Monday, July 30, 2012

Show Us Your Life ~ Displaying Pictures

Where do you display your pictures?  Do you have a certain style or pattern?  Do all of your frames match?

This is the top of our bakers rack.  I love this canvas from canvas people.  I would like to get a ledge for this because it looks a bit strange just hanging on the wall.



I don't know if I have a style and no, all of our frames don't match each other, but the do match the room where they are displayed.




Our photos are everywhere.  Some on the walls.  Some on the mantle, in the kitchen, on side tables, on the foyer table.  

We have pictures hung over our master bed and a ledge with our family photo. 





Here is the foyer with a few on the walls and one on the table. 

 

I found this image on Pottery Barn website.  I really like how the photos are displayed all the way to the floor.  The frames don't match each other, but they look really well together.

 


I also love this display, especially the monogram.  Even though all of the frames are white, the monogram and pillows give this just enough color. This image can be found here.




Thank ya'll for visiting.  I can't wait to check out your blogs too!


Next week we are talking about window treatments.


Thursday, July 26, 2012

A Close One

For the past 2 weeks (or so), I have had a strange feeling in my gut.  Have you ever had this feeling?  Something is not quite right and you're not sure what it might be.  Not good!

Well, this week has been particularly hard.  First we had the massacre in Colorado (tragic), and by the way, my heart goes out to those families affected.  I pray they find peace.  Second, my Aunt Carol passes away.  We will be attending services for her today.  And third, we had a 'hurricane' like storm pass through on Tuesday that could have been a disaster for our family.  

I was on the phone with my Mom on Tuesday afternoon, Mason was napping.  I knew the storm was coming, but thought it was just a typical severe thunderstorm, similar to the ones we have had lately.  Well, this one was different.  So, I'm on the phone and I see something go across the yard and I'm hearing extreme winds.  I look outside (still on the phone) and I see the trees are bending.  I hang up with my Mom, go into Mason's room, open his curtains and hear POP POP.  




The next thing I know there are 5 trees uprooted from our yard.  Yes! Uprooted.  Unreal.  Luckily the fell to the back of our lot.  I was terrified.  Meanwhile, poor little Mason is trying to wake up.  For a second there, I thought I would have to scoop up my son and head into a closet.  Other than knowing this was a storm, I had no idea of any other warnings since our TV was out.




 

Once Daddy was home, we all went outside to check out the damage.  I'm amazed by what I see.  Honestly, I've seen down trees from afar, but never close up and never in my own yard.  We are lucky!  I'm so thankful it wasn't worse. 

This picture cracks me up!  Mason in shorts with his boots.  






Daddy is taking it all in.  He says, "this is nothing.  I can take care of this."  I'm thinking ok, you go ahead.  HA!  He said, this will add another 'notch' to his man card!  :)

Mason made the best of it.  He thought it was neat.  We had grape vines that fell along with the trees, so Mason was picking up all of the grapes.  "Look Mommy, berries"! 



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Heavy Heart

As I write this post today, it is with a heavy heart.  We have, yet again, lost a member of our family.  My Mom's sister, Aunt Carol, passed away yesterday morning of ALS, also known as, Lou Gehrig's Disease.  Aunt Carol was only diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago and in the last month, she declined rapidly.  There are so many aspects of this disease, I couldn't begin to explain them all.  You can click here to get more information.  

What you need to know, is this woman was so strong and she fought hard before this disease took her from us.  She never complained, she was always grateful, she always had a smile on her face, and was always giving of herself.  I, honestly, can't say that I would be this strong. 



I am so thankful to have had her my life and that she was able to meet my son.  The picture above was in May of 2010.  Mason was 11 months old and Aunt Carol had already been diagnosed with this terrible disease.  What a great significance this picture is to me! Aunt Carol was at the end of her life and Mason was just beginning. 

We all knew her time was short and there was nothing we could do, but she is still making a difference.  She decided early on in her race against time to donate herself to research.  We can only hope they will learn something from her and that she will make a difference.  I know she would be very proud to know she helped someone.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Show Us Your Life ~ Foyers

Hey ya'll.  We are showing off our foyers today.  I would have to say, we have a basic foyer.  Nothing to jump up and down about, but it has potential.  

As you walk in the front door, this is what you see....


Chances are the TV would be on because we are addicted.  Sorry, just keepin' it real!  HA!

This is what you'll see to the left as you enter the door...


The foyer has the potential to have a built in since it sits back a bit.




This is a cute built in and something that I would consider.  I'm really liking the bench idea.  The source of the photo is unknown, but I found it here.


I have also thought about putting a dresser in the foyer.  I would love to find one at a thrift store or yard sale and refinish it to a green antique look.  It would also give us more storage (ie. dvds, hats, scarves, etc.)

This is cute (minus the deer head).  Found this photo here.

 


Our rug came from Target and the leaf prints came from World Market. 
 


This is from inside and the front door is facing you.  Need something above the door too.  Looking at these photos really makes me see how plain (neutral) my decorating can be.  
 

Thanks for stopping by. Next week we are showing how we display our pictures. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Weekend Wrap-Up & Pinspirations



Hey ya'll.  I'm sorry I haven't posted since Friday.  First, we did get an update on Mason's lab work.  Yep, it was positive for Staph, but it's ok.  He is healing nicely and the bleach baths have dried up all of his blisters and no new ones have appeared.  Good News!  No need for an antibiotic.  Looks like we caught it just in time and we just need to stay on top of his eczema so this doesn't happen again.  

We had a nice weekend.  Honestly, after the week Mason and I had, I just wanted to rest (aka. do nothing).  Hubs was nice enough to entertain the baby for me so I could do just that, rest.  I was not motivated at all.  *Sigh*  I do feel better.  More relaxed.  We did manage to go out to dinner Saturday evening, but that was the extent of our excitement.  

Sunday, we went to Jack's house, Mason's BFF.  We had a great lunch with great company.  I have talked about our friends property before (20 acres), but hubs had never seen it.  I think he is in heaven!  We have realized (with in the past couple of years), that we are country folks.  Don't get me wrong, we enjoy the city, but just for entertainment and shopping.  We prefer to live in the country.  Since we have lived in our new home with just a bit more land, we now want more.  I was thinking around 8 to 10 acres, but I think hubs is thinking closer to 20.  Who knows?  Maybe this is a dream or a goal.  I guess time will tell.

Thanks to pinterest I have an inspiration for Mason's big boy room.  


Madras Bedroom

This bedding and room arrangement is from Pottery Barn Kids.  We have the Madras Quilt and Pillow Sham already, but I needed inspiration on the room decor as a whole.  Generally, I'm not a fan of primary colors, but I love this room and the bedding.  Navy is the perfect big boy room color. 

I'm also in love with this room from Thrifty Decor Chick.

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I love the arrangement of the room, the colors, the decor, and how cute are the airplanes?!  The built in shelves are awesome! 

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Even though the room is painted navy, incorporating the white keeps it bright and clean.  I just adore the detail she put into this room.  The decor here will go great with the Madras bedding set.

Thanks to pinterest and blogs such as Thrifty Decor Chick, I am able to get a ton of ideas for Mason's Big Boy Room.  I'm looking forward to leaving the nursery behind, simply because I like change, not because I want my baby to grow up!  HA!  I think we will be working on this room sooner rather than later.  Next is figuring out what type of bed to get.  Oh!  The possibilities!  
 

Friday, July 13, 2012

Show Us Your Life ~ Mantles

We're showing off our mantles today over at Kelly's Korner.

We have a TV nook above our mantle so it makes it a bit difficult to decorate.  Although, I am glad the TV is there since it frees up space in our living room.  

Most of the year I have a hurricane at both ends of the mantle filled with river rocks and a neutral candle.  I'll add a picture too, but try to keep it simple. 

I would really like to add more color to our home throughout the year.  Currently, in the living room, we have brown, cream, and olive (greens).  I'm thinking of adding turquoise.  Just a thought. 





I change our mantle at Christmas, of course, Fall, and Valentine's Day.  I would like to change it for Easter or at least Spring, but it came and went so fast this year I never got around to it. 


For Christmas, I change out the river rocks for ornaments, add candles, stocking holders and the center piece and we're good to go.







Valentine's Day, I added conversation hearts in the bottom of the hurricane and put a candle on top.



I also found these cute little blocks at Target and added them too.
 

In the Fall, I took down the hurricanes and added a topiary at each end.  A few pumpkin scented candles along with pumpkins and gourds.  I usually have this up by October and leave it thru Thanksgiving.   




For those of you visiting from Kelly's Korner, thanks so much for taking a look.  I hope I gave a little inspiration.  I'm looking forward to seeing your mantles as well.  I love new ideas.

Next week we are showing how we display our pictures. 

Thanks again for visiting and we'll see you soon!

We interrupt this program

We will get to Kelly's Korner today to see all of the nicely decorated mantles, but before we do, I'm talking about my poor little Mason and his struggle with eczema.  He has had a terrible week.  I mean terrible!  

Please keep in mind, the opinions and comments in this post, and my blog as a whole, are that of my own.  I'm not a doctor nor do I approve or disapprove any of the products/medicines mentioned.  These are only my thoughts and feelings and a document of events for our family. 

We went to the movies Tuesday with our group and Mason wanted to leave as soon as the movie started.  He seemed fine that morning, but on the way home, he got sick in the car.  Once we were home I noticed he was very hot.  Took his temp and yep, 103!  I'm thinking, Again!?  Not sure what was wrong.  Then, later, we thought it may be his teeth, but he seems to have all of his teeth.  A 24 hour something?  Don't know. Meanwhile, his skin is looking worse and worse.


Finally, Thursday morning, I freaked out when he woke up like this....


Warning!  The photos are a bit graphic and I apologize for showing his pull up. 



It's a bit hard to see in the pictures, but there are hundreds of 'blister' like bumps all over his legs.  The appearance is similar to chicken pox. 



Wednesday night when Mason went to bed, his skin was red and irritated, but the blisters didn't appear until Thursday morning.
 




Thursday morning, first thing, I'm on the phone with his pediatrician who then refers us to a dermatologist.  I call the dermatologist office and guess what, they are not taking new patients.  What?!  I'm a desperate mother (I tell the lady on the other end of the phone).  If you can't get me in, I'll call every dermatologist in the city until I find one that can see us TODAY!  WOW!  It worked (or she felt sorry for me), either way, we're in! Thank the Lord!


I pack up all of the remedies that we have been using on Mason, call Grammy, because I need assistance and we're off.  WHEW!  I'm already feeling better, while Mason, on the other hand is feeling miserable.  




Sorry about the quality of this picture, but you can see the backs of his thighs here and his elbows.






We get to the dermatologists office and they were great.  Very welcoming, comforting, and good with Mason.  I was relieved to have help and guidance.

At the same time, I'm feeling terrible.  How could I have let this get out of control?  Apparently, once it starts spiraling downward, it can't be controlled with proper medication.  Not that this makes me feel better.  Also, another culprit may have been this... (again, my opinion)

This is an awesome cream/lotion for maintaining eczema (or generally dry skin), but not good when the skin is red, irritated, or inflamed.  One of the ingredients is Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) which made his skin worse, a lot worse.  This is also why Mason screamed when we put it on him.  Terrible!



We learned a lot at the doctor's office and I'm so thankful to have learned how to better care for our son's skin.

Diagnosis ~ Severe case of eczema outbreak with the possibility of staph or bacteria infection.  His blisters have been tested, but it may be Monday before we find out the results.  If there is another infection, he will also begin antibiotics.

We came home with lots of new remedies, a bag full of samples, and new prescriptions.  I'll spare you the details of the costs of the ointments.  YIKES!

One of the remedies is a bleach bath.  Yes! Bleach. 


The idea of the bleach is to eliminate the number of bacteria on the skin.  Since eczema patients carry extra bacteria, including staph, this will hopefully, reduce the need for antibiotics. 

Bath time used to be 15 minutes or so, depending on how long Mason wanted to play.  

Now, with our strict regimen, baths take about an hour.


Bleach bath for 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly.  Run a new tub of water, wash with CeraVe hydrating cleanser, rinse, and get out.  Don't sit in the water.  Pat dry, don't rub!


Apply Corticosteroid over infected areas.  Let dry for 15 minutes.

Apply antibiotic ointment to any cracked, bleeding areas to prevent further infection.


Apply a liberal amount of CeraVe cream.  Let dry for 15 minutes and then get dressed.


Needless to say, we have to give Mason Tylenol to endure the pain and of course he wiggles through the entire process.








It's hard to believe, Mason was never sick or had any problems at all until age 2 and since then, it has been one thing after another.


Don't get me wrong, he is a healthy child, and we are very lucky.  It could be much worse.  I'm grateful that we were able to get to the dermatologist before things became out of control.  I'm grateful for the doctor and the nurse that were excellent and I'm grateful for the knowledge we now have to hopefully get this under control.  

Mason will have a check up in 2 weeks and we should know by Monday if he will need to take an oral antibiotic.  We'll keep you all posted.

Monday, July 09, 2012

Weekend Wrap-Up

It was another HOT one.  Thank goodness, it appears we may have a break from the triple digits going into this week.  We have tried to keep Mason occupied without going outside much.  

Friday, Mason worked on using a big boy cup.  He definitely wants to do everything himself these days. "I do it myself"!  I have to set my OCD aside and just let him make a mess.  WOW!  That is so hard for me.  So, we are both learning. 





There wasn't much juice in his cup, and of course, he spilled most of it, but OH How Excited He Was! 
 

"I did it Mommy"  "I did it myself"! It's a work in progress, you know? 



Desperate times, call for desperate measures!  I'm just grasping at straws on this whole potty training thing!  This is my first baby, I obviously don't know how to potty train, so I'm taking every suggestion I can get, along with searches on baby center's website.

Friday I went to Target and loaded up on some special treats.  Not only for potty training, but also for good behavior. 



We put everything in the bowl and showed Mason.  He was so excited.  We sat him down and tried to explain how these special treats worked.  Trying to explain to a three year old.  What in the world were we thinking?!

"Can I have the truck"?  No Mason.  The treats are for when you use the potty and when you are being a good boy.  

"I WANT THE TRUCK NOW"!  Well, this is an example on how you WON'T get the truck!  HA!  That didn't work. 

 


Mason, if you want a treat, you can use the potty and we'll give you one.  Do you want to go potty?

"NO" "I DON'T WANT THE TRUCK"!  
 

HMMM!  I guess that idea didn't work.  We will try again later. 

Saturday evening we spent with our friends, Jenelle, Savannah, and Jake.  They were not able to come to Mason's birthday party, so we celebrated at their house.  They had so much fun.  I forgot my camera so I didn't get pictures. Bummed!  The kids haven't seen each other in months, but somehow, they remember like it was yesterday.  So cute!  "Hey Mason"!  They played and played.  Ate pizza, birthday cake, and ice cream.  Exchanged gifts.  Mason was so excited to use his new toy!


It was a bath toy.  So neat!

He loves it!