12 long years ago...

Twelve long years ago I was a very emotionally hurt person. Twelve long years ago I was alone, scared and unsure of my future. Twelve long years ago I was uncomfortably large and barely 17. That morning I remember getting up at a ridiculous hour to check in at the hospital to be induced. The labor was short, so short in fact that I was not allowed pain medication. It hurt. But she was born and she had fluffy black hair and a little squished up face. I named her Abigail Elizabeth. She was just more than 8 pounds. I took her home a day later but on the way, my mom took me to a mexican restaurant to have lunch.

We love you, Abby

Blog mention

Abby is turning 12 tomorrow and has been taking this class with my friend Anna. She got blog mention here this week.

<3 ~ Amy

chocolate and frosting everywhere!

We had a cake decorating party for Abby's 12th birthday this weekend. Not to be outdone, I also hosted a fondue party for the "Make Something" young craft-y moms today as well. Am I crazy? Maybe. Was it fun? yes!

This is quite a few of the children that I hosted at my home on Tuesday morning Make Something this summer.
They are learning a lesson about the Good Shepherd. We called it a backyard Bible club.

all in the name of procrastination

I had an elaborate post prepared this morning. Ya, it wouldn't have held your interest. So instead...

Simple Musings:

Why is it that we plan so much for ourselves when we know we are burning the candle at both ends already?

Why do children grow so fast?

I find that no matter how hard you try to get someone to do something - sometimes they just let you down.

Some people think they are better than you and treat you likewise.

Having a home is a wonderful experience.

Having a husband to work faithfully on the home is incredible.

Minivans are the single most incredible invention on the planet.

What the Bible says is true.

Mowing is fun.

Harboring bitterness feels terrible.

Little boys are cute - especially mine.

The End

TA-DA!!

To see the before pictures follow here.

A walk in the park........yikes!

So we took a stroll at Lion's park in Duncanville a few weeks ago. It was a nice cool evening. We walked the pretty trails, looked at the water flowing in the creek, gazed at the tree..... AHHH! A tarantula! OH MY GOSH!

So, we took some pictures.


Ooooh. Don't touch.

The Water Closet!

So after Wes tackled the tile in the kitchen (which is gorgeous, by the way) we really needed to jump into a project (Wes has been in school for like 7 years so is not used to idle time). So the above picture is what it used to look like. This half bath really sold me on the house but it needed a lot of work! It was very, very gross and the old man that lived here used it a lot (since it is just off the garage) but never cleaned it.... gross. Let's just say the wall was um, yellow. Ew.

I am the designated painter of the house. I am much more detail oriented than Wes and he doesn't have quite as much experience as I do with painting so this is my way of contributing to the cause. We painted the ceiling which had the original "Hollywood" style texture which is sparkly popcorn, basically. It was a pretty easy room to paint (considering it is only a handful of square feet). I chose a bright white paint for the trim and cabinet and "bone white" for the walls. All of the paint came with the house so it was totally free! Sweet!

This is Brazilian cherry hardwood floor that we inherited from a friend who put this in their old house and these were the leftovers. He put it in the old fashioned way with a hammer and nails. It looks really cool and vintage shabby chic! Thanks Thatchers!

Wes has fought the battle with this wax ring before. It seems that the second time was a charm! I had wanted a new toilet but, hey, we can't all have new toilets. I think the original is fine - all 43 years worth!
I bought this beautiful clearance faucet ($14.90!!!!!) to go in there. We have some old pipes (hello, 43 years) so it may be awhile until you see it installed. For now it is turned off and I graciously allowed my guests to use the kitchen sink to wash up. ;-)

I kinda wished I had taken a really good before picture for all of these projects.. Sorry.
The reveal picture is soon to come! It's beautiful!