Front Door Makeover....I think.

This post is gonna be super short.

Mainly because I'm going to talk about a front door makeover that hasn't even happened yet.  Or that I have any potential ideas for.

I want to paint the front door of my house.

I don't want a black or any type of neutral color whatsoever.  Even though I think it would look pretty, I'm OVER the color red.  I love the idea of a yellow front door, but yellow would most definitely clash with my yellow/tan-ish siding.

Help?

Clothing Review: The Pixie pants from Old Navy

Normally, I'm not the "product promoter" type.  Sure, there's plenty of daily products or items in my life that I'm super happy about, but nothing that I've ever felt compelled to do a product review on.

Until today.

Let me back up.  Several months ago, I read a blog post that I found on Pinterest about "How to Avoid Mom Jeans."  The entire post was a mom trying on jeans from Old Navy and GAP and declaring that they made her have a "saggy mom butt."  Which is fine.  Hate on Old Navy jeans if you like.  But then she goes on to compare her butt in the ON/GAP jeans to her wearing jeans from Express, 7 for All Mankind, Hudson, etc.  Since these aren't brands that are typically what I'm looking at, I started Googling.

Obviously, this blogger had more money to spend on clothes than I did.  The Express jeans she mentions are $98 retail.  The 7 for All Mankind, $169+; Hudson, $169+; LA Idol, $88; Rock and Republic, $60+.  I'm sorry.  How are you going to compare Old Navy jeans, which can range from $15 to $30, to all these high end designer brands that retail for close to $100?!  OF COURSE they make your rear end look great.  You're dropping a Benjamin on one pair!  This is where I got super irritated.  If you're going to do a review on Old Navy jeans and you're not happy with the fit, give me options that I can purchase for around the same price!  Give me an American Eagle counterpart or a brand from JC Penney's!  Don't send me over to Macy's and tell me to spend part of my kid's college fund on a scrap of denim.  Shew.

Whoops.  That took a ranty-ish turn I wasn't planning on......

Anyway.

I typically wear Old Navy jeans.  Not because they make my junk in the trunk look fabulous (which, it should be noted that I don't have much of a butt to begin with), but because they're comfortable and they're affordable.  Once upon a time, pre-Avery, I would have shopped around, tried jeans on in multiple locations, found the perfect pair that accentuated every curve I wanted it to and bought them.  Now, I'm lucky if I have an hour window in my entire month to go shop for anything, much less jeans.  When I found the Old Navy jeans, they were on sale for $15.  They weren't completely offensive, so I ran with it.  My post-Avery body isn't something I like looking at anyway, so this girl isn't spending a ton of time in dressing rooms any time soon.

This past week, I had finally conceded that I needed new clothes.  My summer clothes options were completely pathetic.  I had a couple short sleeve shirts, tank tops (that always go underneath another shirt...ain't nobody needing to see these arms) and two pairs of pants.  Not shorts.  Pants.  Normally, if I have extra money, it's going towards Avery and her wardrobe.  Shopping for myself could not be avoided any longer.  So on Memorial Day, after I got off work, I headed to Old Navy and GAP to see what I could find.

That's when I discovered.......The Pixie Skinny Ankle pants from Old Navy.  $34.95 (Note:  these pants used to be known as The Diva Skinny Ankle pants, so the label in the pants you pick up in the store might be labeled that way.  Mine were.) When I first picked up the pant, I didn't see anything special about it right off.  They are skinny pants in a variety of colors, made from a cotton/spandex blend material.  Now, in a normal situation, I would shy away from spandex.  You don't wanna see this in spandex.  *shudder*  But I thought these pants were cute, so I decided to give them a try.

When I put them on in the dressing room, I swear the Heavens opened and a glorious light shone down on dressing room number 4, Old Navy Store, Elizabethtown, KY.  These pants are amazing.  Trying clothes is pretty comparable to physical pain for me right now.  I hate my body image, I hate trying on new clothes only to be disappointed in the reflection in the mirror.  But these pants actually make me feel good about the girl in the mirror.  Here's the kicker:  I actually had to go UP a size in these pants.  But I can't even tell.  They are flattering, make me feel skinnier, actually give me a butt....whaaaa??  And they're TOTALLY Audrey Hepburn.  You know the skinny black pants Audrey was constantly photographed in?

The style.  The class.  Those pants.  I die.

These pants make me feel all Audrey inside.  I love 'em.  And for me to brag about an article of clothing is a HUGE deal.

The picture doesn't do these justice.  I bought a pair in the Clay color in the store.  Now I'm seriously contemplating buying the Black Jack and Robbie Red pair too.  In the store, they also have The Pixie cut in Bermuda shorts and 3.5 inch shorts.  I bought one of each.  Every other pair of shorts I tried on from Old Navy made my bottom half look boxy.  I've decided that Hell must be a place that is actually a 360 degree mirror and the Devil just makes you try on shorts all day long.  That'd be my personal version of Hell, anyway.  I had pretty much resigned to the fact that I wasn't finding any shorts that day.  Until I tried on the Pixie cut ones.  The material actually curved to my legs, accentuated my rear and made me feel good in a pair of shorts.  Which I had thought to be impossible.  (Note:  online, only two colors are offered for the 3.5 inch shorts.  In my Old Navy store, there were a variety of colors.  I bought a Kentucky blue pair and debated for awhile over a white with black polka dotted pair, which I finally deemed too impractical).

If you're looking for a flattering casual, yet can be dressed up pair of pants, I HIGHLY recommend these beauties.  And YES.  They're from Old Navy.

Life with a Toddler. Unedited.

Here are some random thoughts I have on raising a toddler.  They're random because a.) I'm sick, hopped up on allergy meds and throat drops, b.)  I'm raising a toddler.  All cohesive thoughts and rational thinking have gone out the window.  A long, long time ago.

Taking pictures in a clean home is near impossible.  My standards of a clean home pre-toddler and post-toddler are two entirely different things.  Pre-toddler, I would wince if I saw a full sink of dirty dishes in my otherwise clean home.  Avery's toys were neatly put away every night and were only brought out when I decided it was time to play.  Post-toddler, I'm happy if I have half the kitchen table cleared off (and by "cleared off," I obviously mean "pushed over in a bigger pile on the other side") so we can have dinner at the table together (and by "dinner," I obviously mean "grilled cheeses or cereal that required little effort because my toddler has me completely drained of all energy and I have no idea how to even work the oven anymore.").  Post-toddler, I'm happy if one room out of our entire house is picked up.  The rest? Well, I'll get to it another day.  Once upon a time, if my child was doing something cute, I could take a picture of her and not worry about the pile of laundry that's sitting behind her because.....*gasp* there wasn't any dirty laundry lying around.  Now, screw it.  I'm taking that picture, mountain of laundry and dust bunnies in the background be darned.  This is me in all my dirty imperfection.  Love me....or don't.  The dirty socks will be there, regardless.

Peeing and going to the grocery alone are luxuries.  I don't know how my child does it.  I think she has a little alarm embedded into her brain that goes off as soon as I step foot in the bathroom.  Avery could be on the other side of the house, in her playroom, playing happily with her Little People and the second I tiptoe into the bathroom, there she is.  Standing at my side declaring "I go potty too, Mommy!"  No.  You don't have to pee.  We both know this.  You're going to come in the bathroom, stare at me as I go to the bathroom, ask a million questions and then declare "My pee pee changed its mind" when I ask if you're going to use the potty too.  You just can't stand the idea of me peeing in solitude.

And do I even need to express the gloriousness that is grocery shopping alone?  I recently read a blog about "how not to raise a brat" (because, well, I'm afraid we're teetering dangerously close over that brat ledge and I search Google to help me feel like a better mom and not a complete failure) and this blogger, Divine Caroline, boasted that her two daughters not once ever threw a fit in public for something they wanted. Well, how wonderful for you, Divine Caroline.  You're either 1.) lying or 2.) raising the most perfect human beings that will grow up to be the next Mother Teresa and Gandhi of their generations.  My child, on the other hand, is the one that's throwing a fit for Mickey Mouse duct tape that I'm not buying for her because it's freaking duct tape.  I would rather grocery shop at 2 am, sans toddler, than take one more trip down the snack aisle with my kid begging for every single box of Disney character fruit chews manufactured.  I just can't.

As a parent of a toddler, you feel like everyone is judging you.  Let's be honest.  Most people probably are, in fact, judging you.  Like that woman in the vehicle next to yours in the grocery store parking lot, witnessing your kid's meltdown because you dared to take her out of the shopping cart and put her in her own carseat.  Yes, she probably is giving you the "get that kid under control" look.  Just let it go.  That woman probably doesn't know what it's like to try to get that toddler into her carseat (in case you're wondering?  It's like wrestling a bag of writhing snakes on speed) and buckled into the 10 safety harnesses while trying not to pinch her delicate skin while she thrashes around.  For some reason, the toddler has decided that the grimy Walmart shopping cart in the parking lot under the scorching sun is a better place to be than in the car where there's toys and air conditioning and Sofia the First tunes blaring.  Because that makes perfect sense.  Toddler logic.  My point is, those people giving you the look of death in the store while you're trying to weather a temper tantrum of epic proportions probably have no idea what life is like with a toddler (God bless their naive souls.  You were that blissful once).  Give them your best smile and roll on.  They'll either feel sorry for you or think you're crazy.  Either way, they'll leave you alone.

If it's family you feel are doing the judging, grin and bear it, friend.  They're family.  They have an opinion on everything.  Whether it's right or wrong, they're in your life forever and there's no point in lashing out at them because they think you handled a situation wrong.  Trust me from experience on this one.  Unless it's your mom.  Then take that opportunity to ask her for advice on how to handle your demon child wonderful blessing.  I'm sure her advice is plentiful.  Soak it up, young padawan.  After all, you were a toddler once and she managed not to kill you or run away from home. In my book, she's a wildly successful parent if she managed these two things.

Meltdowns are going to happen.  Frequently.  Over everything from the color of her socks to the plate her sandwich is sitting on for lunch (How DARE you serve her pb&j on a Minnie Mouse plate.  Didn't you know that she was feeling like dining on Frozen tableware today?  Fool).  Hang in there, mom.  No matter how many articles you read or "experts" on the subject state otherwise, there is no magic answer when it comes to raising a toddler.  There may be tips on how to handle meltdowns or what to do when they happen, but remember.  Not every trick works on every child.  Time outs work for some, taking privileges away works for others.  Or you can be Avery and nothing--not time out, not taking things away, not pleading, not acting mad/sad/disappointed--works and you just pray to God that ONE DAY, all your hard work and disciplining will pay off and you'll wake up and the sun will be shining and angels will be singing and you'll go an entire day without fighting with your kid because she finally just gets it.  Lord, didn't mean to go on that tangent.  Pray for me.

Those pre-toddler dreams you had of having the best dressed child around?  Kiss 'em goodbye.  On any given day, my child's outfit can range from "hobo" to "Princess" to "pink explosion."  It just depends on her mood.  Recently, I let my child pick out her entire outfit.  The bow, down to the shoes, were all varying shades of pink--including the tutu she insisted was necessary to complete the ensemble.  This is all because the subject of "what Avery wears" falls firmly in the "fights that I'm not about to get into" category.  Picking your battles is an essential part of toddler motherhood and this is a battle I'm not willing to wage.  Thank you for all your adorable emails full of smocks and seersucker pants, Lolly Wolly Doodle.  I'm currently taking Avery to Walmart in socks and sandals and a neon glitter shirt featuring Dora the Explorer riding a unicorn and just hope people don't stare.

Toddlers don't have a filter.  Embarrassment results.  I wish I could tell you how many times I've walked into a crowded bathroom with my kid, locked the stall door, only to hear her declare loudly, "ARE YOU GOING TO GO POO POO MOMMY??"  Bless.  I'll be so happy when the "Just because I'm thinking it doesn't mean I should say it" ability is developed so we can actually go out in public again.   When does that happen?  Age 10?

Toddler moms, you're doing a good job.  Yes, you, mom that yells too much (guilty).  Yes, you, mom that just bribed her kid with bubbles if he ate two bites of broccoli off his plate.  Yes, you, mom that's sitting in a blubbering mess her bathroom floor with a full glass of "Purple Toad Black and Bruised" wine because you're convinced you're doing this whole "raising a baby into a respectable human being" thing all wrong.  You're doing a good job.  No, you may not have all the answers.  And if you do, please take an afternoon and visit my home to give me tips.  Yes, you may be having thoughts of just running away for awhile.  No, you may not be making Pinterest worthy dinners or have a child that is dressed like she just stepped out of a Lily Pultizer magazine.  You're doing a good job.  One day, in the near future, we'll emerge on the other side of this toddler motherhood thing.  We may be forever altered when we do, but we'll make it.  One day, our children will thank us.  It may not be until they're 28 with toddlers of their own, but they'll appreciate the effort and embarrassment and hours of abuse we endured.  One day, we'll have well behaved human beings that benefited from our parenting and we'll look back on this chapter of our lives with fondness and recall how adorable our children were when they were young.  I hope.

Entertaining ideas.

Since my kitchen remodel, I'm finally starting to fall in love with my house. I feel like I've finally put my very own stamp on a section of the house to make it feel like "my home."

Now I'm ready to do that to the rest of the house. Problem? I'm not the most patient person in the world. And we all know that it takes a lot of time and effort and finding that "right" item that fits to make your home feel homey and decorated and effortless. At least, that's what I'm going for anyway. But I want it done now. I want to be able to snap my fingers and have my house look exactly the way I want it to in my head (someone hook me up with the Property Brothers!!). 

Anyway. Instead of having the entire house decorated instantly, I've decided to focus on one item at a time. If my attention is focused on one thing, I do that one task, then move on to a new one. 

Right now, my focus is completely on finding a new entertainment center. This little beauty is hanging out in my living room right now. 

This is the entertainment center that Marty and I picked out when we were engaged.  Not because we were in love with the style....but because it was cheap and we were broke. It's not a bad little entertainment center. It's more than served it's purpose for 5 years now. And I would love it to go to another home soon. For my house, I want something that's more "me."

I've fallen in love with pieces like these:

(Kirklands, $499)

(Wayfair, $321.99. I'm OBSESSED.)

Because I don't have $300+ to drop on an entertainment center (and even if I did, I think I'd feel horribly guilty for spending that much), I'm looking for a homemade or cheaper route.

Here's where I'm leaning:

Pallet entertainment center on casters. I adore the creativity and unique-ness of this. Is it too...cheap looking though? 

The storage! The country feel! The place for all the DVDs so I can get rid of the stupid DVD bookshelf that's also in the living room (another newlywed registry item). But is it a little too much? Too cluttered? And to do that many crates, that could cost a pretty penny. I might be better off just buying a ready-made piece of furniture. 

I like the idea of repurposing a dresser for a TV table. But Lordy. Thinking about painting a whole dresser for an entertainment center makes me cringe. 

I'm struggling. Which one? Or none of the above? 

Kitchen (almost) Complete!!

My kitchen is almost completely finished.  I should probably wait until tomorrow to show you the finished pictures.  But I cannot contain myself.

Do you remember these?

That's the only progress that had been made so far.  We were waiting for the countertops to come in.  Today, MasterBuilt Cabinet guys (who I highly recommend) came and removed our old, white countertops and installed the new, built us a new cabinet in the open space you see and installed the bar area.  

Are you ready for this??  This will be a picture overload.  You've been warned. 

I am OBSESSED with this sink.  Completely and totally obsessed.

And these countertops.  I'm drooling.

There's still a bit of work to be done.  Drywall needs to be installed in the space under the bar area, the "column" needs to be finished and wrapped in a decorative molding, the faucet has to be installed in the sink...just little odds and ends that need to be wrapped up here and there.  We were going to wait on the backsplash, but our old cabinets had a lip that went up and on the walls.  When the countertops were removed, it left a really rough, scuffed up look.  So a backsplash is going to have to be installed sooner rather than later.  Marty and I bought some beadboard sheets tonight at Lowe's and Marty promises to install them this Saturday.  I'm really excited to see the end result on that one.  Painting the cabinets is going to wait a little bit, at the request of my husband, but I'm THRILLED with the remodel so far.

I mean, come on!!  Look at those befores and afters!  This is one happy homeowner.

Now it's time to find barstools...... :)

I learned a lot this weekend.

This weekend, just like every other weekend is going to be this Spring, was jam-packed full of activities and things to do.  Not only did I have fun, but I learned a few things this weekend too.

I learned the Dave Ramsey envelope system and budget is HARD. 

I'll probably end up doing an entire blog post about being on a strict budget, so I'll just say this.  You think you don't spend much.  Until you put yourself on a very limited, cash only envelope system.  It really opens your eyes as to how many times you're used to stopping at a gas station for a bottle of water or picking up that extra unnecessary item in your cart at Target.  Marty and I aren't bad with money, but we're committed to building our wealth and hopefully getting out of debt very soon, so this seemed like a no-brainer.  But boy, did I underestimate how hard it would be.

I learned it's a little tricky to take selfies with a giant Derby hat.  

On Friday, some of the ladies in my family took a trip to Churchill Downs for the Oaks.  For you non-Kentuckians, the Oaks is the race day before the Derby.  It highlights breast cancer awareness and most people in attendance wear pink. My pink hat that was purchased for this year's Oaks made it pretty much impossible for anyone to stand next to me...which made selfies a little complicated.  

Speaking of selfies....I learned that it's pretty hilarious to watch your aunt try to take her very first selfie.  

I would love to see how that picture turned out. 

Speaking of selfies.....again.....I learned that my kid loves taking pictures of herself.

There's also a particularly hilarious video on my phone that she recorded herself.  I had to pry my phone out of her hands so she would stop taking pictures.  We've created a monster.

I learned that even Avery can't tell whose baby pictures are whose.

That's me. :)  But don't tell Avery.  She argued for a good 5 minutes that the "little durl" in the picture was her.  Despite this, I still don't think Avery looks much like me. 

I learned there's few things sweeter than watching your mom read to your little girl. 

Avery ADORES her Mommo. 

I learned that Avery could play in sprinklers for hours.....and I wouldn't mind it at all.

We went to Holiday World on Sunday.  It was hot and there weren't a whole lot of rides geared towards a tiny little 2 year old that doesn't meet any height limits.  Normally, if we came across these sprinklers, I would steer Avery away from them.  But the poor little thing hadn't gotten to do much, so I let her go.  And I'm glad I did.  She had a ball.  Running around, making friends, squealing with glee that Mommy was actually letting her run through the water with her clothes on.  It was kind of a "lightbulb" moment.  Avery and I have been butting heads constantly lately.  She's pushing back on pretty much every rule I've tried to lay down.  She acts out with me A LOT and makes being together pretty frustrating.  I hear the word "NO!" constantly.  In response, I feel the need to compensate for the way she's acting.  Subconsciously, I guess, I've been getting on her more.  I think I feel a little out of control.  I feel like I'm being a horrible failure as a mother because my child is on a pretty fervent terrible two kick.  I feel like I'm failing in the discipline department and I am SCARED TO DEATH that I'm raising a child that will continue this behavior long after the two and three year old phases are gone.  I'll be honest, 90% of mine and Avery's time together is spent in a mother-daughter battle of wills.  So this moment, Avery running through the sprinklers with her clothes on, I realized that everything doesn't have to be such a big deal.  Normally, I would have balked at the idea of Avery getting her clothes wet.  So this was nice to get to watch her "breaking the rules" a little....and for me to realize that it wasn't a big deal.  I had an extra set of clothes in my backpack and my child was having a ball with the other kids and being a normal two year old.  That doesn't mean that I'm going to relax all my rules and let Avery run wild.  But a little rule breaking is fun now and then. :) 

Hope you all had a fun, and learning-filled weekend too!