I'm goofing off right this minute, but in just a moment I'm getting hard at work...working on my job, packing, cleaning, getting excited, so on and so forth. I'm beginning to get really excited because we leave on Tuesday for our vacation in Palm Coast, FL. We're not leaving at any certain time since our reservations aren't until Wednesday. We're just travelling at our leisure and will drive as far as Asher and we can stand. Also, it's Mark's birthday Tuesday so I'd say that's a pretty good present! We'll be heading back sometime Sunday or Monday. We don't have to be back to work Until Tuesday the 29th. So, please forgive me if you can't get me while we're there. I'm certain work will call so my phone will be OFF! If you need me or want to talk just call Mark's phone, or leave a message. I'll check them periodically. Please pray for safe travels. Tootles!
Speaking of the house, here are a few pics to show the progress under way.
Living Room Before-- That white under the chair railing is some lovely wallpaper. mmm!
Before again
After...I'm still working on accessories and little things. I had lamps but returned them. I've got to find some still.
Please over look the bottom shelves and Asher's toys pushed to the side. You get the idea though.
There is still a little molding that needs to be finished around the fireplace. Trust me it's come a long way though. The white under the new chair railing is wainscoting instead of that nasty wallpaper.
The pictures don't even do it justice. The work has been MUCH more than paint. Not to mention, Mark is rewiring each room by as he goes. I'm very proud of him!
I'll try to find some more pics. For some reason I can't find the others on the computer.
Sometimes I fail to brag on Mark and his hardwork on our house. If I do it's usually overshadowed by my whining or fussing about how slow it's all going. We closed on our house 2 years ago today. We were hoping to be mostly finished with it at this point, but somedays it's like we're just getting started good. That's ok though. We've had a few changes in plans and the Lord has blessed us in much larger ways. We found out less than a week after closing on the house we were pregnant. New house, new baby, right? Truth be known, we wouldn't have gone through with such a house had we known. In retrospect I can't imagine this place without Asher. He's made this house a home! There's a lot of hugs, kisses, and laughs going on within these walls.
As far as the actual work, Mark has done it all himself. He amazes me. However, he can't finish the foyer until we get our new front door. It got ordered this week and will be installed within about a month. I'm excited because it's one step closer to helping the exterior and boy does it need some help:)
Mark's last project- recessed lighting in the living room
Ok, admittedly Asher's hair was getting too shaggy. I wanted to keep it long, but it definitely needed shaping. So, I decided instead of going to one of those Great Clips kind of places he needed to get used to one person. I made him an appointment with my stylist. I was working, and Mark was off so Mark met me at the place with Asher. I don't know what I thought I was going to do that Mark couldn't. Anyway, Asher climbed up me crying before we even tried getting in the seat. My stylist told me that most kids do better with just Dad. I knew this made sense, but it kind of busted my bubble. I mean, I had rearranged my work schedule so I could be there for my baby. This was like his 4th haircut, but the first in a while. He NEEDED his mommy, right. Wrong! So, I said my good-byes and "left". Really, I just sat in the waiting area and soon he quieted down. Before long my stylist came up and said he was the best child she had ever cut! Of course, I was very pleased. Then, I saw my little toddler waddling around the corner. He had no hair! Well, at least that's the way I perceived it. He looked totally different. It was NOTHING like I wanted, but in the middle of the crying and my big getaway, I didn't have a chance to explain well exactly what I wanted. Poor girl doesn't have ESP. I was horrified because we're having family portraits done at the beach in 3 weeks. Surely, it will be grown out by then. Granted, my child is beautiful no matter what and would be adorable with a buzz. I have been trying to style it in a faux hawk, but it just want stay. 
This past weekend Asher's Grandma (my step-mom) visited. It was a short visit but we had a great time. She was able to go with us to our Sunday School party. We have some cool people in that class, and we always have fun. Asher stole everyone's thunder during one moment in the evening though. He kept going to the tub of drinks and getting out an energy drink. He would tip it up like he was drinking it. He did this over and over and over. I can't tell you how long he entertained himself and us doing this. He was so confident in what he was doing. We finally realized he was drinking the water off the tops (yummy:P). Silly boy!
Not a happy camper when Grandma was leaving.
So, I've been terrible at keeping everyone up to date the last couple of weeks again. I seem to go in spurts. It's because most of the time I use my work laptop that does not have pictures on it. Anyway, this is a week late... Last weekend we had a great visit with our good friends Lance, Pam, Lawrence, and Annabelle. We went to stay with them in Sylva NC. It's a small, cozy corner of the world in the mountains. I would describe it as very charming with its little shops and restaurants. Evidently, it's a Mecca for Floridians.
Lance and Pam have done a great job with their house. It's perched on a little ridge with the best view. I teased them that they lived on a Mountain and referred to it with their last name.
We didn't do a lot except eat out a couple of times (go figure:). We just spent much needed time catching up, and letting the kids play. We had not seen their house since they moved to NC, and we had not had the pleasure of meeting their beautiful addition Annabelle. It was a relaxing time and comforting to be with good friends.
The awesome view
Our good friends
Asher digging in. He LOVES watermelon now!
The boys sporting
thier dinosaur pj's. Asher was totally obsessed with the
doggie vacuum!
“As a mother, my job is to take care of what is possible and trust God with the impossible.”--Ruth Bell Graham
The other night I was eating some celery for an evening snack, and Asher decided he wanted some too. I didn't think he would like it or actually be able to eat it since it's so hard and tough. He did though. I honestly don't think he liked it that much. He just like the novelty behind eating something that texture. Who thought eating celery could be fun or cute? It's so great to watch him experience new things!
