Full Steam Ahead!

On Saturday we met with our realtor, it went really well. He feels we will be able to sell the house quickly and get what we want for it. We are very excited but pretty nervous. We need this to all play out smoothly to keep moving forward. Unfortunately we will probably have to move twice. It will be hard to stay in our house while the new house is being built. With the school year approaching people will want to get into the house ASAP so they can be in the school district. There are options of closing on our house then renting it from the new owners while our house is under construction. Again, this is all a wait and see game. I am trying not to get too anxious, it will all work out.

The house went up on the market today, I am curious how quickly people will want to come to the house. I hope it won't be too much of an inconvenience trying to accommodate people coming in and out. Eliza, Zander(the dog) and I will pack up each time and go to the park or something. My sister and I had planned on doing a garage sale this week but that has to be put off. I don't think people would want to come look at the house while we are sitting in the garage selling our junk.

I will say, no matter what happens with the house, I am very happy with how clean it is! Maybe with all of the people coming in and out we will keep it spick and span. The best part of cleaning, Eliza LOVES to help. I was washing the walls and she came over and grabbed a rag and started to help. Her favorite thing is laundry, I hand her things and tell her where they go. When she puts them away she says YAY and starts clapping, it is precious.

I have started updating Pinterest again, now that I have a house to plan for. Check it out.

Also, have you heard of Houzz?? it is kind of like Pinterest but it is all house stuff. You can search by room or material, I love it. I am currently searching for exterior colors. The exterior of the house will be siding, brick and stone. Trying to find the right color combination is KILLING us.
Here is one we love: http://www.houzz.com/photos/97944/exteriors-traditional-exterior-minneapolis (sorry no photo, I can't figure out how to pull it, they are very protective of their photos).

We leave for swim class today, hopefully no one tries to come while we are gone!

Wish us luck!

Up or Down?

Well, we have pushed forward with moving, we are on a runaway train right now! We have found the neighborhood and the lot we want, we are going to build! We are still praying everything works out with our current house and selling it.

When speaking with our realtor and our lender they both said "be prepared for your house to sell in a day". Whoa! That is awesome...except where do we go while our new house is being built??? We are going to meet with them soon to discuss all of this. Until then we are purging anything and everything we don't need in this house! We are cleaning scrubbing this house from top to bottom and fixing up anything that needs to be done.

There is something I am having trouble deciding, our floor plan.

When we first met with the builder the only home he had that met our needs had the master bedroom on the first floor. This was a deal breaker for us. I can't imagine having to tromp up and down the stairs in the middle of the night when the kids need me. I am scared of my shadow...I can't be wandering around the house!

The builder is so incredibly nice, he came up with a floor plan that has the master bedroom upstairs with the kids. I am very happy I can be up there with the kids.

After talking to friends, and the builder, I am now torn. There are so many positives to both floor plans, I don't know which one to go with. I would love to hear your opinions, or what you personally have, and how you feel.

Please send a prayer that selling our house works out so we can move forward with everything.

Here is a sneak peak at the front of the house : )

Kick It Into Gear

Not just gear, high gear...the highest you can go!!!

Today while reading the local news my stomach sank! Our county has approved a plan to add on and off ramps East and West bound to our local express way from the street we live off of. The amount of traffic that is going to bring by our house is going to be OUT OF CONTROL!!! I can't even imagine how frustrating it will be. Then the thought of living with the construction for the next year and a half makes me sick!

We are about a mile North of this intersection. UGH

So it is final. We are moving. There are no more maybes, I am out of here!

On Sunday I prayed during church for God to give me an answer. I felt bad that I was constantly asking him to move us, he had a plan whether I kept asking or not. I told him, please just give me a sign so I can stop asking. This morning I got notice on our listings that the neighborhood we love is starting with new listings. They are right in our price range and the perfect location. I took that as a little sign and started working harder around the house to get it ready. Then tonight when I read the paper it was God slapping me in the face. GET OUT!! So here we go!

We have contacted a few workers we need to come to fix some things, I have bought paint and asked people to help with E while I work, and we are getting this house sold!

I pray this will work out, I pray this is the right decision for our family, but most of all I thank the Lord for his promise of always taking care of us.

Here goes nothing EVERYTHING!

Displeased

Today I had quite the unfortunate experience dealing with one of the daily deal sites. They didn't screw up my order, or run out of what I was hoping to buy, they made a really disappointing comment about who are children are supposed to be.

Let's backtrack. My cousin runs a blog of her own, she documents her daily life as a mom of children 13 months apart. She just finished up her sons birthday and is now preparing for her daughters. She goes on to explain how birthday parties are starting to get a bit out of control(at the parents doing) and how she realized she needs to calm it down next year.

I really related to the post seeing as Eliza's birthday, though it was small, was such a stresser for me. She had to have the perfect cake(I seriously got a quote for a cake that was $150), decorations, and a theme that was perfect. It wasn't her perfect party, it was mine.

When I saw my cousin post a link on her blog Facebook page, I was in shock as to what it said. It was a link back to the Mamabargains Facebook page that had a deal for over the top birthday decorations. OK fine, to each their own and I probably would have looked into it if it was near Eliza's birthday, but the caption to the picture is what blew my mind. It said something about buying these decorations so you don't end up "doing the limbo like a loser".

WAIT!!! So you are trying to tell me that my daughter needs to think she is a LOSER if we don't have an over the top party like this?? If we do regular party games, with streamers and balloons she is a LOSER??

In a day and age where there is already so much pressure put on children by their friends and peers do we really need it put on them(or even us as parents who want our children to be liked) by companies?
 To top it off, I commented on their post and expressed that I did not appreciate the way they worded that. That our children need to be built up, not brought down, by who they are. Here was their response

"Mamabargains Ha ha! Hey, we can read public shares... FYI. ;) We love to be sarcastic over here. I actually love to limbo. It was just a funny alliteration.". 

The public shares was referring to my cousin's blog sharing the link and me posting my disgust on it. I can't believe that was their response. First off, almost bullying me about the fact that they saw my post, and second playing down being a "loser" as a funny alliteration. I wrote back, that isn't funny.


A few minutes later they took down the picture and the caption(I am trying to have Mark use his handy computer skills to find it for me). 


I am glad they took it down, that was the right thing to do. An apology would have been a much better response, something like "I am sorry if that offended you, we meant it as a joke but could see how it is offensive". Instead I was bullied about sharing it. 


I know Eliza wouldn't see that post, and most kids wouldn't either, but in a society that puts so much pressure on being cool and popular, we need to be advocates for our kids and ourselves.

Weekend Recap

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! We had a very busy weekend around here.

We are still going strong with potty training. We used the 3 Day Potty Training method and I will do that with all of our kids. Eliza is able to tell us when she needs to use the restroom and able to hold it until we get to one. She wears big girl underwear(they are way too big, they don't make them smaller then 2t) all day but still a diaper at night. Since she is unable to get up out of her bed at night it is best she just tries to hold it but if she does have to go she doesn't soil her bed. This isn't completely in line with the method, but it is what works for us. I was very proud of her on Sunday, she was able to tell the ladies that teach her at church nursery that she needed to use the restroom. I was always worried she would only tell Mark and me since we are the ones training her. Such a big girl!

On Friday my Uncle had his 2nd of 3 surgeries. Eliza and I got to the hospital at 930 to sit with him until surgery which was scheduled for 10. Unfortunately another patient had a stroke and had to be rushed to surgery and Uncle Mike was delayed. Obviously we want that person to get immediate care so we did not mind waiting at all. By 11 we still didn't have a time for surgery and Eliza was getting tired, we had to leave to get her home to bed.

Eliza hanging out and waiting for surgery

At 130 Uncle Mike was taken into surgery. We didn't hear back until 7pm that he was out of surgery and it was successful. They were even able to do all of the procedure vs needing the 3rd surgery. At that point all I can do is give all praise to the Lord. I thank him for keeping my Uncle safe, for giving the Dr a steady hand and the knowledge to perform the procedure, and so thankful for finding the aneurysm in time.

Also on Friday, Mark Eliza and I went to visit with his family. His Aunt and Cousin are up from Florida for some festivities. In the years Mark and I have been together I have never met them so I was very excited, Facebook relationships just aren't enough! Eliza had a blast playing with them and Mark loved catching up. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures(I think I was preoccupied thinking of Uncle Mike) but I know they took a lot.

Saturday morning I got up early and went to visit with my Uncle. He was asleep and only talked to me for about 5 minutes but those 5 minutes were the best. To see he was still cognitively up to speed, and aware of everything going on really settled my heart. He will be back to himself in no time!

When I got back from the hospital we played for a while then it was time for Eliza to nap. While she was sleeping I made her a dress. She was invited to her first birthday party! It was a Minnie Mouse theme and I knew she had to match. We went to the party for a few hours and Eliza had a blast. She doesn't socialize with kids very often so she was in Heaven! They had a bounce house and slide, a pool filled with water balloons, a bubble maker, a pinata, and lots of food! Once home we just lounged around and had an early bed time.

Sunday morning came bright and early with a trip to Church. I am happy that 2 girls have joined Eliza in her nursery room. I felt bad that she was in there all alone. She is the oldest, and the girls are quite young, but at least she gets some interaction. We spent the rest of Sunday hanging out and working on the house. It was nice to just stick around the house.

How was your weekend? Anything good?

Lets Connect

Just a follow up to my post about GFC being gone. I have added RSS feed follower on the right hand side, and you can also subscribe by email over there too.

 I have also joined Twitter. It started more for me to follow my favorite football player, then turned into my way to do something special with my Uncle, and now I think I will add in my blog. So go find me, would love to connect with more of you! You can find me at @KalynErnest(I know, not too original). Don't laugh at all my football tweets, I just can't help how excited I am for this season!!

OH MY WORD: While typing this I decided to look up if they have decided a date for the first home game(it was TBD) it is 8-10, I would normally be thrilled but that is the same day as The Wiggles concert we are taking Eliza to. I AM HYPERVENTILATING!!!!! Eliza won't notice if I sneak out right? :)

Wordless Wednesday

Eliza picked out a new friend....she named her Eliza

Flyin high

Oh Uncle Mike

My Uncle's surgery was today, I barely slept all night. Eliza and I skipped swim class and unfortunately her nap, and we got to the hospital at 11. My mom, sister and aunt were there as well. We waited until 1pm for them to finally take him. It was tough. He was nervous, you could tell, which only made me more nervous.

He spoke with the anesthesiologist regarding what type of sedation he wanted. They said they really didn't want to do Type A anesthesia due to his conditions(he is over weight and has to use a CPAP machine when he is asleep). My Uncle really wanted to be completely knocked out so he was bummed but knew it was best, so they agreed on Type B. 5 minutes later, the anesthesiologist said he has to be on Type A...whoa, you just said he wouldn't do well on Type A, great.

They took him away at 1pm and I decided to go home to put Eliza down. We waited and waited and waited. At 430 we got an update that they were still working. At 7 my mom called me to tell me he was done...seriously 6 hours?

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Apparently(and this is through 3 phone calls so I am sure some of the info is not 100% correct) during their way from his leg, through the artery, to his brain-something happened.The DR nicked the artery as they traveled through and it started to bleed. They had to fix that immediately. They had to get other parts from a different hospital to fix the nick. This is what took so long.

Due to this unforeseen issue they never got to his brain. They never fixed the aneurysm.

So this is where we stand. After 6 hours of surgery his artery is fixed, the aneurysm is still there, and he has to do this all over again on Friday. The positive, there is always a positive, he did really well under anesthesia A, his heart looks great, and they are very confident the surgery will go well on Friday.

I am here, thanking you for all of your prayers and concern, but I am asking one more time for your support. If you could continue to pray for his current recovery and his additional surgery Friday. Pray the DR has a steady hand and that the DR knows we hold no hard feelings towards him.

I love you Uncle Michael, thank you for being so strong and brave!

Bye Google Friend Connect

Obviously I am way behind, but I just saw my GFC is gone from my page(I also notice it is still on others). So how do you have people follow you now? I don't know what to add to my page so they can keep informed.

Any help would be appreciated.

I Am So Scared

Dear Uncle Michael-


When a time comes to express your appreciation for someone, words tend to slip away. I will never be able to express my true love, gratitude or respect I have for you. There has never been a time where I have felt judged or misguided by you. You have been there for me no matter what, with words of encouragement or a helping hand. There were many days I didn't know how to do something and you were always there with the answer. 


Thank you for all of the things you taught me, whether it was football rules or how to install a ceiling fan. Thanks for never telling Mark when I tried to fix something on my own and usually broke it worse, and thanks for walking me through how to fix it. Thanks for helping me when I was a teenager that thought my mom was out of her mind, you were always a voice of reason. Thanks for always lightening the mood, teaching me inappropriate jokes, picking me up by my ears, and wet willies. 


I know there is a plan for us after all of this, and I am sure it includes you teaching Eliza all of these things while I sit back and watch.

I am so scared.

Those tend to be the only words I can really put together this morning.

Last week I received some pretty devastating news. My Uncle Mike, my father figure, my left seat at the Lion's games, my dance partner at my wedding, my go to guy, has a brain aneurysm.

My Uncle has a step daughter my age, but no kids of his own. He didn't get married until later in life, so he treated my sister and I like we were his. He took me to basketball games, helped when I needed to buy a new car, diffused teenage arguments between myself and my mom, and would always lend a helping hand around our house.

When he first found out something was wrong, we thought it was a tumor. They did some additional testing to find that it was an aneurysm. This hits home very close with our family, especially my sister. Her sorority sister in college passed away from a ruptured aneurysm.

Apparently, a lot of people go on in life without ever knowing they have one. I am so thankful that they caught it before it burst, but so scared of the future. Brain aneurysms under the size of 7mm don't have as high of a risk to rupture...his is 10mm.

He assures me he is with a great Dr who feel very positive with the surgery. He continues to tell me not to worry, but I know he is scared too. I am doing my best to put my trust in the Lord, I know he has a plan, I just pray it is the outcome I want.

So please let all of your friends, family, church groups, and prayer chains know that we need a little extra over here. His surgery is scheduled for Tuesday at about 9am.

“Father, I choose to set my hope fully in you.  Thank you for your promises and purposes.  I rest in them!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Happy 5th of July!

So I am a day behind on my 4th of July post, oops. We had a pretty low key day so not much to report. We started out early going to our local 4th of July parade. Eliza has never been to a parade so we weren't sure how she would receive it.

We parked in our church's parking lot and walked into town, to say it was HOT is such an understatement. We found a nice shaded spot under a tree and waited for the parade. It was your typical parade-politicians asking for your vote, police man, fireman, and lots of wonderful Veterans. Eliza really enjoyed when people would toss candy to her, any dogs that walked in the parades, the horses, and anyone who would wave to her. She did a wonderful job. We stepped out about halfway through the parade as it was getting even hotter. When we got to the car it said it was 95*, we couldn't handle it anymore.

Clapping for the vets

Here come the horses

Asking where the planes went

Imitating the fire trucks

We spent the most of the day at home in the AC and in the basement trying to stay cool.

Eliza enjoyed her first frozen icee, that is until Mark jumped out and scared her and she threw it on the ground. It was pretty funny.

We went out to dinner because I couldn't bare to think of cooking in the house. I found this shirt at TJ Maxx for $10, it comes with pants and is actually for next summer but fit this year as a dress, I love it!

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July, I hope you remember the true meaning of the day. Thank you to everyone who has sacrificed their lives and their time to make this world a better place for my little chickadee to grow up! God Bless.