Decorating updates

I'm interrupting the Christmas posts to show you some new house stuff. We went to a tile shop when my dad and sister were up here and found our backsplash:














Here it is up against the cabinet:


















It's a mixture of tumbled stone and glass tiles. It's a little busy, but I think it's going to look really great.

I also ordered some curtains for the den. The McHusband isn't feeling them so I'm hoping the two test panels grow on him before the other four arrive. He's not liking the paisley pattern and I guess he isn't too fond of the colors either.














And here's a close-up.


















I like that there are different colors in the panels that I can use to accessorize the room. The McHusband just thinks the pattern's too busy and he thinks they look like old-lady curtains.

Of course, I want the McHusband to like how his house is decorated, but maybe I need to remind him that the only room the buyers of our old house painted was the office, the room that he decorated.

So what do you think? Who should be the one with the final say on the curtains?

Christmas Part II

Sorry, I know I've been really slack about getting the rest of Christmas added to the blog. When I wasn't busy being busy, I was busy relaxing and enjoying my time off. But I went back to work yesterday so it's back to the grind.

We went back to Bri's house Christmas morning and had lots of fun opening presents and then had a yummy potato casserole and some eggs for breakfast.

Lyla chilled next to the McHusband and played with wrapping paper for a while.














Then she and G'ma looked at her book (a book of pictures Bri had made on Shutterfly), which Bri gave to my mom.














I held Owen through most of the present opening. (Please excuse my photography skills - and my double chin.)














Nate helped Lyla open up her big present from he and Bri.














Oops, guess she didn't get what she wanted.



















Being sick and playing with wrapping paper took its toll and Lyla was conked out in her bouncy seat for a while.














I think we could've all used a bouncy seat to take a nap in.

Christmas Part III coming soon...relatively speaking.

Christmas Part I

Christmas with our families starts Christmas Eve with dinner with my mom and sisters and their families. The McHusband also opens his birthday presents from them that night since we don't typically see them on the 26th, and we don't want his birthday to get lost in the shuffle on Christmas.

We had our traditional Stouffer's lasagna - yum! - and hung out with the babies. Lyla had her crack pipe/nebulizer, and Owen was sweet as could be as he was passed from one set of arms to another.

Poor Lyla. She was sick with bronchitis and pneumonia in one lung. In order to loosen up the stuff in her chest, she had to have breathing treatments, which she didn't seem to mind.




























And here she is playing afterward. I believe the expression for the look on her face is "baked."














Owen, with a reindeer on his butt, was full of the Christmas spirit.














Doesn't he look like a little elf with his hat on?














And, of course, my wonderful sisters pawned their kids off on me all night.

Yep, one of these days, I'm gonna have to put a stop to that. But not yet.

McMerry Christmas!!!

(Thanks, Aunt Charlotte, for the inspiration for the name of this post.)

We've had a wonderful Christmas and I have the pictures and even a couple of videos to prove it. However, it's late and I'm tired so I'm going to post a quick poem and call it a night. I promise, I'll have pictures soon.

Jingle Bells (Year of the Baby version)

Jingle bells, diapers smell
Babies everywhere
Lyla's sick and Chase is big
And Owen's got lots of hair.

Jingle bells, diapers smell
Babies everywhere
Oh what fun that first year is
But now we need a drink!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Containment!

This post is a little late - our fence was actually finished on the 12th, but we were so busy painting that I didn't get any pictures that weekend and then it's too dark by the time I get home from work to take pictures. Lucky for you, I remembered to take pictures today.

Here's the fence with the double gate at the end of the driveway. Or is it the beginning of the driveway? The McHusband has grand plans of building a detached garage so it would go on the other side of the double gate.














And here's what we see, from left to right, when we're out on the deck surveying our domain.










































And here're Morgan and Tucker wondering what I'm doing and, more importantly, why they can't be doing it with me.



















The McHusband plans to put in a paver pathway from the deck stairs to the man-gate by the driveway.



















In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm going to add a second picture of the future location of our pathway. See that stack of stuff on the right? That's a Mustang hood and two bathroom mirrors from the old house.



















You know, just in case. You never know when you might need a Mustang hood that fits a model of a car you no longer own and two builder-standard bathroom mirrors.

Toes and tummy time

Let's see, I've done, what, three house posts in a row? I guess I need to throw some baby pictures into the mix, huh?

Lyla has found something new to play with. And it works out great because they're always around and, now that she's found them once, hard to lose.














The McMom (a.k.a. Grammie) was down in SC last week helping out while Jenny went into the office. Here's Chase during some tummy time:














And here he is looking just like his daddy. For those of you know know Kevin - is Chase not the spitting image? Maybe it's just the bald head...














And, finally, here's Chase sleeping on the pillow Grammie left behind. He promised to take good care of it until they bring it back to her next week.



















I don't know, Grammie. If Chase is anything like his Uncle McHusband, he's going to be pretty attached to that pillow and might not be willing to give it back.

Christmas decorations

Wow, is Christmas really only one week away? Where did the year go? Oh yeah, it went to baby showers, visiting babies, moving, babies, painting, babies... Bri, Shannon, and Jenny - can you guys try to coordinate on Baby #2 so that you aren't all due with that one within 4 months of each other? Thanks, 'preciate it.

I decorated differently than usual. Our Christmas tree was "pretty" this year instead of full of all the ornaments we've collected over the years. I think next year that I will get a small and PRE-LIT (emphasis on the pre-lit) tree for our foyer and then I can put our ornaments on that one.

The Christmas tree went in the same place as it did in the old house - in the bay window in the dining room.

Here it is with the lights off:

And here it is using the night setting on the camera:


















I was really excited about my stairs actually having a banister that I could decorate. It's the little things, you know?



























And you guys already saw my Carolers in the pictures of the new paint, but here they are again. Because I know you care.



























Wow, that's not even at all, is it? Note to self: Learn the meaning of "symmetrical" and apply new knowledge to next year's Christmas mantle.