It’s been too long!

When I discussed creating a blog with my mom, we had these ideas of a daily post, numerous activities to photograph and a ton of time to do it in. Well, fast forward to today and its 10 am already. I’m just now getting some makeup on and making myself look presentable just in case the UPS man shows up. A lot of times I hide in my bedroom so he doesn’t know I’m home but I’m sure he notices all the lights are on and most of the time the tv!

I set myself up for failure a lot with these expectations and then when I don’t reach them I quit. I absolutely love blogging just for the fact that it documents our lives. So I’ve decided that no matter how often I write its still better than nothing. Kind of like with my journal for our boys. There are two of them now. In case you didn’t know because I don’t think I ever wrote it! Here’s a picture of our little John David. He’s 7 1/2 months. We’re going to have to lower his crib!

Anyway I hope everyone has a great and productive day. I have to throw some eye liner on. If I don’t, most people ask me if I’m feeling ok…which I am. I just look sick if I don’t wear anything!

No time for Pinterest? Try Welcome Home Furnishings instead!

Today has been such a great day to lounge around sipping hot chocolate as I finish a family photo session from earlier this week.  I am so thankful to be able to work from home and relax in my pink sweatpants!

I love DIY projects but instead of making them I’m usually just pinning them on Pinterest!  I have a great friend, Shelly Lansing with a business in Salem, MO called Welcome Home Furnishings!!  We go to church together and she is absolutely beautiful both inside and out.  She and her husband David opened their store in July of this year.  I cannot believe how talented they are but I am absolutely astonished at what they can make.

A few of my friends and I went to Salem’s Ladies Night Out last week and I spotted Shelly’s Hall Tree in a shade of red that matches our home perfectly.  So you know it was made just for me!  🙂  I debated buying it since I wasn’t absolutely sure where I would put it but after the regret I felt when I left I let her know early the next day that I wanted it and would be there that day to get it.  So… here it is!!

Hall Tree from Welcome Home Furnishings

And just a few more lovely things I saw while I was at Welcome Home Furnishings located at 1712 A West Scenic Rivers Blvd, Salem, Missouri 65560…

Kids Chalk Board Desk, Chalkboard Sign, Rocker & Side Table

I love all the baskets scattered throughout their store and I especially loved this old rake! I bought one just like it!

This mirror would be perfect for a girls room, laundry room, over a fire place… the possibilities are endless! And I LOVE the idea of using a bird cage as a mail organizer!

White Mirror with Ledge and some pretty amazing rosettes!!

Magnetic Board with some pretty cute magnets!!

Most Gorgeous Hall Tree I’ve ever seen! But no room at my house!

There are many tables of different shades and looks in the store. If we were having a baby girl I would love to have her furniture like this bed!

There are a lot of old chairs throughout the store! I love the idea of using an old window for a dry erase board and absolutely love the look of burlap behind the glass. This hutch is so cute and one of a kind with chicken wire instead of glass in the door.

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at some of the cute stuff I saw at Welcome Home Furnishings in Salem, MO!!  There is so much more that I couldn’t how you though.  Everything is extremely reasonable!  You owe it to yourself to check their stuff out and get something nice for your home.  If you see something you want, please call Shelly at (573) 729-8320.  She also makes amazing fudge and candies.  I forgot to take a picture but she makes some really cute button bracelets!  I bought two and am sending one to my sister.  (Surprise Jenna!!)

And then there were four…

We only have 17 weeks left until we meet the newest addition to our family!  Our second baby is another baby boy!  We are going from a family of three to four!  There’s so much I feel like we have to do and only 119 days to do it!  Our little one doesn’t have a name yet so if you have any suggestions please leave them in a comment below.  Some important names for us is John; both Evan and I have great grandpa’s with the name John and my grandpa Ray’s real name was Johnnie.  We would also like to try to incorporate my dad’s name, David.  Evan is pretty picky with boy’s names so nothing crazy, lol!

And here is the proud big brother!!  Jackson says kiss baby and kisses my belly.  He’s just the sweetest thing.  I can’t wait to see how he handles another child in the house.  I’m sure we’ll both have crazy days as we try to adjust to a screaming baby and the terrible twos!

But for now, I’ll just enjoy this sweet little face and my growing belly.  The bible says in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  So I will do just that.  Have a great day.

Do you ever fee…

Do you ever feel like your life is total chaos?  I don’t know if it’s my personality or if I’m really one of those people who never seem to have it all together.  I haven’t been as honest with you as I should have been!  I have kept a lot of “me” from you.  To a certain degree I do think that’s important.  You don’t want to know every detail of my life… believe me!  Anyway,  let me start this blog again…

Hey there!  I’m Cassi.  A wife to Evan, mother to Jackson plus one!  (Yes having baby number two in January 2013!!)  I’m totally unorganized, hate laundry and cleaning with a passion, always late, and definitely do not like grocery shopping!!  So, this blog will be me sharing with you about how I will become organized….very slowly; begin to get “Mount Washmore” and my house in order (thanks FLY lady! who you will definitely hear about soon!) I will begin to be on time and maybe even a little early and I will get my grocery shopping under control!

I haven’t written a blog post in quite some time because I just haven’t had the time.  It’s summer, I have a 1 1/2 year old and we are always on the go.  I guess I should say I haven’t found the time or made the time.  That would be a more accurate statement since I have had plenty of time to do other things!

I will talk about FLYlady.net pretty frequently because she is the one who I feel will help me get my house in order.  We’ve been living here for a few months now and I needed to get into a household routine.  I found her while we were staying with my husband’s parents.  Sounds crazy, but she has you start with simply Shining Your Sink (keeping your sink clean).  She teaches you how to build routines and stick to them.  For anyone out there who is great at keeping their house in order, you already have your routines and probably don’t understand people like me who can’t figure it out!  But maybe soon, I too can be like you!

For our family, dinner time is really important.  It’s the only time our whole family can sit down together and really enjoy each other.  I am at home with Jackson all day while my husband works so when he gets here in the evenings I want to have a nice meal prepared for him to enjoy and be able to relax.  Well.. our house isn’t like this even half the time.  Most of the time, Jackson is tired and cranky, I am trying to finish dinner while he is tugging on my leg, and getting frustrated that my husband isn’t helping me enough.  Just a few weeks ago I thought that dinner time was the worst part of the day.

I can always count on my mom to be such a great encourager even if she tells me what I don’t always want to hear.  I called her about my dinner dilemma and she instantly diagnosed the problem… ME.  Isn’t it always though, lol.  I didn’t have a plan for dinner and was throwing stuff together at the last minute.  (Can’t do that with a toddler!)  I hadn’t given Jackson his afternoon nap like I should have.  (Sometimes I just think he can make it…not so!) So if you don’t have a mom like mine, it is so important to find someone who loves you enough to be completely honest with you.  Maybe it’s a grandmother, sister, friend, neighbor, whoever it is, find them and treasure them.

So, tonight I began doing some googling on Meal Planning.  The first website I went to was Simple Mom and her basic meal planning post.  She suggests making a plan for 2 weeks worth of meals and rotating them at least once throughout the month.  Also only go to the grocery store every two weeks.  As I said at the beginning of the post, I hate grocery shopping.  I think it’s because I don’t really have a plan and I end up spending way more money than I should and we end up throwing things away or it just sits in my pantry.

Well sorry for such a long post but I wanted to get back into blogging and I just had so much to say.  I think that’s why I haven’t been writing.  I end up writing such a long post that it takes me forever.  By writing more frequently I “should” have shorter posts.  Thank you so much for reading.  Have a great night!

I’m still here!

Hello there stranger!  You’re probably saying the same thing to me, ha!  Well, we’re still remodeling our house but I think it’s getting extremely close!  (That’s what my husband tells me! And he probably just says that to appease me!)

So in case you were wondering, we have moved out of our old house and into….. my husband’s parents home.  I don’t remember if I told you all that, but we’re still here.  It’s going pretty great except for the things Jack has broken or put into the toilet.  Yes, the toilet.  If the toilet seat is up, something is going in!  Jack has heard the word “no” so many times, he has now started saying, “Nah, no” and I’m pretty sure he swatted at me last night and said “spank.”

Our house should be finished in the next couple of weeks but I have really enjoyed the time with my husband’s parents.  I don’t like to call them my in-laws because I think that gives a person this horrible thought.  Oh my goodness, you’re living with your “in-laws”?!  See what I mean?  I’m not going to lie, it was an adjustment.  In the beginning it seemed like I was having to yell at Jackson all the time.  He’s finally getting better at knowing what he can and can’t touch.  Is it normal that he’s only quiet when he’s sleeping?

I don’t have pictures of the new house yet but I still have some to post.  I haven’t baked a lot since we’ve been here but I have baked some.  Here’s a picture of the banana bread I made, wasn’t good enough to post the recipe, so enjoy the picture!  Let me know if you have an amazing recipe that I can try!  Always looking!

Brian (Evan’s dad) and I have started a garden!  He’s done a lot of the work but I’ve definitely put in  my two cents!  This is the beginning of the garden, the bed on the left is full of dirt but the one on the right is empty.  Right now, in the left most garden, we have radishes, carrots, green beans, onions, and lettuce growing.  The right is filled with dirt but no plants yet.  We have plans for zucchini and  squash for now.  I can’t wait until things are ready to eat!  (It’s our first garden, so any tips on that will also be appreciated, lol!)

And of course some pictures of my baby Jack!  We had a great Easter so I’ll post some of those pictures soon!  Have a great day and don’t forget to leave a comment, just so I know you’re out there!

And the crazy cat Todd.  He’s acts so sweet and cuddly and then he turns on you in an instant!

Haha well I hope you have a great day and got a kick out of that cat!  He’s seriously bipolar!  This Saturday our Relay For Life team is hosting a Ladies Tea and Luncheon at Shabby Gabby’s.  If you have a few free hours please feel free to stop by and eat with us.  It is at 11 am and is $20 per person.  Proceeds go to Relay For Life of Texas County.  Some of the money is actually used for our local citizens facing cancer, unlike a lot of other foundations.

Jack’s First Flight!

When you start thinking about taking a fourteen month old on his first plane ride, things begin to go through your mind. First, you begin to question the trip altogether. Or at least I did! We’ve all been on those plane rides, or you can just imagine…you have an uncontrollable toddler in the seat behind you. If you haven’t had kids, chances are you’re thinking, “That kid needs a spanking.” If you have kids you probably are thinking the poor baby probably needs to pop his ears because of the pressure built up or he probably needs a nap. If you’re a hard core parent you may also be thinking about the spanking.

Next, like me, you probably pick out some things to take with you in the case of a freak out. Where’s his favorite toy, his books, something new to interest him if the old stand-bys don’t work. And then there’s snacks. Those wonderful snacks. If your kids are or we’re anything like my Jackson, a good snack can end any tantrum. Although I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen him at his full potential for fit throwing.

So are you all hyped up about this plane ride? Because I was by the time we got to St. Louis. We wanted to see the Mall of America in Minnesota. My niece is on spring break this week, so her mom planned a trip with her son, my mom, me and Jack.

I was thinking I got a preview of this plane ride on the bus from the parking garage. Jack is under 2, so he’s considered a lap child. We didn’t have to pay for him so he would sit on my lap. On the ride in the bus, I had to sit him down multiple times and give him all kinds of snacks. Oh what a trip this would be!!

We checked our bags in and I had to give him some warnings about sitting in his stroller. When we got through security, we found an empty area and I let him run around. Kids this age need some time to just walk/run.

Finally they call our section and we get to go early because we have a baby. Great, we have to sit even longer. I thought about offering to go last but then we wouldn’t all be able to sit together. Super-mom that I am, I was holding my amazing Starbucks White Mocha, stroller with a toddler who has figured out how to stand up in it and my carry-on bag. Burning up because of a hot drink on a pretty warm day and nervous about Jack’s first flight, I got rid of my drink.

I know you’re thinking get on with it. Did he spill our drinks, scream for the entire hour, get us kicked off the plane? I am do excited to tell you he slept almost the entire time. He looked outside at people loading luggage until they were finished. Then he had a few snacks and I read his night night book twice. He was out in no time! I am so thankful it was such a nice trip. That goes to show you how little worrying does for you. It did help me plan for a meltdown and you never know how the trip home will be! Sorry for such a long post and I honestly don’t have any pictures. But come back soon as I tell about our trip!

Have a great week! Please plan on attending our Relay for Life Ladies Luncheon on Apr. 14th at 11 am. Tickets are $20 each and includes your meal. Let me know if you need tickets or you can pick them up at Friend Lumber or B. McCloy Salon. Both in Licking. Tickets will be sold until April 7th.

Thanks again for stopping by!

<3•Cassi

Moving Day!

Well I have to say this has been the funniest part about moving! I couldn’t figure out the best way to get this tall guy over to the new house. I have found a new use for my avalanche! Giraffe moving! St. Louis Zoo gimme a call when you need me!

Ok so I’m going a little crazy moving all of our stuff! Evan has been working on the house and I’ve been packing and moving the entire house. We are so close and hopefully tomorrow and Sunday there will just be large furniture to move.

On an awesome note, there is a WordPress app so I am typing this on my iPhone! I now have no reason not to keep up with the blog!

Thank you for being so patient with me! My husband has designed me an awesome kitchen so I promise to use it as soon as we move in! And of course I’ll share photos with you! I really want to try some video as well!

I hope you are all enjoying the weather. It’s so much nicer than snow! Have a great day and an awesome weekend!!

~Cassi

Too Many Toys?

I was that pregnant mom who said I will not have this many toys laying around my  house!  Well, I AM!!  Three huge tubs of toys and I’m going crazy!  I am blessed to have some organizing queens as sister-in-laws.  They both give me tons of ideas, advice and encouragement.  So we are supposed to be out of our house by March 4th I am beginning my toy organization here so that when we get into our new house it should be a lot easier.  These tubs have been sitting by the toys for over 2 weeks.  I had this preconceived idea that they had to be organized by name brand, type, color, etc.  That’s a bit exaggerated but I just didn’t know which toys should go in which tub.  What if when I get one box out Jack doesn’t have the toy he wants.  WHO CARES?!  Just put them somewhere!  So, today, two weeks later, I am putting them in tubs.  There’s no way to organize 50 million toys, so I just started putting them in.  If I had 3 balls, I put one in each.  Same with cars.  Now they are going out to the garage today so that Jack doesn’t keep taking things out.

The second picture is books.  Now I don’t know if a child can have too many books but they can become just as overwhelming as tons of toys.  So this has been my week, boxing up stuff and taking it to the garage.  Thankfully our basement is cleaned out at the new house so I’ve been moving stuff over.  My goal is to have as much as possible already over there by the end of this week and have all next week to move furniture and bigger things.  So I just wanted to check in with you all and let you know that this is why I’ve been gone lately.  I probably shouldn’t have started a blog during a remodel!

Let me know what you do with your toys and books.  How do you stay organized?  I still feel pretty new to this staying at home thing.  I don’t really have a routine yet and that’s something I’m working on.  I don’t stay home as much as I should and I think that’s to avoid having to clean and organize.  So if you have any tips or suggestions, let me know!

Jack is such a good model.  Half of the job is keeping them in the tub.  He sees one through the side and starts digging to get it!

These are with my little point and shoot camera so the quality isn’t too great.  Sorry about that!

He should be a genius with all these books!!

Have a great day!

Valentine’s Day Can’t Come too Late!

Finally, a date night!  Evan and I have only went on a handful of dates since little Jackson was born but last night we were able to celebrate our valentines day with dinner and  a movie.  We took a long awaited trip to Rolla and watched This Means War with my favorite actress Reese Witherspoon!  We had dinner at Gordo’s and looked at the reviews of the movie while we were waiting for our dinner.  The critics only gave it 25%.  I knew I’d love it but Evan was a little skeptical!  Well they were completely wrong!  I absolutely loved it!  And Evan really liked it too.  He laughed a lot and that’s how I know he likes a movie.  So thank you MeMaw for babysitting and letting us enjoy a few hours to ourselves.

Speaking of Valentines day, if you have husbands like mine, finding a valentines day gift is very stressful and unless you choose something your self, you’re probably not getting anything.  Not that you have to have an elaborate gift but a little something is nice to show that you’re still appreciated.  Jokingly,  I said,  “Can you belive Christy forgot to deliver my flowers today?!”  We both cracked up over that one, because we all know that Evan didn’t send me any!  Christy is the owner of Woody’s Flowers and is an excellent florist.  I like to give gifts that the person will actually use and enjoy.  I bought Evan a coffee grinder this year with some Starbucks coffee.  (Technically he bought it for himself since I’m a stay at home mama, haha, but he never said a word.)  He has used it every single day since Valentine’s day.  Success!!  Only ever so often does this happen, unless I get him boxers or deodorant or something so obvious.  So what did I get?  I bought myself (technically he bought it) a glass mixer bowl for my Kitchenaid mixer.  I haven’t used it yet but it looks pretty on my counter!  Martha Stewart has been using her new bowl on this new season.  If Martha has it, I need it!!

So I hope you all had a great valentines day!  And if you didn’t get just what you wanted try focusing on the other person in your life and really want to get them that special something that they will enjoy instead of what you didn’t get.  And then go out and get it yourself!  Your hubby might actually thank you!

Oh Blog How I’ve Missed YOU!

Good morning!  I’m sorry I haven’t written in a week and a half!  I have been crazy busy packing, photographing, cleaning a the new house, and just doing everyday tasks, like taking care of my hubby and our little guy.

Speaking of that love of my life, he finally got back from Africa!  My friend and I surprised our husbands by picking them up at the airport!  They were very surprised but really tired.  Africa is 8 hours ahead of us and 60 degrees warmer.  I don’t know if I’d want to come back yet!  Evan brought us back some t-shirts and he got me a really pretty bracelet.

I’m so glad he’s back but he has went straight into remodel mode.  Speaking of, we are moving out of our house in two weeks!  I’m so excited  but that probably means shorter and less frequent posts.  But not 2 weeks in between, I promise you that!  There will probably be more pictures which I always love!  Here are a few pictures of Evan’s trip and our new house!

This picture cracked me up!  Evan said they were at a park and the monkeys were just hanging out.

He also has a picture of a monkey running along side their car.  Another picture has a flock of emu’s in the road.

How amazing would this view be in your back yard?

And here’s a picture of my laundry room.  It isn’t finished yet but it is going to be my favorite room!

I feel that if you like the room you’re in you’ll enjoy doing things in it!  So even though I don’t like laundry I think I can get through it just because I love the room and I’ve made it my own.

And here’s the view of the kitchen from the laundry room.  We’re so close to being finished!  It’s the packing at the current house that I don’t really enjoy!

Well I hope you enjoy your day!  Forgive me for taking so long to say hello!