I Just Can't...

I just can't give up my "old blog."

Some could say that I am sentimental. In fact, I am very sentimental. I have a real interest in history, and particularly my own family history. I guess that is what inspired me to start a blog in the first place. With that being said, I am a bit of a...hoarder, for lack of a better word. I keep stuff. I consider them to be keepsakes. Some day, someone may just find the same emotional value in them, as I. Until then, I will keep them as safe as I can.

My blog is no exception.

I had planned on just storing my old blog, and creating a new one on the more trendy blogging site, WordPress. But, it took me all of one week to realize that I wanted my previous blog to continue. I didn't want to just swipe it clean, like it didn't happen or exist. It did.

I have spent the last week editing my previous blog (I Love Lucy Jean) for public viewing. It took me so long because I sifted through over 300 posts, and got completely caught up in memories. Some posts make me shudder, while some still make me smile. Several things were clear to me: I was a new mother, clearly struggling with working full-time and having babies in Day Care. I was very much trying to "figure out motherhood" (ha - still trying!). And, while I have perhaps become a little more articulate, I still have a problem with purging all of my emotions.

So, here we are - on the "old blog." If you are new here, you will see that my design is very inconsistent. Its a bit old and a bit new. I am in the process of updating it. I plan to get my geeky husband involved; he is gonna be thrilled! My header, while cute, isn't relevant any more, which makes me sad. I hope to update it in the coming days/weeks/months. Who really knows?

I will keep the previous title as well, "I Love Lucy Jean." After I had Olive, I had planned to rename it, "Olive Lucy Jean." Get it? Ah-mazing. I was still considering, "Olive Lucy and Henry." But, the lack of punctuation, which seems to be needed, and the kids being listed out of birth order itches that tiny little bit of particularity in my brain.

On another note, I have had several people ask me about subscribing to my blogs. It seriously warms my heart that so many people actually care what I have to say. You guys, I sure love having you in my life. My followers have always been so supportive and encouraging, when I truly needed it most (motherhood, loss, etc.). Therefore, I plan to get my emailing service set-up again, to automatically email my blog posts, as I did before. Please be patient and I will get the info. out soon. I will also continue to post links to my blog on my Facebook page; although, Facebook and I have a very complicated relationship...

It was good to have you visit once again. Please take a look around. It's crazy to read posts from my 23-27 year old self; it seems like forever ago. Just consider the date when reading and I hope you have a good day!

*Also, if you are one of my Facebook friends and stumble across some type of personal information (our last name, my college name, or my hometown info., etc.), please let me know. I am trying to remove that type of specificity from the blog. Thanks!

Renovation: Complete!!

We are done! Whew! It took us about 2 months, which isn't too bad. A big thanks to my husband and his family for doing this for us (Ron, Bob, Sam, and Derek)! I am so excited to share the completed room with you!

If you are just now joining us, go check out the Basement to Playroom Transition. Then, check out all of the updates: Renovations.

And, the drum roll please...the photos you have all been waiting for...click on any pictures to make them larger, then hit back.

This is a three photo comparison of one of the walls: the before, the in-progress, and the after. This was the creation of a whole new wall.

Next, is the corner you see when you first walk into the room. Sorry - some of the angles aren't exact. As you can see, we painted that black beam white and finished the ceiling.

Here is the stairway down and my new holiday storage closet! Again, the angles are bad - sorry!

Here is another look toward the stairs.

It seriously doesn't even look like the same room! Here are some more photos of the room:

In case you were wondering what was in all of those storage containers...


Clothes for dress-up and doll clothes

ABC blocks



Small toys



Large toys



Large Legos



Stuffed animals

Here is a closer look at my new framed books, from my dad. Read more about it here.

And, here are more of our books. We have a ton of Golden Books!

And, finally, I will leave you with a picture of my new shelf. I had so many Lucille Ball items. I have collected them for a while now. I used to put them in our spare bedroom; but, that is now my Lucy's nursery. :) So, my collection had been in totes for a couple of years.  Now, they are all up and proudly displayed. I love it!

All the dolls are Lucille Ball dolls, except for the one on the left. That is Lucy's 2010 Holiday Barbie. And, my husband would like me to mention that he has one more bracket to put up on the left side; so, that is why it looks lop-sided.

I tried not to be so girly; but, the flowers and butterflies on the walls pushed me right over the female edge. Oh well. I will worry about making it more neutral when the time comes (if at all).

Lucy loves her new room! She just runs and plays all over. We all love it and are very excited that it is complete!

What do you think?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I am loving...

...that the playroom is almost finished! Heath finished painting everything, hung the ceiling fan, and even put all the vents and outlet covers back! It was pretty impressive.

...Kirstie Alley. She is a wreck on DWTS; but, she is hilarious!

Photo from ABC.com

...my new book frame. My dad had these little five cent books, from when he was little. They were sitting in the bottom of a tote. I asked if I could frame them for Lucy's playroom. He said sure, since they were too fragile to actually let Lucy read or play with. They are 50 years old! I took them to our local framers and this is what they did:

I chose the matte to match the red playroom carpet.
This was the last view before they ordered the frame.

This is a bad picture of the final product, with a hairy, ghostly orb in the left-hand corner. Okay, okay - that's our chihuahua, Squirt, standing in the sun. I'll be sure to show you the frame in the finished playroom.

...that our community is having an Easter Egg Hunt this weekend. And, they have an age group for Lucy! :) I may have to practice picking up eggs with her. haha.

...Lucy is sleeping through the night again. We had a rough patch with her being sick and teething more.

...that I will be getting a new blog design soon! We've been working on something and I just can't wait to have a new, fun, cleaner, crisper, wider look! So, don't be completely shocked if it changes, randomly, one day. (No, the new turquoise header is NOT what I am talking about.)

...thunderstorms! There is a thunderstorm coming through in the next couple of days and I'm excited!

...Easter is almost here! The E.B. got some very special gifts for Lucy; I just know it. I have a feeling that includes green jeggings. :)

...we are watching Hop this weekend. Look for a review on Foo Foo Review next week. I really like James Marsden too. He's pretty easy on the eyes.

...that it's Hump Day! Only two and a half more work days! Is it inappropriate to bring up Hump Day after discussing how cute James Marsden is? I'm just asking...

...my readers, followers, commenters, and email subscribers! I love hearing that people are interested in our stories.

...my family and most of all, my Lucy!

Renovations: Trash

I've broken down. I am so proud of myself and my progress, that I just HAD to share. Remember in my first post about our Basement to Playroom Transition, I told you that we had a pile of junk in our den so large that you'd report me to Hoarders on A & E?

You better start looking up their number. I'm showing you all one photo.

Click on the photo to see the madness up close.

Believe it or not, I thought we had put this stuff in here in an organized manner! haha.  Needless to say, while the construction is going on in the basement, I got very tired of looking at this pile of junk. I walked past it everyday going to and from the garage. :{

So, as soon as they got my closet's done, I was jumping at the chance to start filling them up! I had already started to sort keepsakes and just had to put them in organized totes for easy, stack-able storage.

I am not even kidding - it took me about 15 hours to get this far:

I think I found every picture ever taken in that original pile! I have approximately 1,000 photos that I need to put in albums - ugh!  Now I question why we ever made doubles.....can anyone help me with that one?

I did pretty good at getting rid of things though. Here is what ended up on the curb Monday morning:

1) Yes - I took a picture of my trash, on the curb.

2) Yes - The sanitation workers took it all, surprisingly.

And, 3) I think we went over why one of the trash cans doesn't have a lid, yesterday.... :{

Who knew Lucy's diaper boxes would come in so handy?

Finally, since I have been involving you in my decor ideas and dilemmas, I thought I would share a couple of pictures of items I got this weekend for the room.



Sorry this picture is so blurry. I was trying to keep Lucy and the chihuahuas off of it for at least two seconds, for a picture on  my phone. This was the best I could do.

I was excited to find this mat, with all the colors I want to incorporate into the room!  Also, Lucy was with me in the store; so, I let her hold onto it, in the cart. She loved it! She hugged it and hit it, with tons of smiles. She even tried to chew on the corner a few times, which I had to halt.  I could tell she was excited too!



I am not sure what I'm going to do with these yet. I have a bookshelf and an entertainment center that will be going back into the room. So, perhaps I will put them on the shelves. Still not sure....they were on sale (I'm a sucker!) and they matched the colors well; therefore, they had to go home with me. :)

Are you now understanding how we got that big pile of crap in the first place? haha.

I will be sure to continue the updates. Heath and I have finally come to the consensus that we are about 2/3rds done with the room! Yay!

Wish us luck!

Any ideas on colorful, canvas totes or white toy shelves? Again, I could use the help finding these!

Keepsake? or Trash?

With the new basement renovation, we have been going through our totes with a tough heart. We've been asking ourselves some hard questions: Do we really need this? Will we use this again? Although it is of sentimental value to us, will it mean anything to anyone else? Basically, will Lucy want it?

I am a sucker for sentimental items. My family history and background mean so much to me. I love having items from years before. There is just something about holding the same items that your great, great grandmother held, and imagining what she was doing, wearing, or thinking. So, I want to pass down things to my great, great granddaughter too!  This is where the trouble starts...

There are some items that I have deemed priceless and will never let go of. For my college graduation, my grandma gave me a brush set. This wasn't just any old brush set, it was my great grandmother's. It included a brush, hand mirror, and nail set. My great-grandma got it for her high school graduation in 1929. The set is beautiful. My grandma said that when she was a little girl, she'd go into her mother's room and look at them, and wish that she too had a set. It warms my heart just thinking about it.


My Great-Grandmother's Brush Set - 82 years old

I decided to put the set into a shadow box, to keep it preserved and to enjoy it. I love seeing it in my dining room every day. These are items that I could most certainly pass down to Lucy. Hopefully, she cares as much about her family history as I do. I sure hope to pass that on...

My great-grandmother kept this set, then my grandmother kept it, and it eventually made it to me. So, that makes me think...what will I pass down?  Will it be a journal? Check. Will it be photos? Check. Will it be my treasured jewelry? Check.  What else does there need to be?  I'm not sure.

Heath, being the uber geek that he is, has kept all of his cell phones from the past. He even kept most of the boxes and directions. He thinks it will be hilarious to Lucy and her siblings, years to come. I just wish we had a bag phone to go along with them. haha.  I don't really argue too much on these; because, they are small and don't take up a lot of room. Here are just a couple of the 6 or so that we have:


The white phone's antenna cracks me up! haha.

Up until the moment when Lucy was born, Heath's and my stuff seemed so much more important. Now that we have Lucy it puts it into perspective of what would she would think was 'valuable' and what would she think was, basically, crap.

The mirror that hung on the back of Heath's door in high school? The one that I wrote on and kissed, at just 15 years old, so he'd always think of me? 



The makeup has lasted 10 years! Wish I could remember the brand name! :)

We kept it this long; but, now it's heading to the trash.

What about these?


Two of a LOT of puffy, Disney VHSs!

Who even keeps VHSs anymore?  I guess we should probably get these on DVD and throw these out...

Or, what about these autographs? I simply cannot throw them out. But, will Lucy even know who these people are?

Dennis Haskins, Mr. Belding, from 'Saved By the Bell' -
 

He even personalized it! To Cori - :)

I can tell that you are a skeptic. I did meet him though, look:

Here are two more "autographs."  Or, scribbles...whichever you prefer. These scribbles were made by Benji Madden and Billy Martin, from Good Charlotte. Heath and I waited out by their tour bus one night after a concert, a long time ago.  No such luck on Joel.....:(



This was way back, before Nicole Richie...

I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder. I will give some of these items to Lucy and her siblings, or whoever else wants them. If they don't want them and they toss them? Well, then at least I gave them the option of keeping it...

Do you have anything that you've kept, even though you know you probably shouldn't have? What is it? Where did you get it? Do you and your partner agree on keeping it?

Basement to Playroom Transition

This last weekend it began....begun? had begun? Anyway, you know what I mean...we started thee transition.

 When we moved into our home, it was obvious that the basement had been a playroom.  There were still tiny, dirty hand prints lining the wall down the stairs.  And, who would ever choose bright red carpet for any room other than a playroom? Yes - the carpet is bright red!

Immediately, we envisioned it as our children's playroom too.  That was back in 2007 though...before we were even married...before we filled that room with more junk than you can imagine...before it became the room where items go to die be stored.

I was going to take a before picture, and I do mean before picture. A picture showing the worst state the 'Red Room', as I call it, had ever been in.  Imagine this: totes stacked 4 high and 2 wide over in the corner, extra blankets, sleeping bags, and an air mattress shoved on the shelf in the other corner, DVDs and my beloved, puffy-cased Disney VHSs packed on not one, but two shelves, in the third corner, and in the fourth? Holiday totes and open boxes with random decorations protruding out the top. Lucy's baby clothes had officially taken over 4+ totes and we couldn't even get the lid on one of them. Her baby bottles, bouncy chair, and swing, in which she completely outgrew, were stacked on a recliner. The recliner still somehow faced the TV, not that we could actually use it.

You see...it didn't start this way. Things didn't start all strewn about.

There was once a Lucy-less time when the 'Red Room' was a workout area, a place to sort the laundry, and storage place for all of our keepsakes, in nice, organized totes in the corner. We had an entertainment center, a TV (it was old; but, it worked), a DVD Player, a treadmill, and even a table next to a neatly organized 'arts and crafts' area. Recently though? Mayhem.

The before, before picture would have been so awful that I am sure you all would have reported me to 'Hoarders' on A & E. Luckily, I forgot to take a picture though; so, I'm not even tempted to show you the mess. You will just have to imagine.

After we spent our Saturday morning cleaning out said basement, Heath did take some photos of the empty room. I will share those with the big reveal! :)

We took all of the stuff out, except for the big items (entertainment center, a twin bed, the treadmill, and a desk). Wow - listing these things makes this room sound huge. It's not...or it's about to not be...one of the two. You see here is the current lay out, minus all the junk:

I did the artwork myself....haha. It is totally to scale too. Not really. I am hoping that you can recognize the stairs and the window (especially with the tag: "window"), without too much explanation. However, the random squares and circles may require some explanation. I am not sure what each is or does; but, I know that they include the Heater/A.C., water heater, and water softener. What is the fourth one? No idea....I just know that two are rectangular and two are circular....haha. I am a stereotypical woman when it comes to that stuff. I could point out the heating/cooling unit though! I know that is the one on the far left.

These were exposed! Yes - this room was used as a playroom, with carpet, and these were, just, out there!

Our first priority was to cover them, safely. Our second priority was to make more storage and cover up those totes.  This is what we came up with:

I don't want to cover the window, as small as it is; nonetheless, we will be making a sort of 'cubby' type area there (where it says 'landing'). It will have a door, so we can put totes inside, and will be about 6 foot tall; but, the teeny tiny window won't be blocked and that's all that I care.

The construction begins this weekend and it is a chance for me to get my organization/decor in order. I have told you before: I love organizing!  I love putting things away! :) I am pumped about the thought of putting all of our stuff back! I literally want to yell "yay" right now.

So, I will be sure to share all of the things that I am looking at to help organize the room for Lucy. All I know right now is that the entertainment center is staying, the treadmill is moving to the 'den', and her toy box will be moving in.  I am looking into buying some more shelves or canvas totes though....more on that later.

Wish us luck; we'll need it!

Push Prize

The other night was a wreck! Lucy had yet another molar coming in! It was giving her the worst time last night. We rubbed a whole lot of Orajel on it and then finally gave her some pain reliever. I sat in her room, in the glider, and held her while she slowly fell back to sleep.

She fought it the best she could; but, she finally fell asleep holding onto my necklace's pennant. She often plays with it, when awake. She has always been fascinated by the sparkle. But, that night, I realized that she was actually comforted by it. She reached for it and held on tight until she was in a deep sleep. It must be her way of knowing that it is me and that I am still there. :) :)

After this realization, I felt wonderful. And, now I will tell you why...

Back when I was pregnant, I had heard about husband's getting their wives gifts after the delivery of their child. However, I had never heard the term for such a present, "Push Prize".

Heath introduced me to the term; apparently, he had been doing his husbandly research and noticed that this was a new trend that was becoming more and more common. It is just a little something to show the wife, and new mom, that you appreciate her. :) And, it also tugs at those heart strings.

Heath surprised me in front of all of our family and friends with a little jewelry box, right after Lucy was born. I was so wrapped up in everything else the last month or so, that I forgot that the supposed 'push prize' even existed. Therefore, when he pulled out the gift, I was super surprised! It made me cry of course; with my emotions already running on high, I was a mess!

He wrote the sweetest and most uplifting card you can imagine, and inside the box was the necklace. It is almost identical to the one you see above. I instantly fell in love with it! And, I instantly put it on.

I wear it always. I wear it in the shower, to work out, everywhere! I even got a new silver chain for it this Christmas. The only time I take it off is to wear another, usually costume, necklace to go out. Then, I get home and put this one right back on.

It had always made me feel close to Lucy. Whenever I am away from her and I pray at night, I will kiss it. Whenever I take it off, I kiss it first. It always had such a special meaning for me. Now, it has even more.

The necklace, at the end of the day, is just a necklace. But, it always represented a little more than that. I feel a bond with Lucy when I wear it and now, I know she feels a bond with me when she holds it. How wonderful?!

So, to all those men out there (which I doubt many, if any, actually read this), I recommend a 'push prize'. It is a win, win, win, win situation. :)

Heath is wondering now what he could possibly get me for our next children that could mean as much! haha. :) He has some time to think about it.