New Obsession, Y'all!

Last week, Trey, Reagan, & I said our last goodbyes to our first home.  I got my mom to take a picture of us a few days before we officially closed. 

Last Thursday after we signed everything and handed over the keys, Trey & I went to dinner & movie.  We saw Beauty & the Beast in 3D.  Animated films are typically the only ones we agree to see together.  I think the last movie we saw in the theater together was Toy Story 3.  I was pregnant at the time & while I enjoyed the movie, I probably agreed to go so I could get an icee.  

Now that I've had a few weeks to live in the new house, I'm getting a good idea of what I want to buy & where I want to put it.  Coincidentally, on a recent trip to Bodie's Furniture in Ruston with my mom, I discovered that Paula Deen has a furniture line, & y'all, I love it.

I've always had an affinity for off white/antique white furniture.  Reagan's furniture is antique white (one day, I may blog about my quest for antique white baby furniture, a sordid tale that involves a pregnant me & a young lady from Lafayette named Candace who is on my bad list).  Last week, I bought this floor lamp for the living room.  I may have squealed when I saw it in the store:

Our new home truly validates my lifelong antique white fetish.  All of the trim, every door, every cabinet, & the mantle are painted antique white.  The kitchen cabinets are a distressed antique white (when I saw them in the pics online, I knew the house was for us).  

Guess who else adores antique white?  That's right, y'all!  Paula Deen does.  You can view her full collection here.  

Here's what's on my short list:

China cabinet:

Dining Table (Paula also makes a round table that I love . . . I've yet to determine which I prefer, but based on Trey's reaction to all this, I'm going to have plenty of time to figure it out):

Ladderback side chairs:

Ladderback arm chairs:

This bedroom suit (also Paula Deen) comes in antique white, but for a little variety in the house, I think I like this finish:

Maybe an antique white accent or two?

A few pieces for my office.  Since I do work from home (I really do!), we can deduct these from our taxes.  Yay!:

Paula doesn't give her furniture away, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this furniture line isn't cancelled because it's likely to make a slooooow appearance in our home, piece by piece.  Upon doing a quick search for retailers who carry Mrs. Deen's furniture, I learned that Weir's sells it.  Coincidence?  Maybe. 

Reagan is patient with me while I scheme make plans to furnish & decorate our home.  

Sometimes I think she knows I'm nuts:

(Yes, that's a toilet in the background.  She's figured out her 'Reagan' chair is portable, so she was relaxing one day while I put on my make-up.  Oh & also, this bathroom will be painted!)

Since she'll be talking coherently soon & she comes from a long line of arguers, I want to keep her on my side for any future family furniture fights.  I've been letting her finish off my oatmeal in the morning:

She still loves her bottles:

And this past Saturday, I made everyone waffles with my new waffle maker Jessica & Heath got me for Christmas:

It's good to have goals, right?  When you meet a goal, you set a new one.  I have my house, & now I want to fill it with slightly distressed furniture (without distressing my husband).  Samuel Johnson said, "Such is the state of life, that none are happy but by the anticipation of change: the change itself is nothing; when we have made it, the next wish is to change again."  I try & keep this in mind as I browse local furniture stores & dig online for what I want.  I have discovered, however, that actually living in our new house far exceeds the anticipation of living in our new house . . . so that knowledge isn't helping me reign in my desire for new furniture (it's mainly that, like I said, Paula isn't giving it away).

To answer my critics (namely Trey & Samuel Johnson), when I make a major decision, like buying a car or a house or furniture, I do a little research, I think about it, & I am happy with my decision for years to come.  I typically have a picture in my head of exactly what I want, & I do what has to be done to find it & bring it home (just ask Candace from Lafayette).  I bought the couch that's in our living room in 2007, & I still love it.  I still love everything I registered for when we got married (dishes, bedding, etc.).  It's been over two years since I married Trey, & I still think that was a good call.  In ten years, I will still love Paula Deen's furniture, & I hope most of it's in my house. 

AZ

Playdate

Reagan & I were invited for a playdate at the home of Shane & April Ware.  So, last Friday we ventured out for a little social time.  In attendance were several other children, all of them older than Reagan, & their moms.  Reagan was a bit weary of the noise & activity a throng of children generate, & I found the experience to be an effective form of birth control.

She spent some time exploring Cooper's Toy Story themed table:

She hung out with Elizabeth (who was wearing an awesome velour track suit!), the attendee nearest her age:

She played a little piano in the dining room:

And stayed close to her Mama when she saw this:

She initially wouldn't venture past the hallway:

Until she discovered Cooper's chair, which is quite similar to her chair.  She made herself at home:

Cooper was a bit concerned:

He sought my help:

And then again tried to reason with Reagan:

A compromise was reached:

Ava wanted to hold Reagan before we left . . . 

The visit to the Ware's home was a good opportunity to talk to Reagan about accepting those who are different from us, even when they make questionable choices:

Shane & April are wonderful people, & gracious to open their home to so many rowdy children.  Shane, a devoted husband who accompanies April to the Twilight films, has some pull at the local theater & rented out an entire theater for a midnight showing of Breaking Dawn, Part I, when it opened back in November (which shot him straight to the top of my favorite people list) . . . so, despite their odd affinity for the Hogs, I still love them both.

AZ

Scenes from the Homefront

We're really gelling with the house.  Reagan's exploring every inch:

Being industrious, I've used some of the lanterns from Jessica's wedding to decorate:

Reagan was delighted to discover she can get IN the cabinets:

Our new bedroom makes our furniture look like it belongs in a doll house, but we're not complaining about all the space:

My mantle: 

The mantle is patiently waiting for a mirror that looks something like this:

I love the house, & I don't leave much.  When I do leave, I make it count:

I bought the basket pictured above (which was on sale) for Reagan's area of the kitchen:

I plan to eventually buy a reading chair or two for this area.  I have something like this in mind:

It's a mission style chair with leather upholstery.  You can put your coffee cup on the arm, so it's good looking & functional.

For now, it's a great place for all the toys to congregate & Reagan to relax in her chair, as she was doing Sunday morning while waiting for Mama & Daddy to get their act together & get on the road to church:

Reagan wore her LSU dress to church Sunday, despite Mama's ominous feelings about what would happen Monday night.  I have only a few things to say about LSU's loss, which I fully expected.  It's difficult to beat any team twice in one season, & with Jordan Jefferson at QB, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen for LSU despite their otherwise spectacular season.  I've watched LSU win two national titles, & if that's as good as it gets, I can live with that.  They won 13 games this year & another SEC Championship, which far exceeded my expectations back in August.  Despite their pathetic performance Monday night, their accomplishments this past season were remarkable, especially considering the continued lack of consistency at the quarterback position.  Eventually, not having a reliable QB will catch up with you, & LSU got caught Monday night.  I think Alabama was likely the only team who could've exposed LSU's weaknesses, & expose them they did.  

What really matters has been lost in all the Monday morning (or Tuesday morning in this case, I guess) quarterbacking: at least LSU is not coached by a middle aged man who is as obsessed with spray tanning as he is with stellar defense.  I was worried Nick's new tan was going to be ruined when he was doused with gatorade.  Kudos, Les Miles.  Your team had a good season.  Your devotion to Jefferson I'll always question, but your total lack of concern for tanning despite your repeated television appearances is noteworthy.

Trey remarked Monday night that I didn't seem that upset over the game.  I was even a little surprised at my nonchalance over the loss, especially considering what was at stake (& what a sad effort LSU put forth).  I guess I learned that at the end of the day, things are just too wonderful in my corner of the world to get too upset over LSU football.  My sweet family & I are healthy, & we have a new home in which to watch the Tigers rise & fall & continue their perpetual search for a QB to compliment their defense (preferably one who can entertain himself during the long summer months without ending up in jail). 

Come November, LSU will be playing Alabama again (a night game in Tiger Stadium, so I've read).  There is zero chance Jordan Jefferson will be playing quarterback (anywhere!), & there is a good chance the following Tuesday, we'll have a new president-elect.  I look forward to watching these events unfold from the confines of our home, unless of course someone has tickets to the Bama game, for which I would leave my house.

AZ

Beginnings

Christmas(es)

We had a good Christmas.  In fact, we had several good Christmases, & the merriment continues this week as Trey & I await one last gift we've been working on for Reagan (& us, too).

We had a magical weekend.  For the past few weeks, we've been receiving mail addressed to the once (& future!) buyer of our house, a nice daily reminder that everything fell apart :/  My mother-in-law & our family friend Dr. Bob Huffstutter both told me where our once & future home buyer works, so Friday, in the spirit of Christmas (& the spirit of trying to clear our house of junk before we move), I took the kind lady her mail that had been piling up on my kitchen cabinet for weeks.  She was grateful, & had some interesting news.  Early last week, someone viewed her current home, loved it, & is now under contract to buy it.  I hope everything works out for all parties this time around, but I'm not as emotionally invested in the sale of our house this time since we're buying our new home regardless.  On Thursday.  Yipppeee!  Of course, I truly want everything to work out so that everyone ends up with the home they want, & Trey & I are left with only one mortgage.  One mortgage = furniture much sooner.

On to the festivities . . .

Baby Steps

Before the deluge this next week will bring (Christmas, closing on our house, & a wedding . . . ), here's what Reagan & I have been up to lately.


At church in the Christmas dress her Aunt Lisa gave her for her birthday, Reagan is busy cutting a few top teeth:

This is Our Christmas Card

Were I to select images of our family from this past year & have them fashioned nicely together in a collage-type arrangement on a festive card to mail to our family & friends, these are the images I'd choose, & this is likely what the card would say . . . so don't wait by the mailbox, because here it is, no stamp required, our 2011 Christmas card:

Lucky Thirteen

We've made it.  Today, Reagan is one year old, & while I am the same age I was yesterday, I feel a good bit older.  We continue to work on making a 'one' with our index finger, having so many reasons to need the gesture.  How old are you, Reagan?  What are the LSU Tigers ranked, Reagan?  How many terms will Obama serve, Reagan? 

Your Story

Before another year slips away & while I can still remember the details, here, Reagan, is the story of your entrance into the world.

A Mixed Bag

The real estate roller coaster continues.  I think it's starting to stress Reagan out:

After doing some thinking & some number crunching, Trey & I have taken matters into our own hands & decided to proceed with the purchase of our home.  It's probably the one house in this area that Trey & I agree on, & I also think he fears if we built I might bankrupt him.

I won't even mention what this means for me & my love/hate relationship with my new BFFs, the boxes.  I am excited that after all the turmoil & many weeks of sitting forlornly in the middle of my living room floor, the chances of my fake 9 foot Christmas tree seeing the light of day this year have improved dramatically.

More on this turn of events later, as I'm currently heavily involved in preparations for a birthday party.

The Futility of Plans

Well, the good news is my box fever has lifted.

The bad news is that it's gone because I've unpacked most of the boxes & returned their contents to their rightful place.  The packing of the boxes experience was much more wistful & nostalgic than the unpacking of the boxes.  When packing the boxes, I assumed when I unpacked them I'd be living in our new house.  Optimistic of me, right?

Box Fever

I'm not sure where to begin this blog.  I'm finding it difficult to adequately select & manipulate words to convey the depth of my frustration.

This will be a little heavy on real estate details.  If you've ever played Dominoes, use that as a visual.  Often when people purchase a house, they've also recently sold a house.  Each sale is "contingent" on another sale.  I received a phone call on Monday & was told there were some "issues" with the sale of the home currently owned by the individual who is under contract to purchase our home.  If one of the dominoes doesn't fall properly, it skews the whole effect.

Wednesday, I was told our buyer was intent on closing on our house (which of course means we close as scheduled on our home, which is obviously the transaction in which I am most interested).  The sticky issue is, as always, the approval of some financial institution granting our buyer interim funds until the sale of her home is completed.  I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about real estate.

So, while we are under contract to close "on or before" December 6th, which, if you take a gander at a calendar you'll see is next Tuesday, as I type this everything remains up in the air (except of course the boxes that are all over my floor!).  

This leaves me sitting in a house full of boxes, trying to keep smiling despite my anal retentive nature flaring its head, demanding that the boxes be moved or unpacked.  This is not how I typically decorate for Christmas (that's our Christmas tree skirt laying on the top of that pile):

My wonderful friends on Facebook keep posting festive pictures of their Christmas trees, while mine sits in a box in the living room.  I love real trees, but decided until Reagan is older, an artificial one would be best.  So, about a month ago I bought one at Hobby Lobby while their Christmas decor was on sale (50% off!).  I'd love to see what it looks like, as I'm sure once it's assembled I'll hate it a little less than I do right now, sitting in the middle of the living room in a long box that continues to provide great entertainment for Reagan.  I may just give in & post this picture on Facebook as our 2011 Christmas tree:

We'll be home for Christmas this year, & are eagerly waiting to learn where exactly home will be come Christmas Day.  Regardless, Reagan has no idea what's going on & is happy as always:

She's not loosing any sleep over it:

So, I keep giving myself pep talks as I wait for a phone call to tell me what's happening next.  I have a healthy baby girl who won't even remember our box Christmas, a handsome husband who listens to me whine, a perky dog, & a brand new Christmas tree in a box that I know will be just beautiful once I'm able to assemble it somewhere.

p.s.  -  If you've recently received an invite to an event scheduled to take place at our new address, we have a contingency plan should one be required.  I guess I've learned a lesson about being optimistic. Stay tuned! 

AZ