February Instagrams

 

Location: Walmart

Welcome Home #startingwithmyleastfavoritejobfirst

 

 

Early morning trip to the grocery store. #wehaveabarfer

 

 

#sickchildmeansplentyoftimeformakeoverprojects

 

 

I buy her plane ticket and she shops, sews, paints, advises, builds for 4 days.  #doesthatseemlikeafairtradetoyou? #whywevebeenfriendsfor24years

 

Project #13.  Ryan keeps asking why we can’t just buy something and keep it in the state in which it was purchased. #thatwouldbetooeasy

 

 

Sheleftmetomyowndevices.  Love her! #picturescomingwhenitsdone

 

Location: Chez Romney

Everyone’s FAVORITE Valentine tradition. #pinkparfaits

 

 

Birthday girl enjoying her birthday dinner at 4:00 because she has a full night ahead of her.  #howintheworldisshefourteen

 

Location: Chez Romney

I don’t do fancy valentines or boxes (those involve paper craftin, blech) but I DO do fancy Valentines breakfasts #heartshapednutellafrenchtoast

 

 

Valentines shirts! #emmarejectedmypurchasebecauseherfriendsarematchingtoday

 

Location: no potential boyfriends live here

Emma got these roses from two boys are school.  Barf. #timetohomeschool

 

Emma’s birthday party, decor, games, cookie decorating.  #mostlylotsofscreamingandtalkingaboutboys

 

Location:  Post Falls Park

It’s such a bonus when the weather is nice on a No School Day #oldschoolparksarethefunnest

 

 

The 14 step/49 minute process Ryan goes through to hang three pictures.  #imnotexaggerating #thisiswhyhesanengineer

 

Location: Idaho centennial trail

38 degrees, 15 mile bike ride to a picnic in the park with our long lost Nebeker friends. #onlyus #makehaywhilethesunshines #orwhateverthatphraseis

 

I read the bedtime story longer if someone rubs my feet. #imagenius  #lopsidedrub

 

Location: Zibby’s house

Highlight of my month: my book club where we actually discuss the book

 

Location:  where the meanest mom lives

Someone paying me for his ride to school after he missed the bus, due to misplaced shoes. #imexpensive #heSWEARSheputthemintheshoecubbie #loveandlogic

 

Location: Sushi Maru

Big kids and dad are night skiing so we are on an adventure: Trying sushi for the first time.  #notbigfans #yet

 

Location: Brunts

Mom/Daughter bookclub—great activity for middle children who need more mom time #phantomtollbooth

 

Location; Chez Romney

Birthday boy wanted “a smoothie with no vegetables in it” so I complied… and threw in my new favorite waffle recipe (Our Best Bites’ light and crispy) #heissoeasyonhisbirthdaythatifeellame

 

Some of the birthday spoils: banana pudding and coupons from Seth #myfavoriteisthecouponwheresethwilltellyouyouareawesome

Living Room makeover

Let’s transition from something that bums me out to something that makes me REALLY happy, shall we?

So last August, Ryan and I celebrated our 15th anniversary and, for my gift, he gave me a living room makeover!   Perfect present, huh?

It turned out exactly like I wanted, which hasn’t always been the case when I’ve decorated areas in the past.  This is why I think I got it right this time:

1. Learning from past mistakes: after doing this for 15 years, I’ve learned things.  Less is more for me on walls and shelves.  Go 2 shades lighter on the paint strip after you’ve picked a color.  Let the paint dry ALL THE WAY. 

2.  Using my super talented interior design friends, Adrianne and Melissa, and listening when they tell me I can’t have my sectional block my fireplace and stuff like that.  Melissa lives here and so she was always coming shopping with me and looking at color swatches.  Adrianne lives in Arizona but she SO SWEETLY let me fly her up for 5 days while we got the room together.  I have a decent eye for style and home design, but I need their superior talent to get it perfect.

                               

3. Taking my time.  The couch (to get the one that didn’t block the fireplace) took 4 months to order from China so I was forced to make this a 6 month process.  I think it made all the difference because I had time to order swatches, take stuff back, look around for a while, etc.  I tend to just buy whatever if it kind of works and then I get a result I’m less than thrilled with.

4.  The internet/technology.  Pinterest made it possible for me to find ideas and hold onto them and have them with me wherever I went (via the iphone) and Houzz.com was so great for just giving me TONS of pictures of all things Mid-Century Modern, so I knew the types of colors, shapes, etc. I wanted to create my look.  Plus, Skype/picture texting made it possible to show Adrianne exactly what I was looking at, so I could get good feedback from her.

5.  Identifying the main “problems” with the room.  I figured out that I wanted more seating and more lighting.  That helped guide the budget and other decisions. 

So here we go.  (this should be probably more than one post, but that’s too much work.)

Here’s some Before pictures (the first one is after we’d started a little bit, just so you know it didn’t look quite that bad.  There was another chair and a lamp). 

We’d had all of this stuff for 8-10 years and it was used and stained and I was done with it.

I knew I wanted calm colors, and I am drawn towards Mid-Century modern things.  Ryan just wanted a darker rug and a darker couch (kids, you know) and I wanted the room to feel light and airy.  I found this picture on Pinterest that seemed to fit the bill:

and we used it for inspiration all the way through.

Here are some After Pictures:

 

We did a pretty good job on all counts, right?  Light and airy, check.  More lighting, check.  More seating, check. Dark rug, check. Dark couch, um…we tried, but it got here lighter than we thought.  Calm colors, check.

Here are some things I love:

The curtain height and width.  They put those curtain up (18 inches ABOVE the window frame) and that room just opened up.  It was crazy.

The carpet pattern.  I didn’t know that pattern was that big and it couldn’t be more perfect.  I think it also makes the room look bigger.

This side cabinet thing.  We saw it at Marshalls and thought it was perfect but too big.  When we realized that the smaller side table we bought was too small, we sped back over there to get that silver, mirrored beauty and it looks so great.

The piano.  Ah, that piano.  Don’t look too closely.  If you look too closely, it won’t look as good, I promise.  But the color is great, and it looks WAY better than it did before.  It was my first foray into the world of chalk paint and it has its pros and cons, but I liked it. The lamps are covered with curtain fabric and that little metryoshka is Ryan’s only mission souvenir.  It think the unexpected color there is so fun.

The ampersand.  This was a tricky one.  We saw it at World Market covered in a map.  Adrianne had a vision and we decided to take it home, and recover it in paint samples and then modge podge it.  (Also, don’t look too close.)  Everyone asks what it means…and it doesn’t have a meaning except that there is always MORE here at our house: more kids, more to say, more to do, more time to be a family. & & &

The mantle arrangement.  That’s a printed picture of the Oakland temple (where we got married) and the books are neat because that Jesus the Christ is my grandma Paula’s.  Love having it on display.

The couch.  It’s from Dania and, honestly, it’s so comfortable and big and we just love it.

The chairs. From Urban outfitters, they are tiny but they work so well in this room.

The white side table.  So modern and 60s, I just bought it and was glad I could find a use for it.

My family pictures.  I wanted something funky and not traditional.  This shadow shot looks so cool with the gray asphalt and the silhouettes.  I love the jumping picture, too.  (bad lighting, sorry)

This lamp.  Total splurge from Pier 1, but could it be more perfect??

So there you go.  Thanks for indulging me.  The process and result has been so satisfying and the whole family really loves to be in that area.  Thanks for the perfect anniversary gift, honey!

The Day Finally Arrived

I finally had my surgery. After waiting 2.5 months and dreading dreading dreading it, it finally happened. 

I could type a million words about this but I’m going to try to be brief and only say the important stuff. 

My mom came in the night before at midnight.  I went to pick her up (figuring I’d have lots of time to catch up on sleep) and while I was gone, Seth started throwing up.  All night long, Ryan and I were up with a barfing Seth, which was super fun pre-surgery prep.  I was SO glad my mom was there, because grandma is about the only person you hand a puking child to. 

  

We got to the hospital and they were ready for us.  We didn’t even have a moment to breathe as they took through each of the steps.  Everyone was nice and thorough and before I even had a chance to cry (much), I was going under general anesthetic. 

Coming out of anesthesia was unpleasant and there was a not-pleasant nurse “helping” me in the recovery room.  I was taken to the hospital room and as they checked me out and got me set up, Ryan came in.  I kept watching him (in a slightly drugged up stupor) for clues about what the surgeon had said.  I began to get worried as I watched his face.

After everyone left, I asked him what the verdict was.  He said the ACL repair went fine, that there was a slightly different meniscus injury that required a stitch, and….there was a osteo chondral injury—an actual hole in the cartilage they required repair.  That was the thing we were hoping wouldn’t happen.  Big Big frowny face.  The surgeon said I would be limited to 3-5 miles of running for the rest of my life.

No more marathons.  Ever.

My sweet husband, who never cries, began to cry because he knows how much marathon running means to me.  We cried a while and he showed me sweet sweet texts from my friends and family who love  me and understand me enough to mourn with me.  It made me feel loved and was much appreciated.

I went home that night.  Chanell came over and set up my ice machine while Ryan was cleaning up barf and my mom was having her own stomach issues.  Melissa came over and cried a little with me.  I had/have some great pain killers and we got through the first night.

My mom was immensely helpful (she was better in the morning) and she cooked, cleaned and entertained so that Ryan could take care of me and the two other kids who were sick (Jane and Faith both got the flu over the last three days).  We couldn’t have done it without her.  I’ve been moved and so cheered by flowers and magazines and phone calls and treats and texts.  I feel very cared for and loved. 

Ryan, as everyone would expect, has been the perfect nurse.  Kind, upbeat, working literally 20 hours a day, taking me to the bathroom, on walks in a wheelchair, helping me shower (took an entire hour!!)…I really have no words to describe how lucky I am that he’s my husband.

Every day I feel MUCH better.  I am crutching around okay, but still need to be resting most of the day.  I come downstairs 2-3 times a day just for a change of scenery and have been kept busy reading (2 books so far), social media, talking to friends on the phone and in real life, playing Sally Salon on my phone, card games with the kids. 

I’m not sure what the next few weeks will look like exactly but I will be in crutches for 6 weeks, on serious painkillers for another 7-10 days and I have some machine that bends my knee that I am required to use for 6 hours a day for the next 4 weeks.  I’m going to be basically putting 80% of my time and energy to recovering for the next month, which is hard, but I have to do it.  I have lots of childcare, meals and rides lined up—because I live in the best place ever.  And have the best friends ever.

I’m feeling okay.  I’m not one to wallow.  I know I’ll be okay.  I’ll find other goals to set and ways to push myself and I’m grateful I can still run a little bit.  Plus you know I’ll be pushing that 3-5 miles and hoping that it really means 4-8 miles so I can still run long lake runs with my friends and do Olympic triathlons.  Without sounding like Pollyanna, I’m grateful for hard things that remind us how to be compassionate to others, that help us draw closer to the Lord, that help us know what true friendship is, that remind us what is really important.