St. Patrick's Day, and one for baseball season (Go Braves!). I was so excited when they came! I can't wait to put them on her head!
(I mean... look how cute!)
John and I have wanted a dimmer switch in the nursery for some time. Well... with my days 'off' I went to Home Depot, bought a switch and we attempted to successfully install it. (I suggest doing this during the day, so when you have to turn off the power, you have light... we used flashlights... we did it at night... oops!)
John, being ALL ABOUT SAFETY! Check out those goggles!
At this point, there were so many wires that all looked the same... I was at a loss.
So... we get it all together, and it didn't work. So... we tried another way. Didn't work. So we called Brice. Brice is our brother in law (married to John's sister Stephanie) and he is good with all things electrical, house repairs, etc. Well.. he talked us through it and it worked! So... this is John just trying to get all 7,000 wires back into the small opening and then the light switch.
Check out the almost finished project! Nice Work!
Tuesday consisted of me running around town, getting supplies for a new cleaning business adventure we are working on. Regardless... it was a bit stressful, but in the end GFS pulled through with the best prices and availability and the janitor closet is now stocked! I will keep you updated on the adventure if it is successful. It has only been a few days... and my goodness they have been a bit rough. I was proud of myself for pulling it together though.
The closet that was once bare, is now full and organized!
Bring on the dirt!
Speaking of chores... As the Dorsey's are on their cruise, I have a few chores to do around the house (so I can get a paycheck) and one of those chores happens to be taking care of the chickens. CHICKENS! They have a chicken coop and chickens. I collect the eggs (4 a day), fill their food, fill their water. Well... I don't enjoy birds. They scare me. So... John was helping me Saturday and Sunday. Well he had school Monday, so it was game on. It wasn't too cold out, so I thought I would let the chickens out of their little warm house/nesting box, and let them roam around on the ground in their coop. No big deal, I got a few things done, came back to put them back in their little house. WRONG! Big deal. I put myself in the coop, but the door kept swinging open, so I tried to barely slide the lock to keep it closed. The last thing I needed was a chicken that got loose. I am 37 weeks preggo... I can't be chasing a chicken! So... I get three of the 5 chickens back in the little room. Whew! Then... as I try to bribe the other chickens back into the room, one FLIES! I screamed bloody murder, and I am pretty sure I scared the crap out of the chicken. It was bad. I was officially frightened. After that, I decided to get out, and get a new game plan. So.. I head to the house, get some popcorn to bribe them, and head back out. Meanwhile, I call John (who at this point is tutoring) and tell him I can't get the chickens back in their room. He tells me I just have to "man up and pick it up!" (ew) I hang up, close the coop again, and try the popcorn method. It worked for the little guy, but there was still one BIG one that wouldn't have anything to do with going up the little ladder. (of course) So... after FORTY minutes (yes... forty!) I finally got it close enough to me where I could grab it! WHEW! I put his little butt in the room, shut the door and then went to get out of the coop.... well, the lock had slid further and I had officially locked myself in the chicken coop. My fingers were not working and I had to call John again. He just laughed and said, "Are you kidding me? How?" While on the phone, trying not to panic, I was able to get the lock to open. WHEW! Chickens. No thanks. (God knew I needed a break and brought snow... the chickens stay in their little house when it snows! HA!) ((I do not have a picture of this adventure for obvious reasons))
-SNOW DAY-
We got a good amount of snow, about six inches, and then a layer of ice on top. John's school cancelled, so I had some plans for today before we ventured out. (I still have to feed the chickens--regardless of their behavior) So, we updated the NOOK! There is this small little walkway from the hall into the nursery. I wanted to make it a fun area for little baby Edmonds (and a future work/study area). I bought the paint earlier in the week, and I was able to talk John into painting. Woo Hoo! Here are some pictures. It isn't completely done, but we got a TON accomplished. I am excited.
This is the 'nook' when we first started. It was just a place to drop random nursery stuff before I put it away. Plain and boring, but I had big plans! First up, PAINT!
I chose the paint at Home Depot. It is called "Gray Pepper" from Behr. I just got a small amount, because my intention was to only do the wall that the bathroom door was on. (shown above) But.. as we kept painting, I realized I would LOVE the opposite wall to be painted as well. One issue, our walls are rounded on the corners, so no specific stopping point. I was on TOP of it today when I was taping, so I just taped the opposite wall to see if it was even possible. Well.. we went for it and I am SO happy. I love it. (Now John wants to paint the rest of the hallway) Let me find a good color and I will get back to him on that one.
We had some paint left, so I suggested painting the panels on the nursery door. (we painted the top one to cover a scratch and it was the wrong white and it was just an eyesore). So... I put my taping skills to work and John got to painting! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The big debate is... do we now paint the wall the nursery door is on... decisions, decisions.
This is the desk (has a sewing machine in it) that we already had. We hung a shelf, some clipboards that I will be adding fun printables to soon, a lamp, ABC blocks in a glass jar, a table runner we have had for a while, an amazing chevron (same gray as walls) bin from WAL-MART! ($12.50 people... run and get yours now... with the ironing boards), some fun banners (I got off a local consignment site, but they are from Land of Nod) and the large piece of wood is her growth chart. That is also on my to do list to finish. ((there is a sound bar for our iPhones for music and her baby monitor that is charging)) I plan to add a few more things on the white wall. Her art and pictures are going to fill this fun space!
This is the opposite wall. All we have up are the banners and the Art Hanging Gallery (from Ikea) that is waiting to be filled with art. I see a lot of hand and footprint are in our future! (It is currently holding a drawing from Brice of our family to be- Me, John, baby, Aspen and Adi) Things that are going to be added to this wall include: Mailbox (painted in a fun color), a chalkboard, and a magnetic board (for letters). I am sure the walls will be filled throughout her life! I hope she enjoys crafting and arts as much as I do. I will post any new pictures if we add additional items. (Pinterest is a great source for things to find to hang on the walls)
Busy week is halfway over! I am trying to embrace the snow, the chickens, and the current comfort level.
Happy February!
-Alexis
