Pregnancy Quotes by Josh and Mollie: Part II

Posted this picture almost two weeks ago but somehow it feels like yesterday. The last month BETTER go by as slow as everyone keeps telling me it will because I HAVE TOO MUCH TO DO.

Part I

Note: Please read the following with a heavy dose of SARCASM.

***Said in a sexy voice***
"I can't wait for our amazing black and gray neutral carseat to come in the mail today." - Mollie
"Mmmmm I love it when you speak neutrals to me." - Josh

"Ew. Are we ever going to get a mini-van?" - Josh
"I would prefer a crossover." - Mollie
"Okay good, this is going to work." - Josh
"Can you really see yourself driving a mini-van?" - Mollie
"Absolutely. I just don't want you driving one. How weird does that sound?" - Josh

"So is this baby going to ruin our lives?" - Josh
"Well that's what everyone says. We should probably be mentally prepared for the worst." - Mollie
"I thought babies were supposed to make our lives wonderful or something." - Josh

"This was a nice idea, but I'm never going to read this book. Buy the recorded version so I can listen to it while I'm working." - Josh

***Whenever I hear something that sounds like a UPS truck go by our house today I jump up and look out the window and check the front step***
"You're not even excited about the baby! You're just excited about shopping for his stuff!" - Josh

"Feel this. I think it's his foot." -Mollie
"Stop pressing on him he doesn't like that-WOAH that's a real baby in there!" - Josh

"This blanket is so soft. Can we sleep with it tonight?" - Josh

"I don't want to go to work today." - Josh
"Soon there will be a crying baby here and you'll be excited to go to work. That might be good motivation for you to get out of the house in the morning?" - Mollie

***Referring to the shower thrown at C21***
"Wow. People really like you. That's a good thing because not very many people like me." - Josh

"So you finally ordered the car seat and stuff?" - Josh
"Yep!" - Mollie
"And the the stroller comes with the car seat?" - Josh
"Yep! It's a matching set!" - Mollie
"So...can we use the stroller without the car seat? Or does he have to be in the car seat to use the stroller?" - Josh
"When he's still little they click together so he's in the car seat while he's in the stroller." - Mollie
"But we can use the car seat without the stroller? And the stroller is still a stroller without the car seat?" - Josh
"OH MY GOSH YES." - Mollie
***I'm thinking he will understand this better when he sees it in person***

"Why does Maverick have soooooo many toys?! I didn't have any toys when I was little!" - Josh

MmB

Room Reveal: Maverick's Closet

Who decorates a closet? Crazy people, that's who. And I'll admit to being one of them.

Lest you think I'm the ONLY person this crazy, ask my sister-in-law how she feels about closets. She'll tell you she was at one time researching vintage floral wallpaper for Henley's CLOSET. That's right...we were actually contemplating killing ourselves wallpapering a three-year-old's closet so we could kill ourselves again in 10 years when we decided we were complete idiots in 2014 WALLPAPERING a CLOSET.

Except, even to this day...I think some adorable rose and gold vintage wallpaper in her closet sounds like a dream. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

I didn't do anything quite that drastic, but I would say this closet is definitely decorated. I'm a classic first-time mom. Just whatever about it.

It's hard to take good pictures of a closet.  But here it is in all its organized glory.

The cube storage shelf came from Target for $39.99. The wire milk crates were all gifts from showers and are so great for keeping things separated. I have all the extra bath stuff in one, spare sheets in another, and the big one at the top holds the many cozy blankies, quilts, and swaddling blankets we've gotten as gifts. 

Now you see I'm passing a genetic disorder to my son...we both seem to have a shoe problem (these are just the ones I've collected in sizes 2+!). BUT in my defense, these have all either been consignment finds or gifts. ;) 

The diaper bag came from Amazon after much research and based on the fact that my sister-in-law went through two other versions of fairly expensive diaper bags before finally biting the bullet and getting an amazing Coach one...so I decided I would START with an amazing Coach one and call it good. I think it's a 'thing' for some women to be given gifts after having a baby, but since that's not really how Josh and I roll...in classic Mollie-fashion, I bought my own 'push-present' six months in advance. And it's that drop-dead-amazing leopard Coach diaper bag.

This was one of those Amazon finds that was too adorable to pass up. This huge canvas bin was only $19.99 and it's what I plan to use for dirty clothes/linens. So even though it's a more permanent raccoon fixture in the room (because it cost some money as opposed to the pictures around the room I scored for free) I can see it easily being utilized down the road for toy storage in a toy room, blanket storage in a family room, etc. This line comes in a ton of different colors/animals so I could even find a matching one for boy or girl sibling someday.

The galvanized bin underneath was a gift and currently houses my stash of newborn and size 1 diapers. I started with a small package of newborns since Josh was a little twerp and have been given a couple boxes of size 1's. So this is my easy-to-reach spot when I need to restock the supply in the dresser.

On the tippy-top shelf in the closet I have two old drawers (that came from an old  beat-up dresser in our farmhouse), each labeled and ready for size 2 and 3 diapers. You would probably be shocked at the amount of size 2 diapers I already have (thanks to a growing nephew ;) The opposite side of the paper has labels for size 4 and 5 diapers when the time comes to move up sizes and switch things around (I wanted to make these kinds of things as easy as possible on future-Mollie). Because the highest shelf in a closet is always kind of annoying and a waste of space if not used correctly, I wanted to make sure I jam-packed this closet with all the adorable, organized, storage I could since we cannot afford to pass up ANY of the storage we have in this house. So this seemed like the best way to utilize that space.

I'll be honest. These drawers are big. And this third drawer is where I plan to throw things from the room that I have no idea what to do with...I just want stuff 'hidden' if company is coming over. It's true, I even have a system for the UN-organization that sometimes happens in our house. I also think this will be a good place to throw 'too small' clothes before they're ready to be organized and sent to basement storage. And if it's going to be an unorganized drawer, at least it has an organized label. ;)

Ask me how many times I can use the word organized in a single blog post?

I read a tutorial on these labeled closet dividers YEARS ago and filed it away in the 'Future Baby' section of my brain because I thought it looked like an awesome idea. Turns out, it is. Organizing baby clothes is kind of the worst because brands and sizes are all over the place! I once read (from the same blogger I got the tutorial from), 'Baby clothes will drive you crazy if you let them.' So it's become my goal to NOT let them drive me crazy. And these labels were so cute and are so easy...again probably only something an obsessive first-time-mom will have time for but darnit...the barnwood paper. I just swoon over this barnwood paper.

These labels took me one Devil Wears Prada-watching and cost about $10 total. Plus I had paper leftover to make labels for other things in the closet! The tutorial came from Oakland Avenue Blog and I linked it here.

Here are those dividers in action all the way up to 24 months. I also wanted to point out how lovely Command Hooks can be inside a closet. For years I never utilized the sides and the corners of our closets because...how? But then I started Command-Hooking every surface inside our closets and I can use and display SO MUCH MORE STUFF. Ie: Two of Maverick's hats (yes, the Nike one was an impulse, unnecessary buy from Marshall's for $7.99 BUT JOSH GOES TO WORK EVERY DAY IN THE SAME HAT AND I COULDN'T NOT BUY IT).

The same thing is happening over here for right now with one of the pieces to our baby bath tub. It hangs up really nice right inside here, but I know I'll have to come up with another creative solution when it's actually wet from being used.

And yes, I shamelessly tucked another raccoon picture inside the closet as a little hidden-woodland surprise for anyone who peeks in. He came on a brochure with the canvas bin and I just couldn't throw him away (which is something you will RARELY hear me say)! So he lives inside the closet now. ;)

Maybe once I've had my dresser-drawers in use for a few weeks I'll post about how I organized them. For now I'm not married to the way they're arranged because I'm not sure if that's how I will keep them once we have a real live baby. Let me just say, those smaller, top four drawers are INCREDIBLE for this room to corral and divide all the different categories of 'stuff' babies seems to 'come with.' I would highly recommend going the 8-drawer route vs. the more popular four-drawer route. Anyway...more thoughts on that to come.

In other news. My AMAZING CO-WORKERS AT CENTURY 21 THREW ME A SHOWER TODAY AND IT WAS JUST...SO WONDERFUL. Pictures from all three of my showers to come (I've really been off of my game posting about those...it probably makes me seem really ungrateful but I swear I'll post about them soon!).

MmB

Room Reveal: Maverick's Room

Shower decor, turned room decor. Hung on the door with a clear Command Strip/Hook...meaning it's adorable but not permanent.

We found out I was pregnant on Christmas Day. Some of you may remember, but at that time, the floors in our kitchen/dining/hallway/spare bathroom were all torn up in the midst of our tiling project (room reveal on that to come I SWEAR...trim will hopefully be done in the next two weeks!). There were approximately 40 cases of 16x16 tile, power tools, and random junk from the whole house residing in the room that is now officially ready to welcome Maverick. People think I'm ridiculous, but I'm not kidding when I tell you...IT ACTUALLY TOOK 8 MONTHS FOR ME TO COMPLETE THIS ROOM.

My main goal when decorating was to keep things neutral, understated, and VERSATILE...but I still wanted the room to say BOY without going the 'gender neutral' route via yellows and greens. I wanted to stay away from spending any significant amount of money on BOY stuff that was permanent, yet I wanted a boy theme (see my challenges here?). I also wanted to avoid decorating an overly 'baby-looking' room so it could be something Maverick could grow into...the chances of another sibling (boy or girl) joining him in this room are pretty good, so I made sure to keep that in mind with my decorating choices and furniture and baby purchases throughout the process. And now that it's done, I feel like it could easily grow with him until he's 10, with just a few tweaks here and there.

So here is the official baby room reveal with some explanations, prices, and where I found stuff. Brace yourself for picture overload...I've been holding back for EIGHT MONTHS.

This part of the room...I die.

The canvas came from HobLob, full price $60 (?), bought at half price for $30. The birch branches are a nod to the subtle woodland theme we have happening in here with some gold flecks for mommy to appreciate (Josh approved). The Maverick barn wood sign was a custom-made gift from dear friends AND IT'S LITERALLY SO PERFECT.

The toy box is starting to fill up! My favorite part are the little raccoon's that look at me when I open it, all from very special people. ;)

Crib, mattress, bedding and toy box were all gifts from Target. 

This is my view when I walk by Maverick's room...and I'm sort of in love with it.

I sewed the curtain panels from drop cloth fabric from Lowe's for $20. The silver (petal press) garbage can came from our Valentine's IKEA trip for $12. The swivel rocker/chair came from Target...original price is $300 (but with coupons, 5% off, free shipping/handling, and shower gift cards, I can assure you that is NOT what I paid for it ;). I was looking for something that could be versatile enough to easily move from room-to-room and look like real FURNITURE for many years post-baby.

Originally I had chosen a white shelf for the room, but after being overwhelmed with soooo much white furniture, I thought one brown piece would warm things up a little without being too dark. This room isn't very big so that's why I've been so overly obsessed with light, white, cream, neutrals. The wall color is warm gray (with a slight brown undertone), but light at the same time. Even the shades of gray I've allowed in the room have been on the lighter side (up-close pics of each shelf are below).

The turquoise ottoman/storage chest came from a cute, vintage boutique in Hampton for $22 and balances out all the NEW stuff in the room with some rustic charm. My dad's toy tractor's from childhood currently reside in here. Josh's complete collection of Calvin and Hobbes sits right beside the rocker for easy-reading access and that's also where I'm plugging in/disguising the baby monitors. I've mentioned this before but I HATE CORDS.

I already gave you more details on this dresser than you wanted to know in THIS blog post, but here it is in action. I think it will be a handy place to keep items I just want to grab quickly while I'm sitting in the rocker to avoid getting up. ;) I'll probably simplify the decor that sits on top when Maverick is old enough to reach out and grab things, but it works for now. The raccoon was a gift and contributes to the theme without being obnoxious and permanent.

The barn wood frame came from our farmhouse and the metal 'M' sitting inside was tied to a shower gift. The white frames were from IKEA/TJ for super cheap. And this lamp. I searched every store in a 50 mile radius for a lamp that wasn't too burlappy and glittery and silvery and big...which seems to be all that exists these days. I finally circled back to this one at Target (I should have known) for $25 because it was light-colored and neutral and small enough for this dresser.

Framed scrapbook paper from HobLob that I had leftover from another project in the room (closet reveal coming later this week). Spray painted a bunch of frames I already had gold to tie in the gold accents from the canvas. And since Maverick Wesley James was named after G'pa Wes, this cute school picture fits for now. :)

Books tend to throw off my color scheme...it always happens. So to combat that a little, I covered the bindings with the front of our favorite raccoon book. Still works for storage, and hides all the primary colors I hate. ;)

I LOVE this little guy. He was a decoration at my first shower too! I think he was just printed from Pinterest and glued onto brown paper. No sense in paying a lot of money for art anymore when stuff is THIS easy...again, making most of the raccoon decor in this room easily changeable. The barn frame came from Kohl's with a 30% off coupon so I think it was maybe around $5-$7?

Turquoise frames (there are two of these in the room) came from TJ Maxx and were the accent color inspiration for the room from the beginning. They're hard to match perfectly, which I'm okay with because I didn't want a lot of overwhelming color to take away from the neutrals. I think they were $5.99/each. The black cowboy boots were my mom's when she was little and we unearthed them from the cedar chest before we knew if baby was a boy or a girl. They'll probably have to go away at some point when we have more books and toys to fill the shelves, but for now I like them. ;) This is a terrible picture btw, and I apologize.

Ignore the smoke detector we need to get batteries for. Yikes. :)

Anyway, I just absolutely love this feature wall. And I love that it's the first thing people see when they walk by. The Hemmes dresser came from our baby trip to IKEA for $250. The changing pad and cover were both gifts from Target. The old door came out of the attic of a house Tami sold last Christmas...I used the quart of paint I bought for accents in this room (two shades darker than the wall...the same color I used on the small dresser) and chalk paint I had on hand. I can change this door to Bible verses or quotes we love...and the options at Christmas are endless.

Those big jars are the only reason I ever set foot in Wal-Mart because they are $11.99 vs. $16.99 at Target. Filled it with newborn and size 1 diapers (I have one of the top drawers filled with a stash as well) for pretty, yet easy access I'm trying to store everything for changing and baths, etc. in the top drawers to hide the clutter that seems to overtake changing tables. I can't take the credit for this idea though, I saw it in a picture of a changing table/dresser on Pinterest. 

Shelf from IKEA (can't remember the price...I think these are usually between $5-$10?), and white frames are from IKEA too. 'M' from HobLob for $10 ($5 if you wait for 1/2 off like I always do), and the gold frame was an old black one I spray painted. Because I can't stand empty frames, I filled them with our maternity pics until further notice.

The only piece of art I spent money on in this room is this 'Wild at Heart' print that I couldn't pass up on Esty. Being one of Josh's favorite books and sayings...it was the one of the first pieces I bought before I took off with this woodland-meets-gold-meets-rustic-meets-gray-raccoon's vision I had. The raccoon in the turquoise frame was just one Josh and I found on Google Images and both loved.

This rug was Josh's sibling gift at Christmas and I can't imagine a better place for it than this boy room (again, something that can easily be switched out in the event a baby girl needs to join Maverick). I found the large 5x8 area rug in the Homemaker's Clearance room FOR FIFTY DOLLARS (I had a near identical one picked out on my Target registry that was over $250).

Because this post was getting soooo long, I plan to share how I organized/decorated the closet later this week. Yes, you read that right, I may or may not have accidentally decorated the closet. Maverick is a first born, I can't help myself. ;)

MmB

BLC Mid-Summer Newsletter

By now most of you have seen this newsletter that I was finally able to check off my to-do list (Josh has sort of been hounding me about it for months and I was putting it off because...well...it's like a homework assignment and who likes doing homework at the age of 26 when they can craft for a baby room?). But I wanted to throw this out to my little blog buddies, asking for your opinion. Yes I'm asking...please be kind.

Josh is probably the most passionate person on the planet about grass. We all know this to be true. So when he dictates and I type, sometimes things can fly off the rails and cross over to the side of, 'no-one-cares-about-this-and-is-never-going-to-read-it.' But because he knows so much and cares so much, it's hard for him to turn his grass-brain off and think about what the customers care about. Then after all that it's my job to reel the whole thing back in, edit it to oblivion, and send it off to my mom for final edits.

So truthfully, in this newsletter I realize there is probably wayyy too much text to be attention-getting. That's fair and, like, the first thing I learned in my first PR class ever (Josh just has a lot to say about grass!). But as readers/customers/future customers ;) ;) ;) I want to know...what would YOU be interested in reading about BLC services and lawn care in general? Please comment on this post or if you have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism that is perhaps a little more harsh, message it to me...will ya?

We seem to be getting a good reaction from customers so far and calls for fall work which are both good things. This newsletter went to 250 customers via email, and as of now, not one of them has replied with an, 'Unsubscribe.' So I'm pretty thrilled about that.

REMEMBER - IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE IT ALREADY 'LIKE' BOERSMA LAWN CARE ON FACEBOOK!

MmB4BLC
(still dreaming of license plates that say this)

Top 10 Things I Learned at Mary Jo's

Looooong before I had a blog I composed this little list that had been banging around in my head and causing random fits of laughter that no one around me understood...because not everyone had the privilege of going to Mary Jo's. I believe I wrote this in my dorm room on my pink laptop sometime during my sophomore year of college.

I find it especially funny when I implement Mary Jo sayings into my now adult-and-soon-to-be-mom-life. Like two nights ago when Henley got bumped off the small mower trailer, fell in the grass, and cried like she'd lost an arm but was really just scared...I'm not sure if I said it out loud or not, but I know I thought to myself, 'Ehh there's no blood, she's fine.' But to be totally honest, I've been saying, 'No blood? Go play, 'in various situations at various jobs since about the age of 10.

This list was brought back to mind when we got a shower gift from Kruse's and the card mentioned, 'Never forget the Top 10 Things You Learned at Mary Jo's!' And I thought...heck yes that was an excellent list and easy blog content since it's already written. So here they are everyone.


10. If you're not bleeding, go play (perhaps the most important rule I learned)

9. You must always finish the coloring page or the game you started (which is why to this DAY we finish every Christmas coloring book page fully, from front to back, before we start a new book)

8. If you take something, you have to eat it (even if its pumpkin pie you THOUGHT you wanted but then you realized you're five and you hate pumpkin pie and you keep it hidden in your mouth for all of naptime...perhaps the reason I despise pumpkin pie)

7. Only the big kid's with bikes get to ride down the street with Jon and TJ and Maison and play in the flood water and make forts

6. Family room tent building is an art form

5. If you bring a toy to play with for the day, you WILL share it with everyone

4. Land Before Time 1, 2, 3, 4 (however many there are now? 13?) and Space Jam are THE BEST MOVIES EVER (we watched Space Jam a couple months ago and still 100% agree with this statement)

3. Only the big kids are allowed to ride bikes to the pool during nap time (but come home during the third rest period), play on the air hockey table, and use the computer to play Frogger (do you know how much I miss playing Frogger?!)

2. If you're not extra careful when riding the Big Wheels in the driveway, you could accidentially ride into Brad's truck and lose a fingernail (ask Jamie for details on this incident)

1. If you throw up macaroni and cheese from lunch in Mary Jo's brown recliner downstairs, you probably shouldn't lie about it, but if you do lie about, make sure you tell her about it 15 years later instead (after this throw-up incident, I actually felt a lot better...and did NOT want to miss swim time with the other little kids in the blue pool on the deck so I just lied and said it wasn't me, put on my suit and joined everyone...I still remember a stray macaroni somehow floating in the little pool water and Mary Jo demanding that we tell her who was sick and I kept looking down at that macaroni thinking how much trouble I would be in for ruining that recliner...so I came clean about it a few years ago at a track meet, and my conscience has been much clearer since)

MmB

Pregnant Things I Love

Now that I'm 33 weeks into this gig and things are starting to get pretty real (as in, the diaper bag actually has DIAPERS in it now) I think I *might* have the hang of this pregnant thing. Things that originally scared/offended me about nearing the end of pregnancy aren't turning out to be all that bad. Maybe it's because I'm not stuck at the dreaded 41st week (everyone loves to keep telling me how things WILL get worse)...But here's a quick list of the things I currently love about being pregnant.

FREE STUFF

We got four cans of formula in the mail last week...FO FREE. I don't know why or how...I signed up for some free magazine stuff for a couple different brands and now I have coupons and formula coming out my ears. I also got a bunch of coupons in the mail for a free nursing pillow, baby leggings, car seat canopy's (I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets pounded with these kinds of offers)...so for $15 shipping, I ordered what I need or can give as gifts...WHICH HAS BEEN A THRILL.

SPANX

You'd assume this is not a highlight now that I'm in my 33rd week and it's mid-July...but it so is! WHAT IS THE DEAL with maternity dresses that are cotton and lovely...but are completely see-through?! I just throw some Spanx underneath and everything is smooth and I almost can imagine that I'm skinny. Kim Kardashian wears Spanx whenever she leaves the house, so I've adopted a similar philosophy...wore 'em to work today people.

FRIENDLY STRANGERS

I just do not know what it is, but people are weirdly nice to me. I expect office-mates, friends, people at church...the usuals to stop me and chat...but the number of strangers that smile and gawk at me in Sam's Club...or sweetly ask about my due date while I'm checking out at Target...or the guy at the LOF Express oil-change place who opened my door and voluntarily popped my hood because he knew it would be hard to reach before I even mentioned it, then offered me a cup of ice water because it was 90 degrees...THAT'S the kind of stuff that's weirding me out (they have ALWAYS asked me to pop my own hood!) and I keep telling myself to NOT get used to it.

STUDIO 7 SALON

I've already admitted in this post...looking cute for 40 weeks of pregnancy is a lot of hard work. It just is. All of THIS (see below) does not happen naturally...because a lot of other things that are 'natural' are happening and in order to combat those semi-gross things...drastic measures simply must be taken. It is what it is. I just sucked it up and scheduled out spray tans and waxes and pedicures during the next 6 to 8 weeks because I can admit when I need help from the professionals (my goal this weekend is to talk G'ma Boersma into a pedicure...I'll let you know if I have success). If Kim Kardashian can look like this while she's pregnant, then darnit so can I. 

***I would highly recommend Studio 7 in North Ames! And if you have questions about anything I just mentioned, just message me. I'm banking on the fact that very few men read my blog...and if they've clicked on a blog entitled 'Pregnant Things I Love' they had to know they were reading at their own risk.***

SWEET COMMENTS

Maybe I scared you all off with this post, but I have heard nary an offensive comment since well before we announced I was pregnant. So even though not everyone appreciated that post, it actually did an excellent job of warding off those kinds of conversations keeping my nice little bubble free from most of the crazy out there. Lately I get a lot of comments, but they are always on the sweet side:

"Usually pregnant people scare me, but you don't scare me at all." -Megan at C21

Yes, pregnant women have always scared me too, which is why it's been my goal to NOT be a terrible, scary, whiny, witch. It's starting to be more of a challenge, but at least I can keep it together around almost everyone (my mom, Jamie, and Josh are rolling their eyes when they read this).

"You're absolutely glowing by the way." - Front desk manager at Keller Williams

THE GLOW IS THE SPRAY TAN PEOPLE. I'm convinced there there is no such thing as a pregnant glow...I get these comments the most when I'm tan either from a good day at the pool or from a good spray. Further proving my TAN theory.

"I love your shirt! Where did you get it?" - Doran Clinic Secretary

The shirt I've gotten the most comments on is the one in this picture...and here's a dirty little secret...IT'S ACTUALLY A PAJAMA SHIRT FROM VICTORIA'S SECRET. Bonus, I bought it last fall when we were tentatively planning for a baby this year and paired with leggings, it is currently THE comfiest thing I have. 

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If after reading this post you think I've lost my mind and my priorities are in shambles and I should certainly spend more time in prayer than I spend worrying about being tan...I'd like to point out two things. One, I'm an excellent multi-tasker...so, there's that...and 2. God hears my prayers anywhere (ridiculous places included)...in the spray tan booth...waiting in the line at LOF...while I'm decorating Maverick's future room...not to mention it seems like I spend a TON of time in my car with bro moving like crazy. So even though my blogs have been on the fluffier side lately, I can assure you I haven't totally lost my head in the world of our Target Registry, the baby aisle at TJ Maxx, or Kim Kardashian's Instagram. 

And I'll say it again...I have YEARS of praying and worrying ahead of me once he's HERE...for now, can I just live my childless, frivolous, wonderfully sleep-filled life in peace? :)

MmB

A Patriotic Playlist for Your 4th

On our scenic drive up to Manson today, I created the most amazing, versatile, patriotic playlist (with Josh navigating YouTube at my demand) that I wanted to share so everyone could enjoy it tomorrow at their holiday gatherings and parties. And also so I could remember it next summer when I'm want some 'America' music to get me in the mood for the 4th.

I would say this is comparable to the How I Met Your Mother's 'Get Psyched' mix...prepare to be psyched for the 4th of July!

1. America - Neil Diamond
2. Red White and Blue - Toby Keith
3. Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus
4. Proud to be an American - Lee Greenwood
5. Star Spangled Banner - Beyonce
6. Only in America - Brooks and Dunn
7. Indivisible - Pillar
8. All-American Girl - Carrie Underwood
9. God Bless America - Gaither Vocal Band
10. Firework - Katy Perry
11. Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
12. American Honey - Lady Antebellum
13. Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
14. Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly
15. Free Bird - Lynard Skynard

Bonus Track - Because my dad saw me making this playlist, he and Josh insisted I include Ragged Old Flag by Johnny Cash...and after one listen I decided it wasn't worthy of making the actual playlist because it's basically just a narration with music in the background.


Happy 4th of July Eve! :)

MmB

4th of July at Our House...AND PINK DOOR REVEAL

I guess it's technically already been revealed...a couple different times via Instagram, but I wanted to share an up-close-and-personal look at our front door in all its HOT PINK glory.

This wreath cost me a total of $2.00. These stick wreaths from HobLob...I tell ya. They are amazing and you can turn them into anything for ANY season!

Took three coats and painting doors with panels like this are THE WORST, but I am thrilled with how it turned out. It's exactly the vision I had when I started pinning pink front doors a year ago.

A couple pictures from the process...

After the first coat...our door looked more like a teenage-girl-bedroom-project gone wrong with the lime green showing through the pink. But I didn't panic... ;)

This was after two coats (see?! MUCH better) and Josh saying, "Just because I didn't say 'no' doesn't mean I said, 'yes go ahead and paint our front door pink." That communication thing...like I said...we're still not great at it. ;)

This is the only piece of 4th of July decor I allow IN our house. In the summer I'm usually right in the middle of project mayhem (currently painting of our three living room end tables) so I usually use the summer to clear the house of seasonal decor to deep clean and crank out projects. Getting stuff done is a lot harder when I have to move tons of stuff in order to complete a project. But this canvas though...I'm in love.

Speaking of project mayhem...this would be one of those projects that I've been putting off for approximately two years. The weather was never quite right and it's buggy and outdoor painting is not my specialty...it's my dad's...who happens to be the person who helped me to these steps in the first place five years ago. But I was able to talk my sister into helping me last weekend and got these DONE. And seriously...you all think I'm ridiculous but how much better do these look?! It had to be done before baby or it would have NEVER gotten done. I'm no fool.

This part of our house always sort of looks like a mess...but since I've added flowers, fresh paint, a 'B' by the door, and the black rubber rug...this entrance looks more welcoming. And it only took me three summers to get there. Perfect.

Ahhhhh...After five years of struggling to get this entrance 'right' (why is outdoor decorating so hard for me?!) I finally feel like it's there. The hydrangeas Josh planted for me a couple summers ago bloom later in the summer (which makes them perfect for drying just in time for fall) and I love changing out the decor. The 4th of July stuff gets obnoxious so I only leave it up for a few weeks, but to tell you the truth...the pink flowers and door mixed with the red doesn't totally offend me. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm also obsessed with those hanging ferns this year and had to refrain from buying three. Maybe next year. :)

That 'summer' plank was just re-used from the plank I have with 'Springtime' painted on the backside. I used the pink paint I had left from painting the front door and it adds and extra little pink touch without being too much (my opinion, anyway) I can't WAIT until I'm directing someone to our house and I get to say, 'It's the house on the corner with the HOT PINK FRONT DOOR. ;)

Coming soon...rock landscaping and hostas around our whole house! Until then, I'm still decorating in the dirt. But Josh has been calling around for quotes on rock, so I'm hopeful. I LOVE the big, bold color this flag pallet adds...I finished that off last year on the morning of the 4th and hauled it out front just in time. I'm pretty proud of those free-handed stars. ;)

A look at the whole thing!

So yes...we live in a gray, boring, ranch house, on a corner in the middle of Ames (if there's one thing I can't stand it's cookie cutter houses...yet we live in one!). But I'm pretty proud of myself for creating some rustic character with such a blatant 1905's palette to work with. Which is probably why it's taken me so long. I used to drive up to our house and be frustrated with all the projects I had in mind and all the things I wanted to do to make it look better...but this past week, I've sort of fallen in love with our house and I think someday when it's time to move into our dream home (minus the fact we'll be rid of that pesky neighbor) I'll be pretty sad.

Happy 4th of July everyone! :)

MmB

Five. Years.

June 19th, 2010...



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What I've learned after FIVE years...A follow-up to this post from two years ago and this post from last year.

A very wise 24-year old once said:

"Fall in love. Plan a Pinterest wedding. TAKE VOWS. And shut up. "

That might seem a little harsh...And while there's really nothing Biblical and profound woven into those sentences...in the year 2015 I feel like it's something that needs to be said. Perhaps I will craft my own line of wedding cards and have this stamped on the inside instead of the typical 'Congratulations!' I'm sure no one would find that offensive at all.

Based on my post from two years ago, it seems our two biggest problems were Josh's strong desire to only own one pair of work jeans and the anger that ensued when they weren't clean when he needed them...and also the fact that I'm not a great driver and backed into his trailer in the driveway with our Focus this one time aaaand there were some scratches.

I'd like to happily report, Josh is the proud owner of three to four pairs of work jeans (and two pairs of 'nice' jeans). And contrary to what I recommended in my blog post about NOT getting a newer, nicer car...we sold that slightly scratched Focus, Josh bought me an Impala, and then he accidentally backed into a trailer in our driveway. I sort of appreciated God's sense of humor in this situation, but I don't think Josh did. Until I was rear-ended a few months ago and a nice lady with State Farm paid for a fresh bumper. So there's that.

Sorry, I'm getting a little off track. It just seemed like the perfect time to tell how that bumper story came full-circle.

Now that we're slightly older (and we find ourselves consistently invited to the same number of weddings each summer) it's finally starting to seem like the weddings we attend are for couples who are a little more mature and 'together' than the weddings and marriages I was referring to in my post two years ago (THANK GOODNESS). And usually at these Pinterest-perfect weddings there's a spot to write advice in a Shutterfly book or on a pretty scrapbook page at either the shower or the wedding and I refrain because...some people still refer to us as a newlyweds (annoying), so what advice could I possibly offer?

Ohhhh I have advice. And in it's most-ramble-y form...here it is:

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Your husband does not answer to you. He answers to God. It's not his job to put his laundry away or work on projects for you or even clean up his own mess (read: grass). That's actually point-blank written in the Bible as my job. It's Josh's job to love me and to provide...both of which he does wonderfully...and pretty much anything that falls outside of that category is in my job description unless Josh decides otherwise.

There are certainly things I ask for help with (taking out the garbage, lifting heavy things, bringing food up from the deep freeze), but I've learned there are things I don't need to ask for help with because it's just 100% my responsibility (laundry, grocery shopping, house cleaning). It seems like we've finally fallen into a maturity in our marriage where this arrangement seems to work well for us 95% of the time.

I've also learned that when I'm more willing to tackle projects by myself, Josh becomes more willing to help without me even needing to ask. Last week I asked if I could trim the bushes in front of our window myself and if he could tell me where the bush trimmers were...He replied with, "That's a power tool. With an engine. That requires gas...................No. I'll have the guys do it." This week I asked if I could have a little Round-Up to take care of some of the weeds in our driveway and rock beds, because pulling weeds seven months pregnant just seems a little silly when your husband owns a lawn care company that advertises chemical applications, does it not? "He replied with, "Absolutely not. I've been putting that off but I'll take care of it." I wasn't putting on an act just to sucker him into doing stuff for me, I was totally willing to do those things!

Now...occasionally this arrangement we have gets frustrating (ie: our four-month flooring project that Josh was responsible for completing but was essentially 'my' project that was somewhat forced on him), but that's a blog post for another time. Josh would tell you that he found nothing wrong with our kitchen carpet and the tile floor we now have 'wasn't worth it'...so even though we don't agree and I might not have handled the whole situation perfectly, we survived and we have tile and to quote Forest Gump, "That's all I'm going to say about that."

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Communicating is annoying but it's also necessary. It's taken five years but I think we've *started* to hit our communication stride. I just recently learned that when Josh says, "There's a crack in your windshield that we should probably get taken care of sometime." I used to take that to mean, "Sometime in the next six months when it seems convenient, we can do that together." What he actually means is, "You need to get that handled this week and the next time I ask I'm expecting it to be done."

I mean I just had no idea! But now that I do, I jump on this kind of stuff he mentions much faster than I did in the past. There are still annoying things I put off (who doesn't) but for the love...at least I 'get' him better. And understanding the way he communicates (whether he's great at it or not) has led to less frustration, arguments, and blame between who's responsibility it was to get something done (see above).

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Sometimes liking the same stuff is hard. It's always been a challenge for Josh and I to find common interests/hobbies because we are SO different. You all know this is true...I like glitter and pink doors and princess movies and Josh likes guns and farming and basically all things 'Boy.' I think when you first get married, you're still learning so much about each other so sometimes those hobbies from pre-married life are a source of frustration when you think about how you've just pledged your love to someone FOR LIFE who likes killing ground squirrels with a pellet gun in your back yard or working on a pointless painting projects until midnight. But now, more than ever, those are the funny quirks we sort of love about each other.

I think we've finally learned THAT'S THE FUN PART of marriage. Learning new stuff about each other and discovering new things only you love doing together. Josh and I love road tripping and Christmas and Twin Lakes. We like going to Applebee's after every snowstorm. We drive all over Iowa to try small-town restaurants no one has ever heard of. We learned long ago that going to the fair for 'dates' with other couple friends is a terrible idea because Josh likes to spend hours looking at mowers and tractors and I'm the only one who will put up with that as long as I have an endless supply of fair food to try. We're obsessed with movie trilogies (National Treasure, Indiana Jones, Red, Transformers just to name few). And not only have we created a long list of things we like doing together...we genuinely support each other in all those other 'silly' endeavors like me going to a Katy Perry concert or Josh whipping out his potato gun at a family gathering. We still have our very different individual interests and hobbies, but at least we can be supportive and laugh at each other's ridiculousness.

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So if you're upset about how your marriage looks or that it doesn't seem magical anymore or that your spouse 'changed' and you fell out of love or you're annoyed that your husband took four months to finish your tile floor...let me not-so-gently remind us all again:

"Fall in love. Plan a Pinterest wedding. TAKE VOWS. And shut up. "

MmB

June 2015...