Long Overdue: The Remodel

This is a post that is long overdue.  Going back over the past posts, I realized that I promised to show ya'll the redo of our house after we bought it.  To recap, we repainted pretty much everything in the front rooms and the kitchen.  (Sorry to say but I don't think I have any before and afters of the kitchen.)  Also, we tore up all the carpeting and laid down vinyl flooring.  With Jarrod working 70 hours a week at the time, I laid most of it myself.  I'm not saying this to play down his role by any means (if it weren't for his busting his butt at work, we wouldn't have been able to pay for the flooring.)  I am telling you this, so that when you see the floors, you will know that I. am. a. rockstar.  I'm not kidding of course.  But, it was super hard work and it makes me appreciate my pops even more for what he did and still does to make a living for his family.
Okay, I'll shut up and show you the pictures.

Wow, this is really bad quality.  I apologize.  You never know taking a picture with your phone, what kind of quality you're going to get.  Seriously, sometimes it looks like a professional took it and others you get, well, you get the above picture.  You get the idea though.  You see the color of the paint and the carpet right?

So, first things first.  Gotta tear that carpet up.  I thought this would be super easy.  Boy was I wrong.  I think my back was stuck in the bent over position for two days straight. First, the carpet had to come up. Then, we had to tear up the padding underneath and then (yeah, still not done) we had to hammer down all the nails that were sticking up from the floor.
 

Again, I apologize for the quality.  I must start using my actual camera. 

Once everything was up, it was time for momma to show her stuff.  Check out these floors!

Now why did this one turn out so good?!  I will never know

Of course Jesalyn had to get in on the action.  Is this not the cutest picture you have ever seen in your entire life?!  She looks like she knows what she's doing doesn't she?  

Before the floors we decided to repaint.  I wanted gray.  A lesson I learned through all this is that there really is no true gray color.  All gray has a little bit of another color in it.  If you read my blog before you know the other lesson I learned.  "If your best friend tells you that the paint chip you took home looks more blue than gray, you should believe her."   Yes,  I picked out what I thought was gray, bought like 4 gallons and started painting the walls.  Halfway through I realized that it did, indeed look blue.  I thought I could handle it and kept painting.  About 3/4 the way through, I decided that I wouldn't be happy so we went out and bought more paint and did the whole thing again.  Luckily, we had lots of people helping us paint or I would probably still be doing it. 

Here is my step-dad.  He was a professional painter for 20 years. Notice the drastic difference!

I must preface that since the "remodel" we have already moved things around and purchased new furniture, but you get the idea.  

and after...

Raising Confidence

    When I was in college, however many years ago that was (we don't have to get into numbers) I had an obsession with food.  I obsessed over the amount of fat, the number of calories, how much sugar was in it....  Every time I ate, I would immediately head to the gym to try to burn it off.  I became so obsessed with it that it just became easier not to eat it.  I never became anorexic.  I ate, but my meals were more like mini snacks.  I remember a time that my roommate's (and BFF) parents came for the weekend to visit.  They were going out to eat for supper and asked if I wanted to join them.  "No thanks" I said, "I have already eaten" referring to my half cup of applesauce.  I remember waking up in the middle of the night in pain, because I was so hungry.  I would force myself to go back to sleep, while secretly feeling good about the fact that I once again was able to push aside that feeling of hunger.   I don't know that I was super tiny, but I do know that my weight was not healthy for me because I lost my period for about a year. Instead of this worrying me, I instead felt proud that it was all steps to becoming a smaller me. 

   So why I am sharing this with you?  A few years after I got married, the hubby and I started talking about having kids.  I had gotten over my obsession with food, but my biggest fear was that I would have a girl and that I would inadvertently pass on this feeling of having a negative body image. I knew I would never ever speak words to her about her body being one way or another, but I knew that children at a young age look to their parents with how to think and feel about things and I was terrified that she would see me obsessing about something not fitting right or overhear me talking to someone about how I was trying to lose weight.  This was such a fear that it grieved me to think about it.  Of course, when I did become pregnant and I found out that it was a girl, I knew that it was up to me to help instill in her the confidence of being a female; to see her body as vessel that allows her to do things, be strong, and enjoy life.  She is almost four now.  Her dad and I tell her every single day how beautiful she is.  We absolutely never talk about weight, good or bad.  She's actually very small for her age and I try to even watch calling her skinny. I don't want her to ever feel like she has to be one way or another.  I want her to know that she's perfect in every way.  As she gets older, she will see things that will test her self confidence, no matter how much I try to shield her.  My prayer is that she has had enough confidence built inside her that she will not feel the need to conform to what society says is beautiful.  That she will know that she's beautiful. So instead, I talk about being healthy.  When she sees me lifting weights and asks me why I'm exercising, I tell her it's so that I can stay strong. She has started asking if she can run with me.  Not because she wants to be thin, but because she sees how much I enjoy it.

   All this is good, but this morning she threw me for a loop while we were getting ready for work/school.  I was putting on my lipstick before we left and she says to me "mommy, your lipstick is so pretty.  Do you think that maybe someday I could wear lipstick?"    "Kiddo, your pretty without lipstick" I say to her.  Her reply? "So are you mommy!"  OUCH! I've been so wrapped up in making sure she's confident in her body that I haven't even thought about the make up piece. Of course I'm not opposed to wearing make up.  I never leave for work without it, but she has made me step back and contemplate some things. I don't want her to feel like she has to cover her face up to be beautiful.  Sure, I know she's four and she's not thinking about all that.  Right now, to her, it's just something fun that mommy does and she wants to do too, but how do I teach her to be confident in herself when mommy has to put her "face on" to go out?  How do I teach her to know the difference in being confident in herself while also wearing make up and only feeling confident when she's made up?  Does that make sense????  I gave her some chapstick and took her to school, but now she's got me thinking.  Any of you mommies out there have any advice?  With this crazy, messy world we live in, it's important to stick together and raise strong, self confident girls.   

Thanks for reading y'all.  It's been a while I know.   Comments are always welcome!


This is a really, really good article that all parents of girls should read.
http://hopeave.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/how-to-talk-to-your-daughter-about-her-body/

Lesson's learned

We are in the throws of a semi-renovation.  I say semi because we aren't tearing down any walls (yet).  But we are painting and putting in new flooring. For a couple that has never been able to paint even an inch of our own space, this has been a project to say the least.

I guess we could have made it easier on ourselves by doing what most normal people do.  We could have stayed with mom while we were done with everything and then moved right on in....happily ever after.  But, as you know, we were ready for our own space. So we are, day by day, doing what we can to get our house, and lives, in order. 

I've learned a few lessons that I thought I would share with you. 

1.) When buying paint for walls, take a test strip and tape it to your walls for a couple of days to make sure it is the same color you thought it was in the store.  And if your best friend mentions that it "looks a little more blue than gray," BELIEVE her.

2.) When buying curtains, measure them.  If not you will get to the store and wonder just how many you'll need. If you find yourself in this situation, buy the extra curtain.  It's much better to have an extra curtain than to run short.  Plus, if you save the receipt, you can take it back if you don't need it later.

3.) When painting walls, throw away the plastic container that you roll your paint roller in.  Use a bucket and a paint screen.  All the cool kids are doing it!!  It's not nearly as messy and you won't waste as much paint.  This is coming from my step-dad, who was a professional painter for 20 years. He knows what he's talking about =)

4.) Got a toddler running around your feet while your trying to get some things done?  Give her a toy broom and have her "help you paint the walls."

5.) Buy vinegar.  I have heard it before, but never really put it to use.  Vinegar is some dang good stuff.  Seriously, you can use it for just about anything.  Don't believe me?  Check out this page www.vinegartips.com 

6.) Take it one step at a time.  I'm a very impatient person when I want something done.  Also, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to certain things.  When we bought the house, we knew there were some things we wanted to do to it to make it our own.  As the days went on, there were other little things we found that we would "come back to."  I'm not good at coming back to things.  I want it done, and done right then.  This does not work when there is a list of things, and no time to do them.  I've had to realize, that nothing is perfect, and everything can be fixed....in time.

7.) Don't be afraid to ask for help.  This is also something I am not good at doing.  I absolutely hate asking people to help me.  I feel like it's my house, my responsibility, so I should be doing it myself.  This doesn't work when you have a husband working 60 hours a week.  It's nearly impossibly to do everything by yourself.  Family and friends are the reason we moved back after all.  If they are willing to pitch in, don't be afraid to hand them a paint brush. 

We are putting our floors in Saturday....ourselves.  Dad is going to show us how and then we'll roll up our sleeves and go to work.  I'm sure by the end of the day, I'll have plenty more tips =)

No Biting

In yesterday's post, I hinted at some kind of something that has interfered with us happily moving into our new house.  I might have overstated it a bit.  It's really only a small thing and doesn't affect us actually getting into the house.  It's merely a nuisance for myself. 

Let me back up and tell you what happened.

Monday morning, we were sitting in the bank signing our mortgage papers.  I noticed that my arm was kind of itchy but nothing too crazy. We finished the paperwork and went on about our day. That evening I noticed that the spot that was itching had a bite mark there, with a white pocket.  Thinking it was an ingrown hair or something, I squeezed it. *Note to self: Never squeeze it!*.   Within a few hours, I noticed I bump where the bite was and around it was starting to get a little inflamed.  Still, nothing too serious.  I put some witch hazel on it and kept going.  The next day I woke up to this:

The red had started to get bigger and a pretty little red streak had started up my arm.  The streak worried my boss and she made me go to the doctor.

After looking at it, the physician's assistant said she wasn't sure what it was that bit me.  Maybe a spider, but not a poisonous one (if it was poisonous, it would have been turning dark colors on me).  She prescribed me an antibiotic and a steroid, plus told me to keep taking my Zyrtec (for the antihistamine.)

After three days, when it wasn't getting any better (and I started to get a little panicky), I went back to the doctor.  By this point, the red had spread even further down my arm and was itching like crazy.  She looked at it again and decided to have the doctor come in to get a look.  

The doctor looked at it and seemed concerned.  He sent me to get about 3 gallons of blood drawn to make sure there was no infection in my body.   Everything but the cultures (still waiting to hear back) came back normal.  He prescribed me another antibiotic and told me to come in the next day to see the doctor at the Saturday clinic. 

The next morning I went in.  I had a few people in the office ask about my arm. Apparently, everyone wanted to see this random, unknown origin of a bite.  The doctor that morning looked at it and was stumped too.  She didn't think it looked like a spider bite, but for sure "something got ya."  She was fairly certain that the red streak was not infection, but just part of the allergic reaction.  To help with the itching, she told me to take Benadryl and Pepcid (apparently the Pepcid helps with the H2?? and should help with the itching.)  I'm suppose to go back Tuesday morning for a follow up.  Supposedly, it's going to take at a minimum 7-10 before it gets better.  Fun, Fun...(or not!)

Every morning looks bad because I've slept on it, but here is what it looks like this morning

It's crazy itchy and warm.

So lets count everything that's currently running through my body.  2 types of antibiotics, 1 steroid, 2 types of antihistamine, and Pepcid (not sure what that is.)  That's 6 pills I have to keep track of and it's not improved today.  Needless to say, I'm so ready for it to be gone!

Sold

Hello blog world. This might possibly be one of my most favorite posts to write.  Why?  Because I'm writing it on my computer in my very own house.  Yes ma'am (or sir) we got ourselves a mortgage. 

It's a cute little house.  Three bedroom, two bath, brick on two lots of land.  It's just the right size for us.  We are doing a small amount of work on it, so no pictures yet, but I'm really excited for it to be done and to show it to you all.

Yes, we have transitioned from living out of suitcases to living out of boxes.  Boxes aren't any more fun.  I tried decorating them all pretty, broke out the Bedazzler* and everything.  I just can't make it enjoyable.  But the important thing is that once these boxes are emptied, we will be Done.  Done living like vagabonds.  Done trying to organize our lives into a 12x12 room, and, I can't be more happy about that.

If you know life, you know that nothing is completely painless and smooth (Debbie Downer warning. wah, wah, wah)  This also goes with our joyous little story, but I'll hold off going into that for another time.  Let's just all take a moment and enjoy the fact that the Pruitt's are in a home of their own....okay, so maybe I'll be the only one taking the moment.....you just say congrats and go on about your day.


*I do not, in fact, have a Bedazzler.  I merely used this as a form of comedy.  I had to google it to make sure I was talking about the right thing.   

What dreams may come

      I had forgotten how therapeutic it was to write until I wrote that last post, so alas, here I am again.  Screw the "over your data usage" mumbo jumbo. This girl is gonna write. 

      

     So, last night I had a dream that I was racing...over bridges. Big, wobbly, bridges.  Now, if you don't know me, know that I'm deathly afraid of heights. I mean terrified.  I have never set foot on a ferris wheel and don't even joke with me about riding a roller coaster.  I have a couple of recurring dreams that take turns replaying in my sleep.  In both of them I am either walking or driving along a bridge.  Every. Single. Time the bridge begins to shake and breaks in half and I am either left stranded or start to fall into the water until I wake up.  Back to my dream last night.  I was running/sliding (you knowing everything is a mishmash in dreams) along all these bridges and not one of them even swayed.  I remember feeling a little nervous at first but after the initial start I coasted right through and won the race.  

I woke up feeling a little energized and felt like I should be taking something from it.  Is this Gods way of telling me to not give up?  Face what I'm facing and it will get easier eventually.  I don't know. What I do know is that I am suppose to get something from it.  It felt like a reassurance of something, which is a good thing because right now anything that shows me that I'm not just wasting my time living out of my suitcase for 5 months is okey dokey with me.  But more on that later.  

Until then, thanks for reading!

Gone, but not for good

This long lost blog post is coming from my mommas rocking chair at 530 in the morning and being written on my cell phone.  Yes, this has been my life for the past 4 months.  Ugh.  The last four months. Where do I start?  A lot has happened.   So much, in fact, I probably should save that for another time.  But until then, know that I haven't left for good.  Believe it or not, I've actually had people express their dislike for the fact that I haven't posted anything since like March.   I really wasn't sure many people read it. You know, voluntarily.

All this to say, whether its for you or for me, I'm not gone, just away for a while trying to get my life in some kind of order.

And for those of you who read this for pictures of Jesalyn, she is still just as perfet as ever!  I would post a picture of her but I can't seem to get it to work from my phone.   =)

thanks for reading....