We Gave Thanks and Raked Leaves

Since The Daddy and I got married in 2002, my father, Poppy and brother, Matt typically have joined us for Thanksgiving at my in-laws' house. This year it was a smaller crowd, but a thankful one!

This turkey makes me smile!

This one didn't eat much, but she smiled a whole lot.

This turkey raked leaves for the girls to play in.

It was almost just as fun to gather the leaves.

My turkey self just snapped away, enjoying the cold Georgia air.

AE carried this big leaf around the whole time we were outside.

HJ helped make the pile bigger with The Crazy Dog not far behind.

She landed IN the leaves often!

But AE continued to make the pile bigger,

preferring to be "in charge" rather than be a "jumper."

Here they are working together, like good sisters do.

BELLY FLOP!

The ONE time AE joined HJ in the pile.

With loads to be thankful for, we gathered together and spoke to far away loved ones on the phone, wishing they were close by. Love to all!

Floors Before and A List

Parquet:

No Way!

The new flooring should be in by the first week in December. Hooray! And then we'll move in after that! Wahooooo!

The Daddy and I are Georgia-bound tomorrow. The girls and I are staying with Nana and Papa for almost two weeks. The following two weeks will include the following:

• Driving a long way
• Eating mass quantities
• Hugging
• Kissing
• Loving on each other
• Eating
• Visiting friends
• Playing
• Watching movies
• Watching football
• Praying for Auburn to Beat Bama!
• Seeing Santa
• Riding The Pink Pig
• Hugging
• Kissing
• Worshipping at our old church
• Shopping for all our Christmas presents
• Attending the women's Christmas brunch
• Touring Historic homes decorated for the holidays
• Viewing New Moon with girlfriends
• Hugging
• Eating Mexican food with girlfriends
• Visiting and playing with our Georgia friends
• Seeing The Nutcracker (just us girls with Nana!)
• Hugging
• Kissing
• Waving goodbye!
• Driving a long way home

I only wish The Daddy was staying the whole time with us, but I guess his job IS important, too!

We're so thankful for how far we've come with our move, our friends and family! See y'all in a few weeks. I MAY NOT post while we're in Georgia. We'll see...

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, (you know where this is going...)

Sunday we went to the Magic Kingdom.

Monday we chilled at home.

Tuesday we picked out new hardwood flooring:

Hickory. Distressed. Rustic. Pretty.

The Crazy Dog will only make these more beautiful!

Wednesday we chilled at home.

Thursday we ate turkey:

The Daddy came back in town for the Thanksgiving Feast:

Mama made it, too:

This is Miss Allison:

Art gallery via the 4-year-old kids:

This is Miss Melanie:

Can you tell AE LOVES school and her teachers?

Friday we did a walk through while the girls played in the yard.

HJ having fun by the BIG oak!

On our way to the closing:

Today we met up with the contractor and gave our blessing to begin demo on the AWESOME and ORIGINAL parquet floors.

Then we headed to Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore to pick up some paint samples. I have no idea where these chips will send me. The looney bin, I suppose. However, I did get a little help from my friends on Twitter and Facebook. Good for something, that social media!

I also got help from these two ladies because I'm looking for a beautiful blue: The Nester and Katie Harrington. Go see them. Beauty abounds.

Because I'm Out of Words...

I've been working a post about the rest of our time at Disney THREE weeks ago, and I'll post that later, but in the meantime, here's the rest of the blog-worthy photos:

Playing Catch Up

Usually when I'm not saying much, I don't have nice things to say.

It's been a little quiet around here, but I'm ready to be cheery again!

The Daddy and I met with our contractor, building supplier and architect this week. I feel confident that this house and this neighborhood will be a great home for our family. I'm trying to get over myself and my visions of WHAT I THOUGHT our new home would be like.

I was WRONG.

We close next Friday. It will probably be another 2-3 weeks before we can move in. Hopefully the flooring and doors will get done, and we can move all our "patiently-awaiting-in-storage" belongings into our new home.

Needless to say, my mind is going a mile a minute about how to arrange furniture, what new furniture we need, what fabrics to choose, what can I make, what can I paint, what can I this and that and EVERYTHING under the sun. I haven't begun to lose sleep over this, but I need to chill out and wait until we are in the house before I, uh, we make any big decisions.

I DID purchase 10 yards of fabric from Joann this week. Originally $39.99 per yard. When The Daddy came home on Tuesday, I asked him if he wanted to see what $400 of fabric looked like?

He looked and said, "But what did you pay?"

Because he knows me so well. I would NEVER spend $400 on fabric. Unless I was getting 400 yards.

I spent $30.

{Insert happy dance here.}

Not sure what we're going to do with it, but...it was $30. The bedroom and dining room are possibilities.

In other news, HJ spent a lot of the week peeing in panties. We had a week of unsuccessful potty introduction~can't say training because SHE LEARNED NOTHING BUT WHAT WET PANTIES FEEL LIKE.

We'll give it another go next month.

I also registered AE for her new school. Yes, her third school this year. The school the girls are at is too far from our new home, so come January, expect ANOTHER first day of school post.

HJ will stay home with me instead of going to school. We will bond. We will learn new things. We will love each other and spend lots of time together.

AE's new school didn't have any openings for HJ, but we'll be set for next year as this school is DIFFICULT TO GET INTO. It's been open for 55 years. Many students' parents went to school there. IT IS A GREAT SCHOOL, and I can't wait to get them settled in there. In the Fall. Sigh.

It got cool this week, specifically Thursday when I needed a scarf. Highs in the 60s, folks!

This Saturday, we met our friends from Nashville down at the Disney Beach Resort and got to take advantage of the pool. In November. I'm not going to lie; it was nice.

The Daddy also picked up some FREE tickets to Disney, so we joined our friends over at the Magic Kingdom for a full day of entertainment. The Daddy had his acting debut! Belle selected him at her story time to play The Beast.

Here she is pointing out The Daddy as her choice for The Beast!

The Daddy in his costume.

The Daddy dancing with Belle! Should I be jealous?

Now, he's a prince!

The "cast" taking a bow.

The girls got to meet Belle afterwords.

Great smiles!

HJ rode her first roller coaster! Evidently we failed to check and see if she was tall enough last time. Ooops!

AE rode Thunder Mountain twice and we were THE MOST HORRIBLE PARENTS and took them on The Haunted Mansion ride. No nightmares last night, though. I think we're in the clear!

Cinderella made a wish and her Fairy Godmother granted it. She lit the castle up with white Christmas lights! All while we ate hot dogs and fries.

It was really cool to see how the park had changed in just two weeks from the last time we were there. At Halloween, it was decked out in pumpkins and harvest glory. NOW it is all ready for Christmas!

Today we're spending the day at home to recover from a nap-less weekend. Pray for us!

Two Princesses, Two Parades

On our second day at the Magic Kingdom, we took in two parades: one in the afternoon and the infamous, nighttime light parade.

The family waits (note thumb sucker: HJ)

Bringing juice boxes saves $$$$

And brings a rare and joyful treat!

Sweet shot of HJ and The Daddy

Here it comes!

Chip and Dale:

Mickey and Minnie:

Dreams DO come true!

M-I-C-K-E-Y

Miss Minnie

Foulfellow the Fox, Gideon and Geppetto

Jiminy Cricket

Pinocchio: BEYOND adorable!

ONE wish?

Jafar scared us all:

Alladin on top of the world:

The best shot I ever got of the elusive Miss White:

MY favorites: Mary Poppins and Burt (she was GORGEOUS!)

Fun combination: Peter, Wendy, Alice and The Mad Hatter

I wonder about these people...

Alice was cute:

Drizella and:

Anastasia:

Miss Bibbity Bobbity Boo herself, Fairy Godmother!

Cinderella and her prince:

Belle with the back of The Beast:

Ariel and Eric looked like they were playing dress up:

He's good.

Very...

Very good.

The most magical moments for me:

During the light parade:

The castle shifted colors all evening:

And I watched AE wave to everyone in the parade.

Classic.

Central Florida, We Have a Winner!

So, we have a contract on the ranch house I told you about way back then!

Searching through the online tax records, I found this before picture:

See the date?

Here she is today:

Much cuter, don'tcha think?

We are scheduled to close on the 20th of this month, and we can't wait to get started on our renovations.

Here's a list:

• Add a little peak over the front door to break up the roof line
• Add a pergola/trellis over the garage door
• Add window boxes
• New flooring (except kitchen and bathrooms)
• New interior doors
• Add bathroom and closet to bonus room to make a new master suite

We're hoping we can get the flooring and doors done first, so we can get moved in. We'll likely live in the current master while the rest of the renovations are being done. The bonus room is on the other side of the house, so hopefully that plan will work out. Once the renovations are done, we'll have the original master suite ready for guests!

I was feeling a little hesitant about this BIG purchase, but as time goes by, I'm feeling more and more like we've made the right decision. We even know one of our neighbors already! One of The Daddy's co-workers lives just down the street, and I've heard his wife would love to have a walking partner! Yea!

Yes, we have found a home.

And We Met Some Characters

Our host for the weekend:

Hugs all around:

Oh, Mickey changed clothes!

And Minnie matched!

Pluto was funny; he surprised AE!

And he posed for the camera:

Then she gave him a kiss! (Don't think about the germs. Don't think about the germs. Don't think about the germs.)

Daisy was as sweet as could be:

Love the backdrop!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Donald, the dude:

Chip came along and stole AE's seat at dinner!

She was not happy about it:

But she forgave him:

HJ was excited to see him. (That's her "biggest smile.")

Dale gave AE a high five for being a big eater!

And he and HJ got into a blowing-kiss-off!

Goofy is SUPER TALL! (Taller than The Daddy)

What a lovely surprise! Thumper!

And his lady Miss Bunny!

I couldn't stop marveling at their cuteness! They even hopped a little!

Then we had dinner in the 100 Acre Wood.

HJ giving Piglet five:

Nana's favorite:

HJ stroked Eeyore's ear.

Tigger was really fast!

We finally caught up with Pooh.

HJ gave him a kiss!

And we said goodnight, Pooh Bear:

So, We Saw Some Princesses

If you asked either of my little girls, they would each say this was their favorite part of Disney:

First we met Ariel:

AE could not stop looking at her sequined "tail"!

Over at Animal Kingdom, we ran into Pocahontas:

She was the prettiest of the princesses!

(I don't think the real one would have a manicure like that, though!)

When we went back to the Magic Kingdom, we found three in a row!

Cinderella was the nicest!

I love HJ's posture when chatting with Belle!

Sweet smiles!

Sleeping Beauty brought out the smiles in the girls!

And a hug to last until our next visit. Note AE's grabbing her chest!

Sorry, Aurora!

Halloween @ Downtown Disney

Halloween began back when I began planning AE's birthday party. Why make tutus if you can't use them more than once?

Then I promptly packed the tutus and sent them off to storage, forcing this plan of action to regain our costumes.

On the Thursday before Halloween, Nana and Papa arrived. I made our traditional Fall recipe, Taco Soup and we carved pumpkins on the night of our arrival. Forgot to take pictures.

Fail. Here's last year: cute pumpkin alert!

Uncle C. and his girlfriend arrived on Friday morning to SURPRISE Nana. Was she ever surprised! Drove the grands around all day, had dinner with family friends and played cards with family that night.

Then we headed down to Disney Saturday afternoon and got the girls ready for trick-or-treating at Downtown Disney. Here's what it looked like:

Mama making a ballerina bun

The make-up for "pink cheeks"

HJ getting her glitter on

Our hosts for Halloween fun

AE gets a touch up after dinner at the Rainforest Cafe

Mama, Uncle C. and his girlfriend Alyson (not her real hair)

I'm going to get CANDY!

Trick-or-treating at the shops

Watching the Halloween entertainment

Dancing with The Daddy

Sitting on top of the world!

Thanks, Mickey for a wonderful, but crowded, Halloween!

Can't wait to show you more pics of our awesome family weekend!

The Grande Finale- Halloween Overkill

I got out of the car for this one!

Look at those freaky fellows and dame on the porch!

This guy was hanging in the trees amidst the Spanish moss.

This haunt had a friend who joined him in guarding over the driveway.

What a welcoming pair!

Really overKILL!

Really freaky!

Scary even in the daylight hours...

I would not be caught dead at this house on Saturday night!

I wonder what's going on inside that house?

Really, have you ever seen such a display?

And that, folks, ends our tour through Halloween town.

Aren't you glad it's over?

Taking a break from the computer this weekend. I MIGHT post pictures of the girls in their Halloween costumes, but I MIGHT just enjoy our weekend at Disney World with The Daddy's parents, Nana and Papa.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, Y'ALL!

Do You Like To Hang Out in Graveyards?

On my picture-taking travels, I came upon this.

The house it was parked in front of had NO HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS of which to speak.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.

All around town, graveyards seemed to be just as popular as the spider theme from yesterday. Click on any of the pictures to make them bigger and get a close look at the scary stuff!

This lovely scene is visible from a well-travelled street:

My girls DO NOT LOVE IT.

I mean, REALLY? Sickos!

This guy was in MANY yards and doorsteps and trees.

I guess he gets around. Death is busy that way.

I loved the drapery panels on this house:

Can you see them by the front door? I'll bet getting candy from this house will require an act of bravery for some kids on Saturday night! (Rogue spiders, too)

Oh, his EYES!

Just chillin' on the front porch with my evil EYES!

Here's some folks who've lost their heads!

This guy reminds me of the haunted horseman, but he's not as suavely dressed:

After seeing some of these decorations on a dark and scary Halloween night, you might just have to call one of these:

to pick me up!

Come back tomorrow because I've saved the BEST FOR LAST!

Can't get enough?

Try these:

• Victorian Haunted House
• Pretty Halloween Porches
• Spiders and Ghouls

Ghosts, Spiders and Spiderman? (oh, my!)

Today we're on theme!

Don't you just want to make over this house?

Love the New Orleans feel and the sweet ghosts swinging in the breeze.

Anyone up for a seance?

The pumpkin witch flag nullifies any spookiness here.

And now one of the most popular themes here this year:

Big Spiders.

Even Bigger Spiders:

Spider Webs:

Spooky Webs:

Spiders taking over!

Even this house (on the market for a mere $1,795,000!) is not immune to the GIANT SPIDER ATTACK:

(took this shot through open car window, moving, I'm driving--not bad)

Cute little bungalow!

Great landscaping, but I spy something with my Spidey-sense!

Spider-Man!

But the absolute best spider house, I saved for last:

Seriously BIG spiders. Great webs.

And look at that!

She caught something in her web!

Creepy!

Creepy. Creepy. (Pretty door and sidelights!)

And someone else was hanging out at the same house:

The balcony over the garage was infested too!

Don't these guys look like they're up to NO GOOD?

Tomorrow's another themed day: graveyards!

A Victorian Halloween

Look at this pretty, pretty house!

It overlooks a beautiful lake in our area, but wait! What? What IS that?

Come a little closer...

Closer, still... Whoa!

(Love the sweet bicycle on the porch! Can't tell if the cobwebs are real or faux!)

Kind of a formal hat, dude!

And closer...

Holy cow! That's some crazy, bloody mess!

Back away. Slowly. Slowly.

Ah. Pretty again.

Don't you think the "needs a new roof" makes this one seriously spooky?

More houses tomorrow! Spiders and ghosts and tombstones, oh my!

Don't miss yesterday's fun and inspirational homes: HALLOWEEN HOMES.

Halloween Inspiration

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to drive around looking at houses. Since we moved to our new town, I have taken advantage of all my free time by driving around, sometimes in circles, sometimes almost down a one-way street, sometimes off the brick-laden road.

I teased y'all with THIS BEAUTY, and I told you I'd be back with more Halloween fun, so today I took some time to take more pictures around town at some of the spectacular holiday decor. I took FIVE BLOG POST'S WORTH of photos today.

So, here's the pretties:

NOT DECORATED FOR HALLOWEEN, BUT SPOOKY!

I love the simple terra cotta jack-o-lanterns and brick walk!

This house is trying to be all about Fall, but the palm trees just don't help!

I love the jumble of sporting equipment, but I really liked the jack-o-lanterns brought out to the street.

Picture perfect porch, flag blowing in the breeze, festive fence:

Simple. Classic. I LOVE THIS HOUSE!

More of those terra cotta guys. LOVE the urns!

My FAVORITE:

Fun scarecrow family:

Here they are close up:

My Halloween cuties:

Check back every day this week for more of our tour! You'll see some spooky, spooky houses tomorrow.

Dirty Laundry

Am I alone?

Am I alone or does every wife have that ultimate goal of getting every piece of clothing in the house clean, ironed, hung or folded and put in its proper place?

For just one moment, I want everything to be clean and DONE. Everything hung and perfect. Everything smelling wonderful. Everything beautiful. Everything organized and ready to wear. Everything perfect.

Folding laundry last week, I came to terms with the fact that that will never happen. You know why? Because I wear clothes while I do my laundry. My kids wear clothes while I do the laundry. My husband wears clothes while I do the laundry.

There are sheets on the bed. There are towels hanging in the bathroom. There are dishcloths in the kitchen.

You get a load done, turn around and there's something else. Right? And there is always SOMETHING you didn't see that needs to be cleaned.

So am I. What about my sin? Do I think about my sin like the laundry? It's there. I want it all to be gone. I want to be perfect. I want to be clean, but no matter how hard I try, I will never be able to get it all. I will never be able to get it all by myself.

I need Jesus. He is my hope for all that is unclean in me. He can do my dirty laundry in an instant. He took care of it long ago.

Hebrews 13:10-12

We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

My question for you is:

How big does the pile have to get to let go of that vision of perfection?

Weekend Update

Friday afternoon, we got the word from the contractor on the number$ for the addition we would do to our little ranch-in-waiting. Remember?

So we put in an offer.

The sellers have countered our original offer and we're drawing the figurative "line in the sand." We'll see what happens. Soon, I hope!

In other news, I got my hair cut and colored. I think my stylist looked EXACTLY like Gwen Stefani, pink banana clip, tattoos and nose ring especially. She totally rocked the look. I told her to do whatever would take away the gray and make me look more like a Florida resident.

Here's what I think I look like:

The Daddy took the girls to a park while I got beautified(?) and we met at Chick-fil-A for lunch. After lunch, I headed for my massage. Oh. I never told you! The Daddy gave me a gift certificate when we moved. The night we arrived, I found an envelope waiting for me with a sweet note and token for my surviving three weeks without him. Nice!

Today we tried another new church. I realize I haven't told you anything about the first church we tried. We're going to give it a while before we decide, especially since we don't know where we'll end up living.

After lunch with friends and their kids, we headed up to a pumpkin patch. NOT REALLY A PUMPKIN PATCH, FOLKS. But, it was the closest to what we do did in Georgia. It was a challenge to find Fall-ish clothes for the mid-80s weather.

Hey, guys!

A Cinderella pumpkin, please!

Mama liked the bumpy ones:

HJ picked a little one:

The Daddy thought this one was cool:

And these little ones had too much fun!

I'll keep you posted on the house, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Looking forward to a great week when Nana and Papa come to visit which means we get to wear our ballerina costumes and go to Disney!!!

How to Make Tutus for Your Ballerina

Welcome and please, make yourself at home!

First thing you've GOT to do is...

make tutus for your children, then proceed to allow the people who came to pack your belongings for your big move TO PACK THE SAID TUTUS and TAKE THE BOXES TO A STORAGE FACILITY.

Once that is out of the way, feel free to pick up some more supplies and do it all over again. Because....it is just that easy! It's totally NO SEW and can be done in a nap time!

Here's a supply list:

• Good scissors (my fabric-only scissors, of course, are in storage)
• Ruler or yardstick
• Satin-faced ribbon (60 inches per tutu)
• Tulle (the roll seen below is 65 yards; I was able to make 2 tutus with it)

The first time around, I bought 100 yards of tulle from Hobby Lobby. I found it in the wedding section for 50% off (which came out to $3). I used pink (the prettiest) and purple. See photos HERE.

This time around, I bought the 65 yards of tulle from Wal-Mart ($6).

First REAL step: Measure and cut ribbon to a 60-inch-long piece.

Next step: Measure and tie a knot at 20 inches from each end.

Now the most time consuming part: Cutting the tulle.

The first time around I used a different ruler that was about 14 inches long. It made the tutus a little longer and I liked how that worked out.

This time I used a regular ruler.

Measure out 12 inches.

Then fold the tulle back over the ruler to measure another 12 inches and cut.

You'll be left with a piece that is 24 inches long.

The tighter you hold the tulle while cutting, the straighter the cut. That's also why I recommend using your best scissors.

I like to cut the whole roll at once. OPTIONAL: Watch some trashy tv, like The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

There's a whole rolls' worth of tulle cut!

Next, fold the strip of tulle in half.

Place it under the ribbon you prepared earlier.

Take the two loose ends and pull them through the looped end.

Pull the loose ends until the tulle is tight around the ribbon.

Slide down to the knot and repeat.

Here's another:

Try and pull them through with the same tightness/tension?

Slide it down. Do another.

And keep doing it until the whole space between the knots is full. You can make it as fluffy as you want. I used about 50 strips for each tutu.

This size is good for a toddler size 2-4.

I made our younger daughter's with an 18-inch waist instead of 20. She's itty-bitty.

So now we have two purple ones in storage, two white ones here for Halloween and several friends with pretty pink tutus!

I'll post pictures of the girls in their tutus and leotards and tights on Halloween!

Remember them last year? Go back and reminisce!

I learned how to do this by watching THIS video. I think my directions and the tulle I used are easier. LESS CUTTING and measuring. It might help to see this video.

We Went on a Second Date Today...

Here's the rancher...

and a better view...

Lots of renovations done by the current owner.

We met with the contractor to see about making the bonus room into a master suite. Our next hurdle will be seeing if the city will let us add on a closet and full bath to the bonus room.

I went to three other houses today, but none are real contenders.

So that's where we're at...today.

A Pumpkin, A Princess or JOY?

I bought a shirt for $4.99 from Target.

It's black with a little, sequined, orange pumpkin on the front.

It looks just like this one except the tee is black.

It caused quite a stir in our little apartment last night.

Just before bedtime, I laid out the girls' clothes for school today. I figured if I'm going to spend money on seasonal clothing, they should wear them more than once. So out came the special Halloween tees.

The jumping. The squealing. The happiness. The shouts of "Yippee! Yippee! Yippee!" and "I'm wearing my pumpkin shirt tomorrow! I'm wearing my pumpkin shirt tomorrow!" filled our temporary home.

All over a $5 tee.

I said to The Daddy as we lay in our bed last night, "All that over a tee-shirt. I can't wait until she sees Cinderella's castle in person next week!"

YES, folks. We're going to Disney's Magic Kingdom. When in Central Florida, do as Central Floridians do. You've twisted my arm.

Thinking about the temporary happiness the tee-shirt caused and the temporary happiness at the sight of Cinderella's castle draws my mind to a verse The Daddy and I studied last week and the same verse from the sermon at church on Sunday. (Yes, we made our maiden voyage to a CHURCH THAT IS NOT OUR OWN. More on that another day.)

The verse is in Paul's thank you letter to the people of Philippi:

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:3-11)

Joy is a state of being.

Your joy cannot be robbed; it is yours.

Joy is the knowledge that despite our circumstances, all is right with God.

Joy is not happiness.

Joy is not pumpkins or princesses.

Joy is not conditional.

Joy is from God.

Keep Trying, Keep Trying, Don't Give Up, Never Give Up

Anyone recognize those lyrics from a popular kids' show?

Did I tell you that my FAVORITE house (#3, below) is out of the picture? Seems that the floor joists would need to be taller, eliminating the precious head room one needs to be able to stand up in a room. THUS, the attic conversion can not happen. My heart is broken.

Goodbye for now, sweet home sweet home! I'll see you in 20 years when my babies have flown the nest!

The other homes have been eliminated because of small backyards, ugly paint next door and a desire to NOT be house-poor.

I should have another crop soon.

We looked at more houses today, and tomorrow we're going back to one we saw today. This 1950s rancher would need a half-bath changed into a full in order for it to work for us. We're meeting with the contractor and seeing a few others in the same area. Will it be our new home?

Check back after this commercial break! (That means tomorrow, folks.)

Also, if you recognize the lyrics in the title, YOU COULD BE A MOM LIKE ME!

Ballerina, Ballerina, Twirl Around

Since it's been almost a month since the ballerina birthday party, I figured you would like to see some pictures.

My two delicate flowers:

The centerpiece:

(just an empty white box on the cake stand that can be reused, over and over and over, again!)

The 4-year-old and her daddy:

Paw-paw with his angels (classic HJ):

Mema, Paw-paw and the girls:

My dad, Poppy with HJ:

Papa with the girls:

A birthday kiss from Nana:

How many pictures of me with the girls? ZERO. Gotta work on that!

Opening presents, classic AE, throwing the paper back behind her:

Awesome Volunteer bag from Annie! Go Vols!

A little something from Lauren:

Awwwww. Little sis got you something!

Here you go!

WAIT, maybe I like this.

Yes, I think I'll take it back.

Now how many ballerinas fit in a hula hoop?

Thank you, Claire!

WOW! Nana got me a jewelry box complete with a little ballerina!

Love the body language and awe in her stance!

A present from Brodie and Dylan: hair salon kit complete with scissors!

Don't take too much off!

IT'S TIME FOR CAKE! RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

The cake:

The cake complete with its own tutu!

There she blows!

Four layers of glorious goodness from a box!

Our dear friend Mary Alice:

Game time!

Tippy-toe musical chairs:

Took a while to get going, but some of the kids really caught on!

Then we played "Ballerina, ballerina, Twirl Around":

Great arabesque, Mary Alice!

Ballerina, ballerina, take a bow!

Lauren leading the crowd:

Ballerina, ballerina, strike a pose!

The favors:

Paula Deen's sugar cookies cut into ballerinas and the number "4".

HJ in front of the tutus for each girl to take home:

Those tutus were so easy to make! (and inexpensive!)

Happy Birthday, my big girl!

You can see the purple sashes I made for our few boy-friends who came to the party. I didn't want them to not have something to take home, so I made a sash a-la Prince Charming. Didn't go over so well. Maybe I should have made a Daddy-sized one and made The Daddy wear it to make it look cool. Maybe not. They just got the cookies, which I'm sure was enough for a boy. Even if they were wrapped in cellophane, frosted in pink icing and tied with pink tulle!

I can't believe this was a month ago. Still trying to decide if we're going to sign AE up for ballet classes here in Florida. I KNOW she would LOVE it, but it is from 3-4:30 on Tuesdays after pre-school. Still trying to decide. Only one spot left. Still trying to decide.

A Few More Details....

The hardest part about all of this is separating emotion from the practicality of what we NEED. I want a HOME. I don't want to move again any time soon. I want a HOME.

Can we be patient? Can we agree? We'll see.

This is what the streets look like in our favorite neighborhood, brick-lined and the oaks are dripping with Spanish moss. I love the shade. I love the historic feel. I love that a lake borders a third of the neighborhood. I love that it is near downtown without being close to any of the negatives of downtown. I love that the schools are A-rated and within walking distance.

I LOVE #3:

and we met with a contractor yesterday over there to find out the possibilities of finishing the upstairs to add a bathroom and large bedroom with a playroom for the girls. He's meeting with an architect sometime soon to make some plans and tell us how much it would cost. We also discussed tearing down the garage and rebuilding one with a guest suite over it.

The look on the contractor's face was classic while we were discussing all that we wanted to do. He said he liked the project and it's more FUN when they are more challenging. Either that or he was seeing $$$$$$$$$$$$!

Remember what I said about one house being cute, but the next needing TLC?

This is house #5. Cute.

THIS house is located next to #5. Not cute.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh, reminds me of our honey moon in Costa Rica.

The paint is NOT part of the Halloween decoration, though it IS very scary!

Next week while the girls are in school, I'm going to drive around and take pictures of all the Halloween decorations. It is AMAZING. So many houses have huge displays. Scary displays. Cute and festive displays. I've heard Christmas time is even bigger and better!

Just another thing that's different about living in Florida, but I like it!

And This Is Where Suzanne Whang Should Step In and Tell Me What To Do!

The housing situation here in Florida is interesting. Different. NOT what I'm used to seeing. Lots of foreclosures, short sales and homes that have been on the market a LOOOOONNNNNNNG time.

Think that would make it easier? No.

One problem for me is that one house is nice and the next one needs some serious TLC.

Another problem is I'm really confused about what we really NEED.

I'm so desperate for help that I looked up HGTV's website to find out where they are currently filming new episodes of House Hunters AND renovation shows. Nothing in our area. Darn. I was really hoping to be able to invite Genevieve or Candice over for some HELP!

Ok. So 3 houses. No? How about 5? Hmmmmmmm. Which one should we pick?

House #1

• 4 bedroom/ 2 bath Craftsman-style bungalow
• Screened-in pool with lake views
• Close to downtown, work and parks
• Quiet cul-de-sac
• Beautifully maintained with charming historical features
• Needs a true master bath
• Backs up to condominiums
• Close to helicopter holding pattern for nearby hospitals

House #2

• 5 bedrooms/ 4.5 bath newer home
• Large floor plan
• Guest suite over garage- including kitchen
• Beautiful master-planned community with trails, lakes and retail
• Great deal in foreclosure
• Needs LOTS of cosmetic help
• Further drive from downtown

House #3

• 3 bedroom/ 1 bath
• Charming historic home with lake views
• Impeccably maintained with original hardwoods, tile, windows and doors
• Second floor shell space with room for additional bedroom/playroom/bathroom
• Great curb appeal with renovated kitchen
• Close to downtown
• Space and necessary expansion for our family is an issue
• Laundry in detached garage

House #4

• 4 bedroom/ 4 bath newer home
• Same master-planned community as House #2
• Great price per square foot
• Loaded with upgrades and guest suite over garage
• Located across from park, green space, playground, pool and fitness center
• Top of our price range, but little work needed and most square footage

House #5

• 4 bedroom/ 3 bath home in lakefront community
• Great curb appeal and floor plan
• Needs new/updated kitchen and bathrooms
• Small backyard
• Good price tag with work needed

All houses are in great grade-A school districts, so no worries there.

Cue cheesy music. Suspense. Suspense. Suspense.

Leave a comment! Let us know which we should pick OR which you THINK we'll pick.

LOVE Suzanne Whang's website. GO see her {HERE}.

Edited to add:

Want to see the house we picked??? Click HERE!

Want to see us on closing day? Click HERE!

Thanks for visiting! Now go back and see more fun finds at Julia's Hooked on Houses.

First Day of School, AGAIN

The Daddy lived in our new city for his elementary school years, so we know a few things about where to go and whatnot. One thing I was really concerned about was getting out of the rhythm of preschool for the girls. They both had hit a stride back in Atlanta, and I didn't want either one to decide school wasn't for them.

Last week we made it a priority to get them introduced, oriented and registered for preschool/Mom's Day Out. We found a great school at the church The Daddy went to during his childhood residence.

Here the girls are in front of the playground this morning before we went in. The SUN was so bright and right in their eyes. I stood in front of them to help their eyes resist popping out of their sockets.

I love this sweet close up of the sisters:

Here is AE in her new classroom. Miss Allison and Miss Melanie gave wonderful reports of AE's first day. She even ate ONE bite of turkey, just like Mama asked her to do!

In even bigger news, we made progress in the bathroom department. Watch out, it might get messy here! AE, get THIS, had her first public bowel movement! If you know us or have read any of our POTTY TRAUMA, you'll know that this was a big step in advancement for our first born.

I didn't get any pictures of HJ in her classroom because I didn't want to upset the rhythm. She walked right in, hugged her teacher and went to playing. I said goodbye and slipped out.

What big girls!

HJ got a good report this afternoon, too. She only got a little afraid at music time, but she got over it once she realized she could dance, dance, dance to the music!

School Hours for AE: 8:30-3:00

School Hours for HJ: 9:00-3:00

Lunchtime AND nap time at school!

A TRUE mom's day out!

A half-hour after we got home, this was the scene:

Obviously, no naps happened today! We'll see what happens on Thursday...