This year, I have taken our lack of traditional design a step further, and we decorated in the girls’ bedroom. Obviously, green and red wouldn’t work in their pink room either, so what was the solution? A pink Christmas tree! And I don’t mean a green tree with pink decorations, I mean that I bought a tree that is pink. Of course, we were a bit late in the season, so Hobby Lobby was pretty much cleaned out of their decoration selection. We were able to acquire a few things for the tree, like some sparkly white balls, and a silver star for the top. I bought a package accessories bundle that included some bows and ribbons that we used, but there wasn’t anything pink to put on it. The solution? We made our own! We bought a set of 12 balls that are made to paint yourself. We painted them dark pink, the girls took turns drawing and writing on them with a silver paint marker, and finally I gave them two coats of spray gloss. We had a blast making them, and they were just the right touch that the tree needed.

We set the tree up in front of the window in Eliana and Lydia’s room, and the pre-lit goodness gives just enough light to serve as a pink nightlight when they go to sleep at night. They are completely thrilled with the result, and it was such a great experience with them this year. We blasted the Christmas music, and acted like silly girls do, and we had a great time putting it together, and as Eliana says, “I’m just going to sit here and admire the tree”, we were in awe at our final result. Here is a video and some pics to share the experience with you:

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It was built in 1896 on the top of a hill in the small town of Cordova. It has a full basement and garage, a full first floor with two formal rooms- one having a grand fireplace, kitchen, dining room, half bath, pantry and sun room. The second floor has four bedrooms, two full bathrooms and another living area with a fireplace. The mahogany staircase that is in almost new condition takes you up to the attic that has storage and one more usable room with windows overlooking the courtyard. There’s an old butler house and a maid house. We’re unsure of their condition, but the big house is solid as a rock. There has been almost no updates done to it which is great, because it can be restored easily. The 9 foot doors are all in great condition, and every last inch of mahogany trim and molding is still in place, ready to be cleaned and polished. The major things that need to be done are a central cooling unit and duct work installed, fix some of the windows eventually replacing them all with storm windows, and putting in the kitchen, since the old one has been completely  gutted. Other than that, it just needs cleaning, polishing and painting, with some minor fixes in the bathrooms. Of course, we would really want to take our time and do more than just “fix it up”, but restore it and improve it to all that it could be.

Here’s the link to the listing with some photos:
http://www.realtysouth.com/Listing/ListingDetail.aspx?Listing=31335200&Image=1&edit=

Here is a shot of the dining room I took as it stands now:

And here is what I’ve done in photoshop to reflect some of the things I imagine doing:

This house would be more than enough room for the big family we want, and the girls are already excited about it. You could almost let it spook you like a haunted house from the movies, it’s so big, and so old.. but all we see is room, glorious room!

Then this afternoon, I got the girls in the kitchen and we made cookies. We had quite an adventure, let me tell you. First, I thought I had my mom’s recipe for Lone Rangers, but didn’t So I called her and got that. I realized I didn’t had shortening, so I had to use butter which doesn’t give the same texture, but works anyways, but I didn’t have enough for a whole batch, so I halved the recipe. Then I was getting all of the ingredients out and realized I didn’t have oatmeal. So I called Deb, and she brought me an unopened canister of oatmeal. Then I didn’t have enough brown sugar and had to use more white, sot that changed the texture some more. And I didn’t have quite a tablespoon of vanilla, not much harm done there. Then when I got to the oatmeal, I opened it only to find it peppered with a dead weevil colony! These things tend to happen when grains are left unused for a long time. So.. that really messed up the recipe. But all the girls helped, and we enjoyed it. The cookies basically turned out to be chocolate chip with coconut instead of Lone Rangers, but we had fun, and that was really the purpose, besides trying out my new oven.

After that I had like an hour to just loaf. I played with the girls, and sat on the couch doing absolutely nothing. It was great!!

Then I got up and made dinner, which was really good to Chris and I, but the girls didn’t like it. They liked the baby limas, but the asian curry coconut chicken over sticky rice.. it was too adult for their palette I guess. But that’s okay, we had cookies!

We watched the second half of Air Bud, and then turned on my new Avalon Christmas CD I got in the Dirty Santa Claus game at church last night. We danced and goofed off for a bit, then I bathed the girls. I combed hair, which took about 30 minutes thanks to Lydia’s rat nest she had going on. They played a little while I cleaned the kitchen, and then it was off to bed.

I was able to finally pick the laptop back up not with the dread of.. I have a mile long list of things to do, and now it’s bed time, but with the quiet satisfaction of a successful day. It might seem silly to some people, but these things are a rare blessing for me.

I realized today that it’s not just my health that is at stake here. Eliana can not only ride her bike without help, but she can ride it fast! I had no idea. I thought she was still just barely getting it. I took the girls out some today, and she got on her bike and was gone in a flash up the driveway.

Ya-Ya is usually the one to take them outside, and it’s been okay with me all this time because it helps me; I get the free time, and they get the activity. But It’s not okay with me anymore. I’ve got to get over myself, and realize that my comfort isn’t a joy, seeing my children grow up healthy and happy is. And it’s not good enough just knowing they are, I have to be a part of it too.

The other day the two older girls were looking out the window from the couch talking excitedly about the empty swing-set they saw in our back yard. Then Lydia rushed off to her room and Eliana trudged behind her. She was talking to herself a long the way saying, “We can’t go outside unless we’re at Ya-Ya’s house. Momma works all the time so she can’t take us. We just have to stay inside all the time.” I had a sadness come over my heart instantly as I stared at the laptop with complaining clients and overdue projects piled up before me.

So here are my New Years Goals:

• A fenced in area for the girls to play in without worry of the road
• A family dog in that fence
• A patio in that fence
• A table and chairs on that patio

I have the computer I wanted, I have the furniture I wanted, I got the stove I wanted today. So now I want the ability to be with my kids outside, to let them be able to play anytime they want, I can work on the patio, and take breaks to push a swing.

I love the work that I do, but my life’s dream wasn’t to die behind a computer, it was to have a husband and children that loved me. I have those things, but time with them is wasted.

My mom once told us kids that she had a hard childhood and what she wanted when she “grew up” was to have children so that she could raise them to love her and to cherish her. My mom is the best mom, and probably one of the most loved, in the world. She’s faulty like mothers are supposed to be, but she’s genuine, and she works hard to keep her family healthy and whole.

As a kid, I said things like, “I’ll never be like that to my kids” and foolishness like that. While there are a few things I do differently, being like my mom is so much more fulfilling than trying to change. I’m a product of her raising after all. But I’m not quite there yet. I want to be better. I want my kids to cherish me and their memories of me like I do my mom. Even though I hated her when I was a teenager– Teenage girls are supposed to do that it’s some unwritten rule. I look back and have the same regrets most grown ups do. “Mom and Dad were right about everything.”

So It’s time for me to stop living for me, and give my life to my children, because they are all that really matter in the scheme of things.

On the way home, I asked the girl if they’d like to take all of our stuff and put it in that house to live. Eliana was all for it, but Lydia doesn’t like the idea at all. I can’t figure out why. She says she wants to stay in her “old house”. I explained to her that it was too small, and we needed more room, and this house had a great yard to play in… she still wants to stay in the old house.

We first moved here when I was 5 months pregnant with her. We went to Georgia for a little while when she was a couple of months old, but came back right after she turned one. So she’s lived here in this house almost her entire life. Chloe has too. It’s funny, because by the time I was 5, I had moved probably 3-5 times, and that’s how it was my whole life. Being here in this house will be my second longest tour ever, and it’s only been 4 years since we first moved in.

I don’t know if the house is what we need or not, but it sounds good, and it’s exciting to think we might finally be able to get something that doesn’t feel so temporary. Lydia will just have to get used to it.