It was time...

...to change things up around the house.

I had gotten to my breaking point with the way things were arranged in our family room and was ready for a change. Up till now the bulk of the kids toys were stored in half of the family room. However, due to the narrowness and the depth of the room the kids toys were really starting to take over everything. Everything. And this is with me rotating toys in and out of the attic on a frequent basis. So, we got to thinking about things...

Another problem we were starting to look to problem solving was what to do about transitioning Avi-Kate to a big girl bed. She hadn't tried to climb out but it was bound to happen in the near future. Transitioning with AG was SO EASY because his room has a built in niche that a twin mattress fits in to perfectly. We only bought one bed rail and he never fell out of the bed because he was walled in on all four sides. It was amazing. In Avi-Kate's room we have the queen size guest bed with girl themed bedding. I wasn't crazy about sticking her in this bed yet just because it is so high off the ground and she wouldn't be able to get in/out of it by herself...plus I didn't want to have buy more bed rails! I really just wanted to stick her in AG's twin bed but I didn't want to buy twin girl bedding when I just bought her queen size bedding a year ago. And then it dawned on me. All of my twin college bedding is in perfect condition and just hanging out in the attic. So...we've taken the plunge and flipped the kids bedrooms! AG was not excited at first and Avi-Kate was confused because she was still happy in her crib. The biggest reasons we went ahead and did it were 1.) We were going to the beach for a week and Avi-Kate was going to sleep on a twin bed all week. We didn't want to come home after a week in a bed and move back to the crib. Let's just keep moving forward. 2.) We wanted to do it before AG starts back to school so that he has time to adjust and we can get the house ready for the upcoming year. Due to the insane amount of rain we got the week of July 4th we spent the holiday flipping the kids rooms and then went on vacation. Now that we are back I've got a little less than three weeks to get everything situated the way I want it. AG starts school August 5th! We need to figure out bedding for AG but at the moment he's content with clean sheets and the down comforter. Buying bedding for him wasn't a big deal to me because we figured when we moved to the next house he'd most likely end up in a bigger bed...not like spending money for twin girl bedding that she may use for a year or two at the most. I'm currently mulling several different possibilities for him. The only thing we know for sure is that we have to buy him a set of Grinch flannel sheets this fall from Pottery Barn Kids since Avi-Kate has inherited his twin Grinch sheets. And that will be a problem if she gets the twin ones and he doesn't have a new set because he loves sleeping on them. Last winter I  had to wash them and then put them straight back on the bed because he insisted on sleeping on them till well after Christmas.

By moving the kids rooms and taking down the crib we were able to move their toys in to their rooms. With plenty of space for them to play and spread out without overtaking the family room. Hallelujah! Ideally, in the next house we'll have a designated play space room/nook. The family room is much more spacious now and doesn't make me claustrophobic. We rearranged a few pieces in it and I have some ideas for new art on the walls. Andy wants to paint the kids rooms and I'm thinking about painting some of our common living spaces. We've been in this house now for over six years and I'm ready for a new color palate. The only room that is guaranteed not to be touched is the dining room. The cranberry red isn't going anywhere! Which is a good thing...I think Andy would flip if I suggested painting over it since red is such a hard color to paint. ;)

So, while I'm flipping, cleaning, reorganizing, and purging I'm also mulling paint ideas and decor. I'll start posting pictures once I get things back in order but I am really, really happy with how things are turning out at the moment.

I'm also sorting clothes and looking to do a massive purge of baby gear/clothes. We have several consignment sales coming up in August/September and I'm seriously mulling putting stuff in both sales to clear stuff out. We only have so much room and because the kids are not the same sex there are very few things that we save for AKs to wear that were AG's. It's kind of sad to me to think about getting rid of the baby stuff but I'm really content with our lives right now and the season that God has us in. Looking forward to moving ahead to see what all he has in store for us.
 

Pulled the trigger...can't believe we did it...

We have been planning to do some changes around the house this summer. And some of those things I've been planning for probably close to two years. Seriously. We've really gotten on the bandwagon of paying cash for things including big items. Well, that requires saving, patience, and lots of research to make sure when you do spend the money it is well spent.

Last night was a big night in the Edwards household! Andy came home with a new tv for the den AND a new tv arrived via Amazon for our bedroom AND we ordered a new couch that we've been eyeing for YEARS! Not going to lie it was really weird because we've been working towards all of this for a couple years so to pull the trigger and do it was very surreal. Here's how it all went down:

DEN
-Our big tv started having problems two years ago around the time Andy switched companies. And it was not really in the budget to replace it so we lived with it, quirks and all, for a year. Last summer it died completely. We tried fixing it but no dice. And after lots of research Andy found that the problem we had was quite common with this tv. Which is ironic because we have the same tv in a smaller size for our living room and haven't had an issue with it. (Knock on wood!) We bought the big one because we liked the little one so much. Funny. Anyways, we just made do with the little tv which is still big at 32". It has been floating between the living room and the den this last year depending on what we are doing. Well, yesterday Andy bought his new 'big man replacement tv' and he and AG were happy to test it out last night. AG was in awe of the 3D! Ha. He wore his Ron Potter glasses last night over the ones the tv came with. :) The biggest lesson learned? It's probably a great thing we waited two years to buy it. We got a really good deal on a 3D tv that would have been way more expensive two years ago. And as Andy likes to remind me the 3D technology has improved greatly over the last few years. Big success. We both looked at each other last night and said I can't wait for football season! Ha.

-Sofa, sofa, we need a sofa. Well, we have been eyeing sofas from Pottery Barn since we got married but they have been out of our price range. Plus, there were other things that took precedent in remodeling our house. If you've ever been in our den you know that it is deep but very narrow. Think long skinny rectangle. Due to how narrow it is I never even entertained the idea of a sleeper sofa. I really just assumed it was too narrow. Enter this past winter when we entertained a large group of people and I decided we really needed more bed space. Sofa bed is a short term solution and the long term solution is moving. We are hoping to begin looking in the near future but for now this helps. (More on moving in another post for another day!) Well, I decided to measure and see if it would be possible to put a sleeper sofa in our den and you know what?!?!? We can. It'll take up the whole space but we can do it. So, guess what? I bought a sofa last night with a sofa bed. AND I got 15% off my entire order thanks to a sale that was ending last night. WAHOO! The only downside, which really isn't a downside because it is a good thing, is that it will take 6-8 weeks to get to us because each piece is custom made. My hope is that it will be in before the students return at the end of August. Next up is for me to decide on the fabric for the chair that I'm having recovered. Best get on that now that I've bought the sofa. When I get it all put together in the next few months I'll post pictures. I kept measuring and remeasuring last night to make sure before I placed the order. (Even though I've measured countless times and we sit on the sofa every time we go in a PB.) Again, it was weird to actually do all of this.

MASTER BEDROOM
-We've had my small, old box style, tv from college in our bedroom. I told Andy that for Father's Day we'd gift him a new tv for our room. Notice, I said gift him. Yes, my husband ordered his own present because I knew that if I bought something there was a high probability that it would have to be returned. Ha. So, we have a new tv for our bedroom. Nothing fancy but it works perfect for what we want it to do. I can't get over the difference in size! It's actually two inches bigger in the screen than the old one but due to how slim it is it seems really, really small! So, we set it up yesterday as well.

LIVING ROOM
-A few weeks back, when we cleaned out my Grandmother's estate, we came home with a new to us entertainment cabinet. At the time the 32" tv was residing in the den and so the cabinet sat empty. Well, due to the arrival of the new tv for the den Andy was able to move the 32" back in to the living room. AG has been ecstatic about this decision because he can now play the Wii and his Disneyland Kinect game. The tv fits the cabinet perfectly. I'm quite pleased with how it looks.

So, there you have it. Changing things up. I can't wait till the end of the summer when the couch arrives! :) Happy Wednesday. I'll be back soon with more comings and goings.

Big Bro and Tiny E 2.0

AG wearing his new shirt from Aunt Mis at the Animal Kingdom at Disney.

So, it's official. We are expecting our 2nd child in June...Tiny E 2.0 should be here by the middle of June. Which means the following:

-I'll be a full 6 months pregnant when Caroline gets married March 19th.
-Tiny E's cousin should arrive mid-April...Ronnie is going to be a big sister! These two will be 2 months apart while Ronnie and AG are 5 months apart.
-I'll be pushing 8 months pregnant when Meghan gets married on April 30th. (Which is also Andy and I's 5 year anniversary.)
-AG will be exactly two and a half years older than his brother/sister.

We are thrilled and excited about the new addition! We were a little surprised but grateful. When Andy switched jobs in August we thought maybe we should wait and try around the holidays to let him get situated in his new job...God had other plans. :o)

Here's what happened:
When we came home from Virginia in October I was a week and a half late and so I decided to take a test. I'm never late. The only reason I didn't take one in VA was that I really didn't think I was pregnant. With AG I knew before I even took a test. However, after being 10 days late we made a stop at the dollar store. I bought a test and sure enough within 30 seconds it was positive. I was in shock because again I didn't think I was pregnant. Ha. How little did I know...this pregnancy has been the complete polar opposite of my pregnancy with AG. With this pregnancy I've been sick all day long for about 6 weeks straight. The last 2-3 weeks it just comes in random waves but has lessened considerably. (Almost no nausea with AG.) There has been very little that I've wanted/could eat due to being sick. (With AG there were only a few things I had to avoid but for the most part food was great even in the first trimester.) I've thrown up with this pregnancy and didn't throw up once with AG.

I've put on only a few pounds this trimester due to being sick. The perk is that I'm still wearing almost all of my clothes still while with AG at this point I was in all maternity clothes. I've been told with the second you show sooner and I was completely expecting it but it hasn't happened because of me being sick. I'm almost 14 weeks and it's starting to look like there might be something there. Again, this pregnancy is completely opposite of my pregnancy with AG. At this point we are thinking it's a girl. We'll find out for sure in a few weeks!

So, this would explain my lack of blogging in October/November. I've been exhausted and doing my best to keep my head above water. Andy has been a saint helping with AG and doing housework that I normally do. I'm very grateful for him! As I start the 2nd trimester I'm feeling a lot better (still trying to get over this sinus infection but in terms of pregnancy I'm feeling much better!) and hoping to tackle several projects around the house, get the house back in order, and get back on my blogging bandwagon.

Life is good. God continues to provide and we are blessed and grateful for this new addition. AG's going to be a wonderful big brother. Lots more to post stay tuned...

A change is gonna come...

Life and change. These two things go hand in hand. When you experience one the other follows. Over the last two weeks we have been trying to decide what to do about Andy's job situation. For those who don't know Andy's company is relocating to Kennesaw in a week. From our house this is about a 45 minute drive. We've known that this would be a possibility for about two years so when they announced it we were not surprised. However, as we've prayed about what to do these last few months we knew two things. One, that Andy would stay with his job. He's done really well for himself there the last six years. And at the time we didn't see anything else coming along. Two, we don't feel like our time in Rome is up. Meaning that we very much believe that we have lots of work still to do here. (Funny, because when I graduated from college I thought we'd be here two years. Max. The longer we stay the more we never want to leave.) We've established roots here and because of that we opted for Andy to commute rather than relocate our family. For months we had been content with the fact that God was going to continue to provide for us and that there must be a reason for all of this.

A few weeks ago Andy was informed that one of his company's competitors was looking to establish an office here in Rome. And they were looking to do it ASAP. Wow. Well this was a curve ball we didn't expect or see coming. Andy inquired and was given more information. He summed it up like this, "I'm not unhappy with my current company BUT there are things about this new company that are very intriguing to me." He was asked to interview with one of the vice presidents last weekend. It went well. Very well. They extended an offer and Andy accepted it on Tuesday afternoon. The whole thing was a whirlwind. 

So what does this mean for us. Well, it means Andy doesn't have to commute every day to work. He'll now have to travel some but I'd rather have some travel as opposed to a daily commute. He actually can telecommute which brings lots of new opportunities and possibilities. It means Andy has the opportunity to flex some different "muscles" when it comes to his job. New opportunities to grow. And thankfully this change also allows us to stay in Rome. There is something about Rome. We love it. It's an amazing place to raise a family and that's one reason why the longer we stay the more we never want to leave. We are excited. We are grateful. The Lord continues to provide and continues to show us how his timing is perfect. 

Bits and Pieces:

We've said good-bye to several of our graduating seniors but it doesn't really hit that they are gone till the upcoming school year is upon you. This year is no different. But with a new year comes new students and that is exciting. We are excited to see our returning "college family" and we are excited to add some more faces to the mix. I can't believe that they'll all be here in two weeks. I'm ready. However, my art project for the kitchen is not. Andy and I are working hard to get it done before they arrive.

My art project for the kitchen is being created with our students in mind. All last year I wanted to have something in our kitchen to showcase them. Why the kitchen? Because whenever they are over here it usually involves food. :) When we have family dinners they all come early and hang out in the kitchen while I cook. It's where they gather. Also, we take lots of pictures when they are here. I have TONS of photos of them but needed a place where they could be rotated in and out. I'm  looking forward to having this project completed and being able to put it to use right away! So far we've got the doors sanded and prepped. Next comes the painting...which will be involved due to the multiple applications for the chalkboard and then having to paint the area around the chalkboard. After that all we'll have to do is hang them. I better get cracking!

In other projects I painted the guest bedroom headboard earlier today with a crackle glaze and top coat of paint. I'm thrilled with how well it turned out. I've got to let it cure for three days at least before I put the clear coat on top to protect it. I can't wait to get it all together and in the guest bedroom. It makes me want to "crackle" something else. Ha. Pictures to come, I promise.

Lastly, in the midst of all of this, plus AG being sick, I had jury duty this week. And I was actually selected to serve. First time for both. Quite interesting. I feel like I might need to do a post on this by itself. 

So that's us. It's been a wild week. I feel like there is something I'm leaving out but at the moment my brain is fried. When I remember I'm sure I'll post it...