tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90249780226952400762023-11-16T06:35:47.826-05:00Buying the FarmBuying the Farm: Renovating our first home might be the death of us.Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-30422376279479207042020-09-19T14:47:00.001-04:002020-09-19T15:06:42.234-04:00Three (again)!<p>When Oscar turned three, we took him to town and did a super hero photo shoot. I wanted to do something equally as fun and special for Oliver. He loves dinosaurs and he was excited when I told him we could dress him up as an explorer. The result is a Jurassic Park type photo session in the landscaping of four apartment patio.</p><p>Oliver is our ball of energy. He loves to go, explore, be seen, and make us all laugh. He leaps before looks, can charm his way out of trouble with a joke or a laugh and is always up for an adventure. He is also down with snuggling and taking a few hours of couch potato time. He’s smart, sweet, and fun loving. He cheers us up and wears us out. </p><p>It feels as though he’s been talking forever. He’s been potty trained since he was two. He still loves his thumb though. He loves to read and play games, but most of all he loves the outdoors. </p><p>He completes our little square perfectly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiIX7IhOBzc5RxEb5NSrn6tCvZdw0tgb1xR6yGASdZ-5sVbjgmVfBrhZ8hFgws58vJp0QMwZ7M2FldS02GMzvELawcWwcI43uVOkVZ0PZIGJ4b0iPd7NaCTeu8USA-GmJ4o1a_OtXB7s/s4608/152C7544-3407-4BEC-AC61-BF715F4B314C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiIX7IhOBzc5RxEb5NSrn6tCvZdw0tgb1xR6yGASdZ-5sVbjgmVfBrhZ8hFgws58vJp0QMwZ7M2FldS02GMzvELawcWwcI43uVOkVZ0PZIGJ4b0iPd7NaCTeu8USA-GmJ4o1a_OtXB7s/w426-h640/152C7544-3407-4BEC-AC61-BF715F4B314C.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRunxi77Ip40AV_OHNKQ7nvvkzz6ZIqG3M0y7yRc-2DmkixEuvHV2SxdTgHE2YI8dyhWImzpPOg9ZedZ7ulCt9sRJzozHrdzaxKE9kQKpG2mLj6ayU_UoomtEWDXjqxi93jIzHZxot7No/s4608/BD2A8D4A-700D-42C7-80ED-286C4CFA370E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-42986023264153149112020-01-16T12:17:00.001-05:002020-01-16T13:03:46.823-05:00Living Room Redo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Yesterday, I sent some Zillow homes that needed some work (ok, all the work) to Walter. His response was, "I don't think I'm ready to go through that again." Honestly, neither of us were ready for it the first time, but with our combo of imagination and grit, we thought we were. That being said that same combo of qualities got in the car yesterday and drove out to a house where we both sat there staring at it, mapping out the pros and cons, "could we"'s, and "what if''s, as well as the "is it worth it"'s. No, we didn't buy it, but we also didn't cross it off our list.</div>
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All those houses made me remember that I keep saying I'm going to post some after photos, but I never have (I never claimed to be grit in the combo). So, here is a long overdue post of our farmhouse living room transformation. </div>
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When we purchased the home, the living room had drop tile ceiling, a faux brick fireplace, two original windows flanking the fireplace and three windows on the wall giving a view of the driveway. The flooring was laminate concealing the original oak hardwood. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD09Qa_5mUbnBH_noQsa-HoKbwE3P5peNhRg7aDjBUIO_3yb8b-H2DwFV6z155gGoeFZZfqYz6ebaPVCEG8z1YC5WAWSX9qCF4hpNv_s0qUvai2cFGHMrsBdJRYzNBhwKId68C_5uSJ-o/s1600/2013-03-09+12.02.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD09Qa_5mUbnBH_noQsa-HoKbwE3P5peNhRg7aDjBUIO_3yb8b-H2DwFV6z155gGoeFZZfqYz6ebaPVCEG8z1YC5WAWSX9qCF4hpNv_s0qUvai2cFGHMrsBdJRYzNBhwKId68C_5uSJ-o/s640/2013-03-09+12.02.50.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0r27x81p_vBe2Nln5Pu9zGlBWR5Ei4o2nbI8EXahWcI-qs6tsU2TGjwT8FF15iyl_WOS04sCIpSy1HbfjNMeNk3z0uQKyHi8YZQpbdrKoQ9Hf8gOjrWmjfpLmH81xO-3qWo_bndUc54/s1600/2013-03-09+12.03.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0r27x81p_vBe2Nln5Pu9zGlBWR5Ei4o2nbI8EXahWcI-qs6tsU2TGjwT8FF15iyl_WOS04sCIpSy1HbfjNMeNk3z0uQKyHi8YZQpbdrKoQ9Hf8gOjrWmjfpLmH81xO-3qWo_bndUc54/s640/2013-03-09+12.03.09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view of living area.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8kH5kMI-rcDZNwXXLhmz5yioAgvrQzJBeUva8gBprqhE9RDQX5buIy_tLnWHqpmWGX61jTjdHGE0Ewq6KMX4AoKp3eAy91Zb0DaR8EPnkoFTH1wVtyuZ70Xqhvq4lQrjZwKNUjjh_HI/s1600/2013-03-09+12.21.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8kH5kMI-rcDZNwXXLhmz5yioAgvrQzJBeUva8gBprqhE9RDQX5buIy_tLnWHqpmWGX61jTjdHGE0Ewq6KMX4AoKp3eAy91Zb0DaR8EPnkoFTH1wVtyuZ70Xqhvq4lQrjZwKNUjjh_HI/s400/2013-03-09+12.21.30.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOzgrqpzpmcwE4F0n6Io_abQkh9NFKKEFheee9F1AYkDER_cvyafIZws2Eiy7JRIeDsgLMduInfgTbretSio-m0VM5HFCcvyXTsH1bkAvxUiYge2-jKqCsEALbdK_HELzX60HU-VZynI/s1600/2013-03-09+12.21.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOzgrqpzpmcwE4F0n6Io_abQkh9NFKKEFheee9F1AYkDER_cvyafIZws2Eiy7JRIeDsgLMduInfgTbretSio-m0VM5HFCcvyXTsH1bkAvxUiYge2-jKqCsEALbdK_HELzX60HU-VZynI/s400/2013-03-09+12.21.41.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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There were a few layout issues we wanted to fix. The first being, the front door in the living area, not the kitchen. Secondly, there was a wall between the staircase and living room, I asked Walter if there we could open it up and reveal the staircase. (I wish I had taken better photos to show what it looked like in the beginning, but the two above are about as good as I can find right now.) The wall was load bearing so the wall couldn't be completely opened, but We were able to create a larger opening and reveal a few of the bottom steps. Also, we flipped the kitchen opening to the living room and widened it to create a more open concept. </div>
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Besides the support to open up the living room to the staircase, the other structural change was creating support to change the windows from three standard to two custom and a picture window. We also had a wood burning stove insert installed rather than an open fire place. </div>
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Everything is new in the living room except the hardwood floors which were restored. There's new drywall, wiring, recessed lighting, wooden windows with aluminum on the outside, and we chose to go with a rock fireplace to coordinate with the homes exterior. The new trim is made from pine and stained walnut (along with the windows) and made thicker to create a frame for the outdoor views you get from the windows. I wanted wooden windows to give the old house character since we didn't keep the original windows, and most of the windows had been changed. Walter had the windows custom made to fit the rock which just opened the room up to the outdoors.We chose Sherwin Williams Pearly White for the walls, so the walls wouldn't be competing with the views. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjru2_0C8EHZaR-yPdqsrvZ3DFw24_hb1MTzL_HAGRVpRlEZ908-zYLmo9bsarMffbQhXBX-nq7MT7vh25CAjRE7Ly8TaEfN5yRZOhSb4RLEaz2W5eez_RmuDfX5oUa_c8O_7ev9jL_Q/s1600/DSC_2995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjru2_0C8EHZaR-yPdqsrvZ3DFw24_hb1MTzL_HAGRVpRlEZ908-zYLmo9bsarMffbQhXBX-nq7MT7vh25CAjRE7Ly8TaEfN5yRZOhSb4RLEaz2W5eez_RmuDfX5oUa_c8O_7ev9jL_Q/s640/DSC_2995.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In progress with new windows and fireplace. We should've waited until after the drywall to install the rock facing, but we didn't.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJP5mh_YdSExm-rrvwdvWr2aC-EZLx5Lx49Agd3Ro11GwR0akuWK-RDa3yE15QnPE965R2ds2QA_a_JWcFNXuzHZuAI5Eev-CPI-aAEX3CVy5JVzmRcm0Q1uEmJE2pxDzTW0OGkI7QRcc/s1600/20191004-DSC_6413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJP5mh_YdSExm-rrvwdvWr2aC-EZLx5Lx49Agd3Ro11GwR0akuWK-RDa3yE15QnPE965R2ds2QA_a_JWcFNXuzHZuAI5Eev-CPI-aAEX3CVy5JVzmRcm0Q1uEmJE2pxDzTW0OGkI7QRcc/s640/20191004-DSC_6413.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq1QR_8Mq3SA6vQESXZjWtZHswgRGNw5Cj6_hz_jRKkRP6pY88tSM9UOKntX1Rkixz6ghbGv3a2Np4dDprt3wsUGMJZICazpIAiw_sYWw1Wb6BowOfPQYGpdg6lvBOtiRwkeXrGAUmWI/s1600/IMG_20190316_145334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq1QR_8Mq3SA6vQESXZjWtZHswgRGNw5Cj6_hz_jRKkRP6pY88tSM9UOKntX1Rkixz6ghbGv3a2Np4dDprt3wsUGMJZICazpIAiw_sYWw1Wb6BowOfPQYGpdg6lvBOtiRwkeXrGAUmWI/s640/IMG_20190316_145334.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening from kitchen and staircase to living room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mgTFqWt1eLQs6jV9vVbyhRBdiTyp0J4edQd-_YxtTLYlchsYlmyIBjn_Ryyv6d_wsnhq-3UG0Ca8cIKCPD0k-k8PkDsVmeW9TkzXgmnWLC9rfFFIHXvBdRa1EMBNmcBtedSY1o6YjJo/s1600/IMG_20190722_100258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mgTFqWt1eLQs6jV9vVbyhRBdiTyp0J4edQd-_YxtTLYlchsYlmyIBjn_Ryyv6d_wsnhq-3UG0Ca8cIKCPD0k-k8PkDsVmeW9TkzXgmnWLC9rfFFIHXvBdRa1EMBNmcBtedSY1o6YjJo/s640/IMG_20190722_100258.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture window</td></tr>
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The layout and furniture changed several times. We never finished all that we planned such as built ins on each side of the fireplace or quarter round to conceal the gaps between the trim and the floor. Despite its unfinished pieces or the slow pace we furnished it, it was our home, and we made some wonderful memories in the living room of our little rock farmhouse. </div>
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Jess</div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-92071696031535203432019-10-03T16:15:00.003-04:002019-10-03T16:29:29.014-04:00Entry and Dining Before and After<br />
Welcome back!<br />
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A little catch up-- a few years ago, we hired Jeremiah Evans to finish our house for us because working and starting a family gave us little time to DIY anymore. He did a wonderful job, and we have been in our home for almost three years.<br />
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I say almost because Walter got a new position, so we are moving from our farmhouse and downsizing to an apartment in the Knoxville suburbs!<br />
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Before we say goodbye, I wanted to give a tour of our home since I never did that! Walter has asked me daily not to be sentimental and reminiscent, so I won't go into any of that for his sake. I will just jump right in to our before and after reveal.<br />
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These photos may be hard to tell what we did if you have never visited my home before. I'll try my best to explain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpcTjotUJJDoj1hElVF15KvJr7hmLWSK8F4-sQFaZoHNGipq2hwoo27x5fSTTyQS8wBfHbWCttDn4y2wVyLJfeB6yU2r8vs97kpK53yn_ixVAxBsJ0lJdleqMfuHp9aBPAj5Ynwsvwsw/s1600/2013-03-09+12.01.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpcTjotUJJDoj1hElVF15KvJr7hmLWSK8F4-sQFaZoHNGipq2hwoo27x5fSTTyQS8wBfHbWCttDn4y2wVyLJfeB6yU2r8vs97kpK53yn_ixVAxBsJ0lJdleqMfuHp9aBPAj5Ynwsvwsw/s640/2013-03-09+12.01.58.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was the front door. Originally, you entered into the kitchen and a wall separated the kitchen and living room. I didn't want both entrances of the house to go through the kitchen. I just didn't like that flow. I asked Walter if he could remove the wall and move it over to the other side of the door. Since it wasn't load bearing, he knocked down the wall and rebuilt a half wall on the other side of the front door. (More detail on all that in our kitchen before and after.)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipQb1MWwqiLJlSuIItVsEgfeMxmyTzbYCJupPB_Uv00spV8U-aCVAY5CcT032_F1Jx3As5IcN1CcNNLk9KQ0gvt6Z9VgLxGzhXVPxHGBeDww0pZ3v00Cu-9ajyNkAEJTyjxTrIPaBEUM/s1600/2013-03-09+12.01.30+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipQb1MWwqiLJlSuIItVsEgfeMxmyTzbYCJupPB_Uv00spV8U-aCVAY5CcT032_F1Jx3As5IcN1CcNNLk9KQ0gvt6Z9VgLxGzhXVPxHGBeDww0pZ3v00Cu-9ajyNkAEJTyjxTrIPaBEUM/s640/2013-03-09+12.01.30+-+Copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small doorway leading from kitchen to living area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJHmm7RqjUxtyFLadCVh0YYFRPu6SnQ5kJ4DlSP2eHBF1hcJhqc-mEJmpiQ-sO1ZuTDQLD_UApeAQ93hht0F2UuVxBrhULmn8TL72nV0sASIprmQrUqkJjLC0Il4WzZOzLAcj9DhSYHE/s1600/2013-03-09+12.03.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJHmm7RqjUxtyFLadCVh0YYFRPu6SnQ5kJ4DlSP2eHBF1hcJhqc-mEJmpiQ-sO1ZuTDQLD_UApeAQ93hht0F2UuVxBrhULmn8TL72nV0sASIprmQrUqkJjLC0Il4WzZOzLAcj9DhSYHE/s640/2013-03-09+12.03.09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only image I could find of the wall where our small entry exists (to the left of the windows).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-sWhP-NyPJxilYw6Lec4KSktz0gm9bmAwoumFk3mxEpk-CYQn4j3fNF28xDfDoOsb-yQp4cRjY-YrQwP-5dWHD9B_zWmDfYMqMBtM8fGrJoG7l6nUkwtFMvDCpBG0rx2fG-LIy1U1Xw/s1600/2013-04-02+10.38.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-sWhP-NyPJxilYw6Lec4KSktz0gm9bmAwoumFk3mxEpk-CYQn4j3fNF28xDfDoOsb-yQp4cRjY-YrQwP-5dWHD9B_zWmDfYMqMBtM8fGrJoG7l6nUkwtFMvDCpBG0rx2fG-LIy1U1Xw/s640/2013-04-02+10.38.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing the wall between kitchen and living area.</td></tr>
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When we purchased the house, there was a drop ceiling, and the floors were covered with floating floor and under that linoleum. The trim was original and painted. We put in <a href="http://wahlstedtfarm.blogspot.com/2015/09/bare-bones-no-more.html" target="_blank">new drywall</a> and <a href="http://wahlstedtfarm.blogspot.com/2016/06/to-stain-or-not-to-stain-that-is.html" target="_blank">new trim</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kwZM0BV9cQGTNCULPMaGWP0CVpu98yQFX4TjO_TiS7L0TS2078YlYyCPMdb3VLIZbWdvrpGIKRfN_wg3_ThIlCZTLigFwbfXp2GdMcWTYd5tgHS1VmmPBWUvFU1JItR10QNimnOTnoo/s1600/20191003-DSC_6382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kwZM0BV9cQGTNCULPMaGWP0CVpu98yQFX4TjO_TiS7L0TS2078YlYyCPMdb3VLIZbWdvrpGIKRfN_wg3_ThIlCZTLigFwbfXp2GdMcWTYd5tgHS1VmmPBWUvFU1JItR10QNimnOTnoo/s640/20191003-DSC_6382.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the Farmhouse sign from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/rusticwoodartbysue" target="_blank">Rustic Wood Art by Sue</a><br />
Boot tray from Tractor Supply<br />
Chair from a friend<br />
French Bottles and Crate from Save on Crafts<br />
Wall Paint Sherwin Williams Pearly White<br />
Trim and floor stain Minwax Special Walnut<br />
Coat Rack <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alley.stuffantiques/" target="_blank">Alley Stuff Antiques and Eccentrics</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kur9h5sTvykvmtf-LERC2q1U8lRzx-mDHZi0fKIly8IQxCy4EG42kwmxSqEfWbxXHHFFkwNNPYFPds_6VzeQMWFdJyC93gOgFTA-UtQcfoEMGrdPuASopaYsBhibXT7ZmZ0M9DEUfG0/s1600/20191003-DSC_6385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kur9h5sTvykvmtf-LERC2q1U8lRzx-mDHZi0fKIly8IQxCy4EG42kwmxSqEfWbxXHHFFkwNNPYFPds_6VzeQMWFdJyC93gOgFTA-UtQcfoEMGrdPuASopaYsBhibXT7ZmZ0M9DEUfG0/s640/20191003-DSC_6385.jpg" width="418" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighting <a href="https://www.lowes.com/pd/allen-roth-Bristow-4-Light-Mission-Bronze-Traditional-Clear-Glass-Shaded-Chandelier/50356224" target="_blank">Allen + Roth</a><br />
Table from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alley.stuffantiques/" target="_blank">Alley Stuff Antiques and Eccentrics</a><br />
Chairs from a friend<br />
Vase (Christmas present)<br />
Mason Jar Salt and Pepper Shakers (Christmas present)<br />
Front door from WD Bryant gel stained special Walnut<br />
Ceiling paint Extra White</td></tr>
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Just like most homeowners tell you, it took time to get the look we wanted. When we first moved in, I didn't have my dining table in the living room area, it was in a room to the side-- actually, it was a round table in the corner of my living room because the designated "dining area" was holding tons of unpacked boxes. This was my favorite spot for the table (even though I didn't get to use it there long), so this is how I will immortalize it on this blog.<br />
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It has taken a while to collect the pieces I love for this space as well as a layout that worked well for my family. For instance, we had a sectional for a while. We had a round dining table from our first apartment, and a dresser worked as an entry piece on a different wall (because hardly anyone uses our front door). Things have moved, shifted, passed, and entered, and this is where they ended up. We will miss it, but who knows? Maybe another farmhouse will be in our future.<br />
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Thanks for touring our space! Come back for more room before and afters!<br />
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JessJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-25556090290708988332019-06-22T23:06:00.001-04:002019-10-03T21:01:52.293-04:00Why We Loved Dining at Cinderella's Royal Table<div>
Are you thinking about making a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table? When I was planning my family's vacation, I read every blog post I could find and watched several YouTube videos to see what dining at Cinderella's Royal Table was like. When the opportunity came open to make the reservation, I booked it. Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table, kicked off my family of four's (two sons, 3 and 1) trip last October, and it set the "magical" tone for the rest of our vacation. Here's why we loved it:<br />
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<b>1</b>. <b>We could meet multiple characters in air conditioning. </b>We went in mid October and it was still hot-- like 80-something degrees, we could get in the pool, I got sunburned in Hollywood Studios hot. With a three and one year old, I wanted to find other ways for my three year old to meet some of his favorite characters. Sitting, eating, and meeting multiple characters at once (while beating the heat) is a big pro for this character interaction.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIexubzS7xWiTrE5VWpiz2JA4xRA2AktbKDI6ZhYqkeou1zhONclPgVljMbOfTlmoaIbqpdEbhiit3gPcZ8rdg2UG2sRqaZi8HdjSDyT4MQk8rXkKHqHqS0OS7MahN4_1VG1FrY0EoU6o/s1600/Untitled+design.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIexubzS7xWiTrE5VWpiz2JA4xRA2AktbKDI6ZhYqkeou1zhONclPgVljMbOfTlmoaIbqpdEbhiit3gPcZ8rdg2UG2sRqaZi8HdjSDyT4MQk8rXkKHqHqS0OS7MahN4_1VG1FrY0EoU6o/s640/Untitled+design.png" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">In case you aren't a Disney nerd like me </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">we are pictured with </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cinderella (top), </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, and Jasmine (left to right). The only disappointing part</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">of the experience was all of our photos Cinderella photos were out of focus. Yes, I made </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">sure to get in a photo with all of the princesses.</span></div>
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Is this the only place you can meet these characters in air conditioning, no. Disney provides multiple areas to meet these characters. BUT before I made reservations, I asked my son who he wanted to meet and Cinderella's Royal Table checked a lot of those boxes-- in particularly, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel (with legs, as Oscar says), and Jasmine. His list was a big one, and we only had three park days scheduled; I needed to make the most of our time because our kids were unable to make it a full day. Cinderella's did that for us.<br />
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<b>2. The character interactions were wonderful. </b>When entering, we met Cinderella first (Gus and Jack were hidden there as well). I was prepared for a snapshot and go, but our interaction with her would be rushed, but she chatted with our little ones (and me) before we posed for our photo. Regardless of whether you have a photo pass or not, the digital photo is included in the meal package. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXJUu75z6-HOtTRzdKo7PXp29eQTD3EXb53muqTHaUd5hVQLNjshP7JrQD9P36W4IedX_diqHzlpAuUMR6kyhY4LYW26Qw7BIcL-VmVSvFJ8jfZ1U4douSFub7TjPspHe2-T2daxXw0k/s1600/Untitled+design+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="820" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXJUu75z6-HOtTRzdKo7PXp29eQTD3EXb53muqTHaUd5hVQLNjshP7JrQD9P36W4IedX_diqHzlpAuUMR6kyhY4LYW26Qw7BIcL-VmVSvFJ8jfZ1U4douSFub7TjPspHe2-T2daxXw0k/s640/Untitled+design+%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hugs galore. Oscar ended up saying Snow White was his favorite.</td></tr>
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While dining, we each princess was announced, then made their rounds around the room, taking time to talk, hug, and pose for a few photos with us. Every interaction was enjoyable, and we were left smiling looking forward to the next to princess to arrive. Each princess was unique and had something fun to say to my little ones. For example, while I was getting Oliver out of his high chair for a photo, Snow White noticed he had no interest in leaving his plate of food behind, "He must be my eigth dwarf, Hungry," she said without missing a beat.<br />
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<b>2. The environment was truly magical. </b>The castle is a Disney icon and taking our kids inside made us feel like Disney VIP. Walking into the park, I pointed and told Oscar we were eating in Cinderella's castle. He immediately lit up because the castle is, well, THE CASTLE. As we paced down Mainstreet, all of us were growing more excited. Even waiting for our reservation was magical (see next point).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YwkjsbtjL0EDwMNcb-gNhRxRuYWqkX215LC8xEgNRQgQ6fqLA680Cx5B_ALvRuJqlvMEaVSvWEG1Wgc1uwKZxoA5hUVcI570Bx15Rp3-_F7630oVVXm4QoqrLK38w1gF87v4RvF9z4k/s1600/IMG_20181008_094038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YwkjsbtjL0EDwMNcb-gNhRxRuYWqkX215LC8xEgNRQgQ6fqLA680Cx5B_ALvRuJqlvMEaVSvWEG1Wgc1uwKZxoA5hUVcI570Bx15Rp3-_F7630oVVXm4QoqrLK38w1gF87v4RvF9z4k/s400/IMG_20181008_094038.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't have any good shots of the whole room, so here's one<br />
that sort of shows a small part of the ceiling height. </td></tr>
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Stepping inside didn't disappoint either. From suits of armor to stained glass windows and a spiraling staircase, the atmosphere was grand and regal-- just as a meal in the castle should be. From the grand details such as a red carpet leading us to Cinderella to the small details such as giving us a paper invitation and calling us in like a royal family when our table was ready-- the theming was wonderful.<br />
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Inside the dining area, we had plenty of space to move to stand up and take photos with each princess. Hints and music about the princess soon to enter would be played, and my three year old and I had fun trying to guess who'd be next. Our server was kind and attentive to our needs, including asking if we had been able to meet each character. I'd like to mention that the cast members were wonderful also. We didn't feel rushed in our eating or interactions, and all of our questions, where to go, when to arrive, and what to do once arriving were answered in a helpful and patient way.<br />
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<b>3. We got into the park early(ish). </b>Our reservation was at 9:20 which put us just slightly ahead of the crowd. The park hadn't officially opened when we arrived, and the people who were there were waiting to watch opening show or standing at Fantasy Land hoping to sprint to Seven Dwarf Mine Train (according to a lot of pre-Disney trip research, at least). We took our time taking some photos at photo points, walking without being hit by strollers, and enjoying the only half hour of slight cool temps we'd have.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jaQ6hksXQcmFbbdQBJh4XcMVbUzy_OrN9JTjP1NfJLFKMzOI9xqM65NSgf4jViCNNWj1E_kcp3K0cRZUd05V92VWLfpZn9uMj9A6aK0QwoZsOO85comOM_2cR_kbSDBWAjj_5O-N4s0/s1600/MK_LIBRTBRG_20181008_413653715339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jaQ6hksXQcmFbbdQBJh4XcMVbUzy_OrN9JTjP1NfJLFKMzOI9xqM65NSgf4jViCNNWj1E_kcp3K0cRZUd05V92VWLfpZn9uMj9A6aK0QwoZsOO85comOM_2cR_kbSDBWAjj_5O-N4s0/s320/MK_LIBRTBRG_20181008_413653715339.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first family photo in at WDW.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiC_MHodsV97R_edxnaVx4FHYop_RU-0cd-xGR-SoVnmWUTXA5eoEQAucREn5FoN72XjtT8ibKqlwmj4ltgxndGBLpK7LjqN0BYA4c8wvM6S7b2bvKNPcTknBg-JxJwAMPMpsamenP3Q/s1600/MK_ENCHANTEDTALESGOLD_20181008_413662287017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiC_MHodsV97R_edxnaVx4FHYop_RU-0cd-xGR-SoVnmWUTXA5eoEQAucREn5FoN72XjtT8ibKqlwmj4ltgxndGBLpK7LjqN0BYA4c8wvM6S7b2bvKNPcTknBg-JxJwAMPMpsamenP3Q/s320/MK_ENCHANTEDTALESGOLD_20181008_413662287017.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were able to get into Enchanted Tales<br />
with Belle quickly after breakfast, so I<br />
didn't regret not choosing Akershus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While waiting to check in, a lady came out and called us all up to a part of the castle marked off by a rope. She directed us to watch a small door, where we were greeted by Fairy Godmother, Peter Pan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Aladdin, Jasmine, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Minnie, Mickey, and more. Each character would wave at us as we cheered them before they went on the castle stage. After the show, Drucilla and Anastasia came by and pinched Oscar's cheek saying, "What a cute little boy!". We didn't get to watch the opening show, but feeling that we got a backstage pass along with some unexpected character interactions was even better to us.<br />
<br />
After breakfast we headed for Enchanted Tales with Belle (of which I couldn't get a fast pass) where the line was at only a twenty minute wait because the park still wasn't terribly crowded. So we still got to meet Belle.<br />
<br />
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<div>
<b>4. Our food came to us. </b>Cinderella's wasn't an all you can eat buffet. I liked that because my husband and I didn't have to worry about jumping up or setting record speeds to get plates for my kids or ourselves in between character rounds. Also, if I'm dining in a castle being served just seems to be fitting with the theme of being royal and all.<br />
<br />
*We ate a character meal with a buffet with a large group of family and it was enjoyable. However, it took a village, people. I cancelled the buffet reservation I had later that week for just the four of us. Maybe when the kids are older.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>5. Everyone like their food. </b>Lugging two hungry kids around or worse-- having to pay for more food after eating the most expensive meal of our lives (slight exaggeration)-- not a pleasant thought. Fortunately, everyone ate their food and liked it.<br />
<br />
Our meal began with some tasty pastries, and drinks. My three year old had a Mickey waffle, sausage and fruit. I tried the baked quiche which was very good, but my husbands beef tenderloin and egg was better. We both highly recommend it if you are a meat eater. My one year old had to eat off our plates, but mostly ate the pastries.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJgwoWp_x4m3SmPUzFQS2msb6jjIHrkqq1VXR_raxeJBvp2Z1-c3gSrpUioy153-Bv3XVcIzHBhw-qKSSDPeKntv64Uh65G-HFgzwXeQEft2n1S0L2rNf4RtcYG-b0RtRH5IZaSxza0k/s1600/IMG_20181008_093834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJgwoWp_x4m3SmPUzFQS2msb6jjIHrkqq1VXR_raxeJBvp2Z1-c3gSrpUioy153-Bv3XVcIzHBhw-qKSSDPeKntv64Uh65G-HFgzwXeQEft2n1S0L2rNf4RtcYG-b0RtRH5IZaSxza0k/s320/IMG_20181008_093834.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We didn't try everything, but of our two adult<br />
dishes this was the winner for best taste. My quiche <br />
was really good, though. Also,<br />
this shows you the serving size.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPSmx1VsrHLF-YrHtNxEpJcflvr8x0O4ZcKaphRIwjwyxyTtzUoToMuqCSg7jzth7pj66q9xk1hyphenhyphenLUg5q8DSYKTIKTyDZDIIr-CjOPS1Kn4iMvhMYLPv6jx2YN-yas08vDQhyphenhyphenZKuGD9U/s1600/IMG_20181008_093829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPSmx1VsrHLF-YrHtNxEpJcflvr8x0O4ZcKaphRIwjwyxyTtzUoToMuqCSg7jzth7pj66q9xk1hyphenhyphenLUg5q8DSYKTIKTyDZDIIr-CjOPS1Kn4iMvhMYLPv6jx2YN-yas08vDQhyphenhyphenZKuGD9U/s320/IMG_20181008_093829.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the size of the kids breakfast. It was a good<br />
portion for my preschooler.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Originally, I had booked a late breakfast reservation at Akurshus Royal Banquet Hall. Belle is my favorite character, and Oscar was a fan of Beauty and the Beast. I knew she wouldn't be at CRT, so I was a little torn on whether to change reservations. The menu was the deciding factor for me to since none of my guys are adventurous eaters. While to some the Norwegian inspired menu may not seem very adventurous, you're right, it isn't. I just knew my hot dog, vanilla ice cream crew would take nibbles and be hungry later.<br />
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<b>6. We got souvenirs. </b>As I mentioned before, you get a photo with Cinderella. Secondly, each person dining gets a sword or a wand. I got a magical wand while my guys got swords. For my fantasy and adventure loving preschooler, this was as cool as meeting the characters. Yes, I did have to tell two of them to stop sword fighting at the table.<br />
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<b>7. Bragging rights. </b>My oldest son and I love telling people we ate Cinderella's castle-- my husband even likes telling people. My youngest would be saying it now too, if he had any recollection of the visit. It's like a rite of passage. So, if no other reason appeals to you except walking around like a snooty stepsister, I say go for it!<br />
<br />
<br />
For us, Cinderella's Royal Table was without a doubt one of our top experiences, and ranks up there in all time favorite Disney memories with the first time I ever road Splash Mountain or saw Darth Vader sing Smooth Criminal. It was also a perfect fit for my two boys ages and my husband's taste buds. Was it expensive? Yes, but, honestly, so was my resort's food court with mediocre food and a mediocre experience. We ate breakfast, a cheaper option, to ease our conscience. I don't regret any dollars spent, Jiminy-- and I spent many that I'm still paying off right now. Nor do I regret any of the moments I spent refreshing the Disney app, longing for the perfect time slot, or obsessing in general to get the reservation since I was way late into the game. Because as a wise princess once sang:<br />
<br />
"No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." -- Cinderella</div>
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<br />
Because cancellations on a prepaid reservation do happen, friends.<br />
<br />
Have you eaten at Cinderella's Royal Table? I'd love to hear your experience (the good, the bad, or the meh) in the comments!</div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-28197206778513576152019-06-16T21:20:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:20:02.814-04:00The Second Year in our Home!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM3LDK17A5SMiII7pA6vwCh64PbAcoJmjWGlyGtty4SRZXxObmF6YVKwWNeYK8SGHHaJolLIp5gGh_M15He3CrnwPipfUfvDAM9gdIrhKdZ_Wdk7aPNySJF4-FE-0WePGdrKDgCtmRFI/s1600/DSC_7621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM3LDK17A5SMiII7pA6vwCh64PbAcoJmjWGlyGtty4SRZXxObmF6YVKwWNeYK8SGHHaJolLIp5gGh_M15He3CrnwPipfUfvDAM9gdIrhKdZ_Wdk7aPNySJF4-FE-0WePGdrKDgCtmRFI/s640/DSC_7621.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">Two years ago today, we threw a 30th birthday party for Walter. His best present of all? Friends and family helped us move in our belongings all day. We got to have the party in our new renovated home!<br />
<br />
Today, we celebrate two years of in our farmhouse and, of course, Walter's birthday!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Move in day/Walter's 30th.<br />
<br />
Our blog started as a diary chronicling our renovation journey. Now, I'm hoping it will help others who may be going through the same undertaking.<br />
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I'm excited to share some before and after posts, DIY, and much more!<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-43526717510944896672018-04-08T14:00:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:20:26.654-04:00Take Me Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">Ah, Santa Rosa.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
I wish I were still there basking in your high 70 temps and wading in the waves. Instead, I am sitting here in sweats watching snow fall.<br />
<br />
It was nice while it lasted.<br />
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My family took a trip further South for Spring Break. This year, we were all able to go. We spent Easter together around the breakfast table reading the resurrection story, then, singing a few songs to the tune of an acoustic guitar. That afternoon, we spent a few hours on the sand, followed by a dip in the pool.<br />
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It was an escape from the gray, wet spring and winter tug of war that is Kentucky right now, and a giant step into a picture perfect paradise.<br />
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In fact, the last evening of our stay, we all went down to the powdery white sand for some family photos. Although it had rained all morning, the water felt amazing. The colors were beautiful.<br />
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com0Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459, USA30.3960324 -86.22883224.8739978999999991 -127.5374262 55.9180669 -44.9202382tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-57192654733015652232018-03-23T13:55:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:20:50.342-04:00Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tomorrow, Oscar is turning three! It's a moment I knew was coming, I just didn't realize it be here this soon. I know every parent says that, but time seems to move at a peculiar pace when you have children-- both fast and slow. Minutes can seem like hours when you are sleep deprived, but months can feel as if you've blinked, and they've passed you by.<br />
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So, here I am looking into the eyes of a three year old, who hasn't changed dramatically, but just enough to see that he is, in fact, a year older.<br />
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He no longer needs his "boo boo". He no longer wears diapers (but pull ups are still a thing). He asks more questions than I can seem to answer. He is a caring and protective big brother. He dresses himself, feeds our dog, and can put his dishes in the sink (if they're plastic). He can sing songs and create his very own. He's imaginative, creative, resourceful, and inventive. He knows what he likes, what he wants, and is tremendously vocal about it.<br />
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But he still has his full cheeks. He still says "ky", "teps" and "cared" instead of "sky", "steps" and "scared". He still needs me to hold him. As much as he talks, he sometimes "can't say the right words."<br />
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Anyone who knows Oscar knows he loves superheroes. In fact, he changes his identity almost every five minutes. He's Batman. He's a Ninja Turtle. He's Superman. He's the Flash. (I'm the Flash. Got speed. That's the theme song he created.) He's Clark Kent. He knows the Justice "Leg" by name even if he struggles pronouncing their team name, and he knows most every hero's secret identity.<br />
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So this year, we took him to "the city" (our town square) and let him run around in costume. He had a good time, even though it was a bit too chilly to be ALL the heroes.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy 3rd Birthday to my little superhero!</span></div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-85370668262353095842017-08-26T16:41:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:21:09.235-04:00Another Birth Story<div>
The Christmas following moving into our new-ish home, I found out I was expecting my second child. We speculated keeping it from family until we were further along, but it's very hard for me to hide my pregnancies. I am usually sick, irritable, tired, and moody. </div>
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In fact, the extra moodiness was what prompted me to take a test. We were having our class Christmas party on the last day before break, and I COULD NOT HANDLE IT. </div>
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A few days late(r), it was confirmed. We ended up telling family right away, but didn't announce to others until after I went to my first doctor's appointment (around 11 weeks).<br />
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Eventually, the sickness passed (not without having to leave work early a few times). My belly grew. Yet, I was able to stay a lot more active since I was pregnant throughout the warmer months of the year. I took some fitness classes and started working out after work with my friends.</div>
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We were able to take our oldest son, Oscar, to the gender reveal ultra sound. We found out we were having our second boy. Time seemed to fly by until I reached August and time felt as if it stood still. </div>
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A few weeks prior to my due date, I thought I might need to refresh my memory on labor signs, what to expect, what I'd need to take with me to the hospital, etc. I remembered how concentrated I was during my first child birth. My steely determination for an all natural birth led to an internal, quiet birthing experience. I suppose you could say I meditated-- thinking of riding waves and opening. If I was going to do that again, I needed to remember all that because all I could remember from it was the pain. Oh, yeah, I also remembered that I pushed so hard my right eye felt like it popped out of my head and into my lap. Plus, all the blood vessels in my face burst. So, I researched how to push and how to breath while pushing. </div>
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This two week refresher course came to a close, and forty weeks arrived. I was still very pregnant. It seemed as if everything else inside my body wanted out though (thank you reflux). With Oscar I went in on my due date, and I was sent to the hospital because I was in labor-- which I didn't realize until I was told. This time around, I knew I wasn't in labor. But we prepared a bag just in case.</div>
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After the routine exam, my doctor asked if I wanted to schedule a day to be induced, and I declined. She said that was fine, maybe I'd have him this weekend. One could only hope. If not, I'd come back on Tuesday for another check up.</div>
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That weekend, I did things like hip rocks on my exercise ball, took walks, napped, watched people get epidurals on YouTube, watched natural childbirth stories on YouTube, listened to a podcast called Supernatural Birth which one of those YouTube videos recommended, and sipped raspberry leaf tea. I broke out my essential oils and yoga mat to calm myself and practice breathing the baby down and out. (I didn't master that technique. At. All.) </div>
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Sunday, I went to church, and I cried the whole service. It was a movement of the Spirit, but a lot of hormones. That night, my parents took Oscar so I could get some rest.</div>
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Monday, I called them asking if they could keep him because I was having contractions. I timed them, but in all the refreshing I did, these contractions were just too confusing. They were close together (four minutes), far apart (eight minutes), they were not painful, but they were strong. I messaged my sister in law for some advice. She said to eat and rest and gave me a contraction rule of thumb. </div>
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I napped, ate (a little), showered, and I watched the eclipse with Walter while pausing to breath through a contraction.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepulhF5y7BMnUzjX0yL9n2TYGtRgpUCzgYRZ7rbmr65rYPR54Ztau72khTFqe8-x_uNX44IcsAExWgPh7uAspRkc7bEaeTCQITIAway9pSc-Cmup4apS3j1RYHYRrMQkI-kfBzQXZxXs/s1600/DSC_7587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepulhF5y7BMnUzjX0yL9n2TYGtRgpUCzgYRZ7rbmr65rYPR54Ztau72khTFqe8-x_uNX44IcsAExWgPh7uAspRkc7bEaeTCQITIAway9pSc-Cmup4apS3j1RYHYRrMQkI-kfBzQXZxXs/s400/DSC_7587.JPG" width="400" /></a><b>3:30pm</b> When my contractions were four and five minutes apart, we decided to head to the hospital . I rode in the backseat with my legs stretched out in the seat. I was calm the whole drive. I wondered if I was actually in labor or if they'd just send me home. When we arrived at the hospital, just like before, I panicked when we got there. Something about going to the emergency room and checking in does that to a person. I felt like my head was spinning, but tried to keep calm as I answered questions at the check in. When I told the lady at the desk I was having contractions about four minutes apart and that this was my second child, she looked at me like my child could pop out at any moment. I guess four minutes apart for a second kid is a good sign your in labor, I thought. She sped up the process and had them get me to a room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y3pG3mIiIRDXcl29-NmR0AUecPbcfzgAFZykkRrbwTudXdElilfzM_twxxh7bU0sQrXTHkQ6dNAgIgaEZZSoQLW82y4xbEK9K1sjwGJGcolqvAd3yDZqBuJj45ZA_WIw66bQ7-umL6E/s1600/DSC_8153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y3pG3mIiIRDXcl29-NmR0AUecPbcfzgAFZykkRrbwTudXdElilfzM_twxxh7bU0sQrXTHkQ6dNAgIgaEZZSoQLW82y4xbEK9K1sjwGJGcolqvAd3yDZqBuJj45ZA_WIw66bQ7-umL6E/s320/DSC_8153.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>5pm. </b>They pushed me up to the labor and delivery ward along with another eclipse mama. I had to be monitored for a bit which meant I had to lie down in a bed with a baby heart monitor and some other wire thing. It made the contractions very uncomfortable. I never have blood pressure problems when I'm pregnant, but for whatever reason, when I'm in labor my blood pressure is always high. I know this because it's always what they comment on. Also, I'm pretty sure I have contractions through the entire blood pressure reading. </div>
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Walter and I walked up and down the hallway. It took a while to take this walk because I'd have to stop and hold on to a hand rail or slow dance with Walter through a contraction. I deeply regretted being here. I wanted to be home. <i>Couldn't I just give birth at my house? Why not? It'd be cheaper. I'd be more comfortable. I wouldn't have to wear this gown or these wires. I could also drink water rather than just suck on ice chips. Why didn't we eat dinner before we came. They won't let me eat. </i>These were all thoughts not just in my head, but that I shared with Walter as we walked to a secluded corner of the hospital floor out of the nurse's earshot. </div>
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Because I was nervous and was comparing everything to last birth, I felt like I was being held against my will. Although, that feeling more likely emerged from Walter holding all the medical wires walking me down the hall like a dog. </div>
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What I didn't realize is they were making sure I was in labor. My dilation wasn't classified as active labor, but my contractions were now anywhere from one to four minutes apart. She had to collect all this data, it was her job. She was not being mean no matter what my in labor self thought. </div>
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The nurses changed shifts. Walter asked if I was in labor or not and if we could just go back home until I was ready. She said going home wouldn't be a good idea now. She did all the checking stuff again. We'd been there for about an hour and a half and nothing had changed. I think I had mentally caused myself to stall labor because of my insecurity. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_1da1apjIrOX1q7-tblLVSTM3ApSEOyEU6d5kzG3eS0-QRTHN-CrcAcqnnDmStd87XABdl8RZslozbG65TgqkBCL_NfhQ9LW7OvhbY_JQIBhmU9zpana9FmUhfAJrqlXtPhY70aLIv4/s1600/DSC_8150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_1da1apjIrOX1q7-tblLVSTM3ApSEOyEU6d5kzG3eS0-QRTHN-CrcAcqnnDmStd87XABdl8RZslozbG65TgqkBCL_NfhQ9LW7OvhbY_JQIBhmU9zpana9FmUhfAJrqlXtPhY70aLIv4/s320/DSC_8150.JPG" width="213" /></a><b>7 pm.</b> The nurse asked if I wanted to get in the Jacuzzi tub. She said relaxing and the jets could help progress things naturally. I was all for it. She heated that tub up, kicked the jets on, and I hopped in. Walter got a chair and sat in there with me while I relaxed. </div>
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I don't know how long I'd been in there, but my contractions got intense. Walter at first didn't know I was having strong contractions, then, he said he heard me groaning over the sound of the jets. He helped put counter pressure on my back. The difference was this time, the contractions weren't just in my back. It was as like a vice around my entire torso-- strong, deep contractions. The way to help relieve the pressure was for him to lift my belly while pressing on my back. I would just breathe and groan. Anytime a position would get too intense, I'd try to move. After about an hour, the nurse came back into the bathroom to check on me. </div>
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"How are things going?" she asked. </div>
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I was draped over the side of the tub resting my head on it's cold porcelain. "They're... definitely going," I managed to say between a contraction. Then, I groaned again. "I need to get up," I told Walter and the nurse. </div>
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"Ok," she replied, "Do you want to go to the bed?" </div>
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I think I said, "Do I have to get dressed?" I don't really know why I asked that. </div>
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"You don't have to if you're ok with it," she replied. </div>
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<b>8pm. </b>They helped me out of the tub, but I only made it as far as the toilet. It made a good enough spot to rest. I decided to put my gown on, but I put it on like a robe-- again, I have no idea why. Walter told them that last time I used a birthing ball and liked it. The nurse left and quickly returned with the large ball.</div>
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Walter directed her to sit it at the edge of the bed. Before I was able to sit, she checked my progress. I was now at a 5 maybe 6. I sat on it and leaned over the bed resting my head on my arms. Walter tried to helped as best he could. <i>This is going to take forever. I'm going to be in labor longer this time. This pain is so intense. Yes, I'm calling it pain-- not surges. And I sure as heck can't call them waves. I want drugs. </i></div>
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I looked over at Walter, "Am I crazy? Should I just get the pain medicine?" I said faintly. "I don't think I can do this all night." He didn't say anything. He was probably wondering why I was saying the phrases that often come in the transition phase if I was just at a 5 or 6. My water hadn't even broken yet.</div>
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I didn't wait for an answer. I had to move. This ball idea was not working out. I crawled up onto the bed. I'll try to lay down-- nope. </div>
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"Do you want the peanut ball?" Walter asked.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHtlz3ftDCAtHkk6KnU5WiN8fc942TEXKhyphenhyphenfX6o8KyG7jZHLgB3mLpTLbm0nNH4kG88S_aj8DxeSHcLz7gv9b-7Oyu88rsWJr7WSDpsUsaS4sFQ-S-oSj2A56B4a806kwNJk8O-Plpt4/s1600/IMG_20170822_120640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHtlz3ftDCAtHkk6KnU5WiN8fc942TEXKhyphenhyphenfX6o8KyG7jZHLgB3mLpTLbm0nNH4kG88S_aj8DxeSHcLz7gv9b-7Oyu88rsWJr7WSDpsUsaS4sFQ-S-oSj2A56B4a806kwNJk8O-Plpt4/s400/IMG_20170822_120640.jpg" width="300" /></a>"NO!" I said. I hated that thing last time. He only suggested it because it helped speed things up. I didn't have the mental will power to lie still through that though. I kept climbing toward the head of the bed as I answered him. </div>
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I got on my knees and wrapped my arms around the head of the bed hanging on to it like Jack holding onto the door in the Titanic movie. </div>
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A lady came in to take blood. "You don't have a port?" she asked.</div>
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I just shook my head. </div>
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I think she said something about she usually just takes blood if they're giving an epidural. I think she talked to Walter about having a natural childbirth with her kids. She stuck a needle in my hand at one point, but I couldn't feel it. </div>
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A nurse came in quietly and began putting tools out on a tray. I only heard the gentle clanking. </div>
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I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly, I could talk again. I felt the baby get pushed down low.</div>
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"He's coming," I told Walter very panicked. </div>
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"Yeah, he is. He'll be here soon. Just a few more contractions," Walter coached.</div>
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"NO, HE's COMING!" The nurse left the room quickly to go get the others.</div>
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"Let me check," my nurse said. I was still clutching the bed. I wasn't moving. Not because I was being stubborn, but because I could not physically move. The nurse looked at Walter. </div>
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"She knows. She knew last time," Walter said to the nurse. </div>
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"I think I can check this way," she said. "Yeah."</div>
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Thankfully, this time, I didn't have to wait to push. The doctor had been there the whole time.</div>
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I didn't see this part (in fact, I never saw her until after the baby was born because my back was to her the entire time), but Walter said she came in, looked at me, and suited up like some kind of super hero.</div>
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"Can you turn around to push," she asked.</div>
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"I can't move," I told her. I think someone tried to move my leg, but I wasn't going anywhere.</div>
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"Ok," she resolved, "I think we can do it this way." </div>
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So we did. With each contraction, I would lean my hips back in my gown worn like a robe gripping tightly to the head of the bed. </div>
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As I pushed the water sac was coming out with the baby. The doctor told the nurses. They leaned in to look.</div>
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"You might want to stand back." SPLASH!</div>
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"What was that?" I asked. </div>
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"Your water broke," the doctor replied.</div>
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I pushed a little more. Ring of fire. </div>
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"It burns!" I yelled at them quoting the Johnny Cash song unintentionally.</div>
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"Just a little more!" the doctor said. "You're doing great!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGc5a7lPZw2oinysEUaIrmVrtRUko686J0ymVEg3rNNvDwBVH6DwImVqwWEjlWhcT0JYJcnvm3BiooIA0V-tR1IciPz6Qbes2o77yWC3jnKbvVq0su9DmWmbG0EsHsquC834gGo305bI8/s1600/IMG_20170822_004006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGc5a7lPZw2oinysEUaIrmVrtRUko686J0ymVEg3rNNvDwBVH6DwImVqwWEjlWhcT0JYJcnvm3BiooIA0V-tR1IciPz6Qbes2o77yWC3jnKbvVq0su9DmWmbG0EsHsquC834gGo305bI8/s400/IMG_20170822_004006.jpg" width="300" /></a> <b>9:15 </b>Oliver was born. I was finally able to move and turn around. My whole body was shaking like I was cold. I held my little bald boy, and nursed him. Walter cut the cord. His first visitor was his Uncle Carlo who had come by to bring Walter some dinner. I don't really know when Walter had time to text or call him. Walter says he thought I'd be in labor all night, so he wanted to eat. I guess all that happened while I was clutching the bed facing a wall.</div>
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This time around was much different. I wasn't calm and collected in mediation. I was vocal, stubborn, and felt very much in charge.<br />
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I felt every sensation even more than last time. It was a very unique experience just like each of my children are each their very own person.<br />
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After about two hours, we went back to our room and were able to rest on a pretty normal schedule.</div>
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The next morning, Oscar and my parents met him along with his grandpa and other family and some friends. </div>
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(Then, like a couple of crazies, we checked out at midnight and went home.)</div>
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That's a story for another day. </div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-59024530688037833372016-11-26T16:52:00.000-05:002019-06-16T21:21:44.823-04:00Our Kitchen: Before and After<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On October 29, 2016 (Walter's 30th birthday), it happened. We moved into our house! We celebrated by a having a moving in/ birthday party. Walter's gifts were helping hands cleaning and moving our furniture and boxes. </div>
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We love it here, but it did take some mental adjusting before it felt like home. We are almost a month in and still putting the small things in place (but according to most you will always be fixing or working on something). </div>
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Today, I'm going to show you the kitchen. I think on the first post, I had said we would be keeping the trim and not much else. Well, we didn't keep anything. Absolutely everything in the kitchen is new from the plumbing and electric to the floor and the ceiling. </div>
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Enough words. I know my readers want pictures. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">You probably didn't even read this intro.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J449o7uygDE0gv6ukiAYE25723F7q-_rvVqdWr_6fV77hSZROYh_C0H-fyDza_BI1GAsUhGoE9v5f7cZ1Q-R2iMQq3cE3m_UV5UBuN4tny4a76TECm6fJwkg5xHn4eT6g6jXXxpMOk8/s1600/2013-03-09+12.01.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J449o7uygDE0gv6ukiAYE25723F7q-_rvVqdWr_6fV77hSZROYh_C0H-fyDza_BI1GAsUhGoE9v5f7cZ1Q-R2iMQq3cE3m_UV5UBuN4tny4a76TECm6fJwkg5xHn4eT6g6jXXxpMOk8/s400/2013-03-09+12.01.22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Before: </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The kitchen cabinets were small. The exit from the kitchen was a </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">doorway which led to a tiny hall. There was one flush mount light in the center of the room. A layers of laminate flooring covered the slightly water damaged hardwood.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l7-e-Pc0WGZBJWv-zfJxDz7-0dGG7PJGHdenh9c5VMvPmol6RdIlbC56ob_gBnMWTJ8CnT3q0eVo0Md37A-SiHCA3JGblyIw4QybPuhNEBkiiyuD3UP8GBRQKIs8CA9waRTLQW4gVBY/s1600/IMG_20161126_100358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l7-e-Pc0WGZBJWv-zfJxDz7-0dGG7PJGHdenh9c5VMvPmol6RdIlbC56ob_gBnMWTJ8CnT3q0eVo0Md37A-SiHCA3JGblyIw4QybPuhNEBkiiyuD3UP8GBRQKIs8CA9waRTLQW4gVBY/s400/IMG_20161126_100358.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">After: What didn't we do to this kitchen? </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">We pulled up the laminate flooring. We tore down every wall.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"> It is completely replumbed and rewired. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We narrowed the kitchen, but opened it by removing some of the left wall. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">We also opened the back door way </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Instead of flush mount lighting, we went with recessed lights.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjSln1fSjgUjy2qS1mqrtjRD-o93E8XW79GFkvDfB4rqzCFpSpeydO5tWPbI4WsdAa8PJmfKFxaOEsZVAiwXE6RgtEsm1Zj5_1cbLoXP3AovHGAUIGMt-QH0wlk8WM0uzlGgAiyMs2lY/s1600/2013-03-09+12.01.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjSln1fSjgUjy2qS1mqrtjRD-o93E8XW79GFkvDfB4rqzCFpSpeydO5tWPbI4WsdAa8PJmfKFxaOEsZVAiwXE6RgtEsm1Zj5_1cbLoXP3AovHGAUIGMt-QH0wlk8WM0uzlGgAiyMs2lY/s400/2013-03-09+12.01.14.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Before: Because of two of the windows being full size, cabinets had to be put </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">wherever they'd fit. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">There was an upper cabinet over the stove (plus the cabinets were mismatched). </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">The stove, washer, and dryer sat beside the cabinets, with the washer and dryer partially </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">covering the window. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMkbTsxdrIlpgm6gWKtu1UULd6MRS4kak5UWZrW_TX5QFO46lAUP9K_jUlXDQIWuPh-g7gta6RRBlS4wldC9mu0R1sj7XlR-au0Nw3Kyn677g2PlnTx4cMz8hTJjSfxmqDXE4WfDMOSI/s1600/IMG_20161126_140534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMkbTsxdrIlpgm6gWKtu1UULd6MRS4kak5UWZrW_TX5QFO46lAUP9K_jUlXDQIWuPh-g7gta6RRBlS4wldC9mu0R1sj7XlR-au0Nw3Kyn677g2PlnTx4cMz8hTJjSfxmqDXE4WfDMOSI/s400/IMG_20161126_140534.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">After: We raised the windows higher to allow more cabinet space. We removed the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">upper cabinets and added a range hood. Instead of a counter top with a back splash, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">we chose subway tile. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdss-HU1_SOxQPryU5Z2LUNy35TATaG7nW-01wnGDNz7vnFazBL7fQ91Q_840tVsl19O7aWc700chrfqfRbMR_Dtn_zunohJzE9OUVx2BBtT_sy7Ae7ZiJdrcdy16_cThuLyVLy5NgbHw/s1600/2013-03-09+12.01.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdss-HU1_SOxQPryU5Z2LUNy35TATaG7nW-01wnGDNz7vnFazBL7fQ91Q_840tVsl19O7aWc700chrfqfRbMR_Dtn_zunohJzE9OUVx2BBtT_sy7Ae7ZiJdrcdy16_cThuLyVLy5NgbHw/s400/2013-03-09+12.01.30.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Before: Whether you used the front or the back door, you had to walk through the kitchen to get to other rooms in the house. Having a front door and a doorway leading to the living room caused even more hardships when designing our kitchen. I wanted functional with little wasted space, and this kitchen just seemed to have too many spaces that couldn't be used. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5IfnXFbpaEqPvR-ayQIz-KlL1Lbi9_6g4eSskXyiZEfp00GnbRg_0tmC1rGZ9LVsAMZ3b0Pr4am0G3X6RtI6v-LlguIrUDErasgub4kt0aB-yHllTAYzlHEi72S0p-pvC4b5-A2zV9Q/s1600/IMG_20161126_100846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5IfnXFbpaEqPvR-ayQIz-KlL1Lbi9_6g4eSskXyiZEfp00GnbRg_0tmC1rGZ9LVsAMZ3b0Pr4am0G3X6RtI6v-LlguIrUDErasgub4kt0aB-yHllTAYzlHEi72S0p-pvC4b5-A2zV9Q/s400/IMG_20161126_100846.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">After: It was hard to get the same type of shot as above here since the kitchen is narrower now. We moved the wall in so the front door would not be inside the kitchen. Instead of entering the living room here, we created a u-shape and added ceiling height upper cabinets, a fridge with upper cabinets, and a small pantry cabinet next to the fridge (not pictured).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHc0KcthJFNkCsyrfGAP5QIa_hd0JE9NkgrkESx8EB_pVC7FtT0Loq8QoGYeMaS8MUijyKejEpfnf3ZQbMN9wyVEWijpsU97H-lwJ-iiL5qZi1owYwoIUODFcUmYbWAhGGNEQvs72A_Ps/s1600/2013-03-09+12.01.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHc0KcthJFNkCsyrfGAP5QIa_hd0JE9NkgrkESx8EB_pVC7FtT0Loq8QoGYeMaS8MUijyKejEpfnf3ZQbMN9wyVEWijpsU97H-lwJ-iiL5qZi1owYwoIUODFcUmYbWAhGGNEQvs72A_Ps/s400/2013-03-09+12.01.58.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: Here you can see one of the full length windows and the house's front door. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjE6JJJlgo6i9R6x8dXzUs1ReTtvrj4V5MabPOjMgxBrJ4BcyJfp4BkcTHQM92MnnLvCyQgYUB83Sf-h-rDrduyDdS_yZDZcEQ1MgomYraWoMCuhbpdE0BpQS1vewhY3fU5XkAGh62GA/s1600/IMG_20161126_100610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjE6JJJlgo6i9R6x8dXzUs1ReTtvrj4V5MabPOjMgxBrJ4BcyJfp4BkcTHQM92MnnLvCyQgYUB83Sf-h-rDrduyDdS_yZDZcEQ1MgomYraWoMCuhbpdE0BpQS1vewhY3fU5XkAGh62GA/s400/IMG_20161126_100610.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">After: We raised the window allowing for more cabinets under the window. Both windows that we shortened are now casement windows. We scooted the right wall over to keep the front doorway out. It definitely made us lose space, but helped make the kitchen more functional. We created a galley kitchen feel. (You can also see the pantry cabinet here.)</td></tr>
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It looks like a completely different room now. It's cozy, but I can do everything I need in it. I love my little kitchen!<br />
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We are so thankful for this home. God has blessed us.<br />
Happy Thanksgiving!Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-60980635961431126882016-06-06T22:29:00.001-04:002019-06-16T21:10:21.608-04:00To stain or not to stain? That is the question.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just like every top rated HGTV or DIY "reality" series, where there is conflict there is drama. In the midst of hard work, problems arise and we can tend to overreact. (<a href="http://wahlstedtfarm.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-tractor-tiff.html" target="_blank">The Tractor Tiff</a> anyone?) And over act. Dramatize. Could you see where I was going with this by the title? Anyway, let's skip the narrative. Here's <strike>much ado about nothing </strike> our story in the words of Shakespeare (with CliffsNotes of course). </div>
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Two people in a household, both alike in dignity, </div>
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from ancient grudge break new mutiny, </div>
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where paint and stain make hands unclean.</div>
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OK, so Walter and I didn't have an ancient grudge over our wood work. He did, however, have a long time wish and plan for how he wanted his house to look one day. Also, the man has an extreme dislike toward painted baseboards, trim, etc. It makes him physically ill. If he looks at a picture online of a home restoration where trim that was once stained is painted, he gets angry. I get it. I feel a Nicole Curtis temper building when I see those pictures too. (Why would you cover that up?) The point is, Walter <i>was</i> passionate about the way he wanted his trim to look. I, on the other hand, had a passion for getting to live in our house. These passions led to an on and off again argument over what we should do for the trim work in our home. It started with the realization that our plan to use the old trim wasn't going to work.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Walter: (holding the old, painted trim) </span><span style="background-color: white;">When sorrows come, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">they come not single spies, but in battalions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">If you have tears, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">prepare to shed them now. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">Jessica: </span><span style="background-color: white;">True is it that we have seen better days.</span></div>
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If you have been keeping up with the blog since the beginning (or if you read <a href="http://wahlstedtfarm.blogspot.com/2013/03/room-by-room-room.html" target="_blank">this post</a> perchance), you might remember me giving a blog tour of the house. In some of those posts, I stated we would reinstall the original (i.e. old) baseboards. Three things kept us from doing this: the boards weren't walnut like we thought; they were covered in old paint (possibly containing lead); they were smaller than what we thought the room needed. These findings were very disappointing, especially to Walter who wanted stained trim throughout the house. Yet, a little adversity didn't scare Walter.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Walter: Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">for wise men say it is the wisest course. </span></span></div>
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Unwilling to give up,Walter kept searching for other means to have stained wood trim throughout the house. Our options were: stained oak ($$), walnut ($$$), or stained pine ($). Because he really wanted walnut trim, he even went to a lumber yard to get prices. The wood would have to sit so many years per inch before it could be used. I argued vehemently against the lumber yard option. </div>
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Jessica: <span style="background-color: white;">As he was valiant, I honor him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">I must be cruel, only to be kind. </span></div>
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I know, I am a villain in this scene. Some of the options he found, I just couldn't get behind. I didn't want oak. I had a hard time believing pine would look good stained. Staining the trim was going to take forever. Did he really know just how much work that would be? Above all, I refused to wait however many years he had calculated for some walnut trim to cure (?) before we had baseboards, door and window trim. Mostly, I just wanted us to get this completed so we could be closer to moving in. So, we argued over the untreated lumber-- in the car, at a steak dinner with friends, etc. I did not believe Walter would be happy with that either. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jessica: </span><span style="background-color: white;">This be madness--</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Walter: </span><span style="background-color: white;">Yet there is method in 't!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jessica: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">We are time's subjects, and time bids be gone!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">Walter: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">There are many events in the womb of time, which will be delivered.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast! </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: left;">I argued that his ideas would take too long. That was the bullet I fired bursting his thought balloon of having walnut trim. (Of course, money played a role in our decision.) No way was I going to live in the house without trim. If we did that, I doubted we'd ever finish it. Pine was much cheaper, so we did decide to purchase it. The thought of staining it made me cringe. I suggested that we just paint everything. It'd be faster and look fine. Farmhouses are usually white anyway. Walter refused, and did not like that suggestion at all. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"> Walter: </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">These words are razors to my wounded heart!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Jessica: </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">I 'll not budge an inch! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">Walter: How poor are they that have not patience! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5tGvLmQw7i6KXnuhIEd9vr_k3Lwj63NOL6YnT0hhUK7FfWI38iG_L2DUlKv147KeZQTPJKLK7-jmhvnNW9W5mwyaozNCnufgwN09G1kk5b8kNwjhcYOKCFpSDHByzSnAHWISbJPMdsk/s1600/DSC_4748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5tGvLmQw7i6KXnuhIEd9vr_k3Lwj63NOL6YnT0hhUK7FfWI38iG_L2DUlKv147KeZQTPJKLK7-jmhvnNW9W5mwyaozNCnufgwN09G1kk5b8kNwjhcYOKCFpSDHByzSnAHWISbJPMdsk/s320/DSC_4748.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is a look at the window trim.There are 10 pieces <br />
that need stained per window. T<br />
his does not include the window itself.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eventually, I did budge much more than an inch. I agreed to stained pine trim with the condition that I would paint the trim in the kitchen and the bathrooms. Walter agreed to those conditions. Soon, he went to work on staining the trim. He made the trim look beautiful, but it took a lot of work and a lot of time. You see, he had to use a hand sander, put two coats of stain, and two coats of poly on each board. This is for the door jams, baseboards, window framing, window extensions, and windows themselves, and door framing. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After completing three rooms and seeing the work and time it took, he reexamined his decision to stain all every rooms trim:</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Walter: </span><span style="background-color: white;">Can one desire too much of a good thing? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jessica: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">I am not bound to please thee with my answer.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-left;">Walter: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;">If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-left;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jessica: Go to you bosom: Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Deep down, he knew staining every rooms trim was too much. That's why we decided to paint the trim in the two bedrooms along with the bathrooms and kitchen would be painted. Here's a look at both the stained and painted trim: </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpuJwJy4vgZM8FDz8Y-vM0ZVc7asVJagHfXefoQL9QFqKKHdla5wuYjhmdq7lhpBDr2kd_MHSyeCgUJuffKKwFx-ZVS13mlMtgFsk0PpCMeUYBJVzdJjdBwr7Eha0_hauO2295LRGK74/s1600/DSC_4753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpuJwJy4vgZM8FDz8Y-vM0ZVc7asVJagHfXefoQL9QFqKKHdla5wuYjhmdq7lhpBDr2kd_MHSyeCgUJuffKKwFx-ZVS13mlMtgFsk0PpCMeUYBJVzdJjdBwr7Eha0_hauO2295LRGK74/s640/DSC_4753.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine trim stained with Minwax Special Walnut.The door<br />
still needs two more pieces on the top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDV4ot7g03wY3Cko-a_oY98ieV0I-z6MA4Mp90NrGoO09COlC_0ylU-N6_rkEptFyriT_2cPS8Ml6QKNO1UvUbqGpGg-Bidvcry9BDSenpzgzQ1KFmo2Ck_g3svGMR07qdRj17EjE80j0/s1600/DSC_4756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDV4ot7g03wY3Cko-a_oY98ieV0I-z6MA4Mp90NrGoO09COlC_0ylU-N6_rkEptFyriT_2cPS8Ml6QKNO1UvUbqGpGg-Bidvcry9BDSenpzgzQ1KFmo2Ck_g3svGMR07qdRj17EjE80j0/s640/DSC_4756.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine painted-- Sherwin Williams Alabaster White.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are happy with how it's turned out so far. There is still a lot of work ahead, but the light is at the end of the tunnel. </span><span style="font-size: small;">"Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow." See ya, friends!</span></span></div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383127494463537831noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-85219133195131958342016-03-29T22:03:00.001-04:002019-06-16T21:22:11.342-04:00The Big ONE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Oscar turned one last week. He's grown and changed so much over a year. He is curious, loves music, walks, animal sounds, being chased and eating. Reading and tearing things apart are his favorite pastimes. He's full of smiles, especially when he first wakes up. He understands a lot of words, and his speaking vocabulary is increasing (Mama, Dada, blue, poo, book, spoon, up, bye, hey, ball, bubbles, go, and, our favorite, I love you). He has five teeth and is cutting two more. His favorite color is blue (because that's the one he can say best). His favorite food is blueberries (again because he can say it). His unhealthy obsessions are: Sesame Street (songs only), getting into trash cans, and sticks-- oh, and, of course, his pacifier with the giraffe attached. He could have been born in the 80's or 90's because he carries around a toy boom box. </div>
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Happy 1st Oscar! </div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-57629999424207187792016-02-07T20:12:00.000-05:002019-06-16T21:22:35.246-04:00New Stairs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The stairway in our house has been a discussion point over the past three years-- keep them, move them, repair them, open them, ignore them. We'd exhausted the topic.<br />
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When we decided to hire someone to refinish our floors, Walter suggested we get the crew to give us a quote on what it would cost to redo the stairs as well. We also had him tell us an estimate on repairing and refinishing them. The professional told us he could repair them, but, in his opinion, that would not be worth it. He suggested just rebuilding. The estimate he gave us was very reasonable.<br />
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We had grown fond of the old staircase, but we had to face the fact that they were in terrible condition Walter always told me this, but I never really wanted to believe it because of the money and time it would cost us. (Yet, after three years, what's a few more months?) The thought of the new stairs looking oddly out of place among the rest of the house caused a bit of anxiety for both of us, but the thought of redoing the entire house only to repair the stairs in a few years persuaded us to take the plunge.<br />
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We're very proud of the decision. Since they were built and stained the week before Christmas, we considered them an early birthday present.<br />
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Here are the before and after shots.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sBNIk375wMckKZbGp2voSsz9TDMRNgnyQqXDbYyCx8MhmyuSe_2LoGULyXs3n4QMCUIEmAGBJQ-cz8_C_qBSF2tbzDRR6kYxEChvBiGjFy_h9_mIyIvTKncdwss6Ux-gR_72nyn3WUY/s1600/2013-03-09+12.21.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sBNIk375wMckKZbGp2voSsz9TDMRNgnyQqXDbYyCx8MhmyuSe_2LoGULyXs3n4QMCUIEmAGBJQ-cz8_C_qBSF2tbzDRR6kYxEChvBiGjFy_h9_mIyIvTKncdwss6Ux-gR_72nyn3WUY/s640/2013-03-09+12.21.41.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">You can see how they bow. Also, years of repairs had weakened the structure. <br />
The door is open here, but you can see the door jamb.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudpQwZoHUzBCwygzVbTHPcFMRgLm6dDPvAMswQ0y6e-3Gsh51Z1kA6hlCPqNy-ZR9a3xwKzH7T3q2QhBEhfOkPXHHGh-y7LPzw7hSaNykGU8wmhEHC6CVwQQYkMTT2x9ktcX9cJ-pLeg/s1600/20160207_173209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudpQwZoHUzBCwygzVbTHPcFMRgLm6dDPvAMswQ0y6e-3Gsh51Z1kA6hlCPqNy-ZR9a3xwKzH7T3q2QhBEhfOkPXHHGh-y7LPzw7hSaNykGU8wmhEHC6CVwQQYkMTT2x9ktcX9cJ-pLeg/s640/20160207_173209.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">New white oak treads and risers along with pine trim, all stained with the same </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Minwax </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Walnut used on the floor. (Poor lighting here, sorry.)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLm6RnkzhuHzxLHFNmHW0zI3TzzAJ7GF9e2k-FfPH-lTsuF7e7uPUUb5ZAdY5iUVKEVNoukcnh5v1Ul5VAq84DUphX-fBYvbtP3nsejlg9tspfVhQyDGiCHutAXfTZ2t2xoTOXu1g34U/s1600/2013-03-23+11.40.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLm6RnkzhuHzxLHFNmHW0zI3TzzAJ7GF9e2k-FfPH-lTsuF7e7uPUUb5ZAdY5iUVKEVNoukcnh5v1Ul5VAq84DUphX-fBYvbtP3nsejlg9tspfVhQyDGiCHutAXfTZ2t2xoTOXu1g34U/s640/2013-03-23+11.40.08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Originally, the stairs were closed off from the downstairs level. You had to open a door and duck (if you were Walter's height) to reach the upper level.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNRfeIbfp2hEcGQ0R_D6gGwSz_eujMl03B42UBOrXTfxCNsWB2mMdkxo6mvvipvA35LV2Y-YdI0cWr1Cawympj2TalKhMfn-esNuUEJBO3Vi9H2P5LZyiu6v8DQEe3sS9tkmlFDCLBeM/s1600/IMG_20151216_181956883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNRfeIbfp2hEcGQ0R_D6gGwSz_eujMl03B42UBOrXTfxCNsWB2mMdkxo6mvvipvA35LV2Y-YdI0cWr1Cawympj2TalKhMfn-esNuUEJBO3Vi9H2P5LZyiu6v8DQEe3sS9tkmlFDCLBeM/s640/IMG_20151216_181956883.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">When we began tearing out walls, I wanted to have the stairs open. It couldn't happen all the way up due to that wall being load bearing, but we opened it up enough for my liking. (The stairs were not stained here.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgEyNbJu7GLX-wScO-hqJuGWSmWyGI6hVXNZ8XNq1HOoXeIuM-L0AUWNEhEv-oehuAH4kp81Dyco0qYIoZjPlZG7F-kY4ELJVdX4_qo1SnYKzfdxyKYzAmFYQ0OLX5kNnrQxjlHD4nug/s1600/20160207_173222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgEyNbJu7GLX-wScO-hqJuGWSmWyGI6hVXNZ8XNq1HOoXeIuM-L0AUWNEhEv-oehuAH4kp81Dyco0qYIoZjPlZG7F-kY4ELJVdX4_qo1SnYKzfdxyKYzAmFYQ0OLX5kNnrQxjlHD4nug/s640/20160207_173222.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're covered in sawdust again, but you can see the color and detail a bit <br />
more in this picture.</td></tr>
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Now, they are sturdy, straight, and still look as if they belong with the house. We're happy with the work and that such a big project is complete!<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-34483649886593092082016-01-19T10:34:00.000-05:002019-06-16T21:22:55.840-04:00Refinished Floors<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The whole idea of this blog was for me to keep a dated journal for us to look back on our progress. It was supposed to chronicle our progress in real time. </div>
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Ain't nobody got time for that. </div>
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My pictures are dated so I can back date and at least keep track that way. AND I've got a little time now, thanks to winter weather and baby nap time. </div>
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December 3, 2015:</div>
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Walter and I (but mostly Walter) had previously repaired rotted sub flooring and had patched rotted hardwood pieces. Because so much sanding would be required, we hired a company to refinish our hardwood floors. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLo5mqziGxjBgbiF0O_6t7OkPfvNRGG4wwNqYM0Q1k6BIJqJmTuliq8h6AMw6BOIFevDPva5p9rWYrNAnkaoomwgIjwFXd1btFTjAenss4R94y27HMTYHNZyvH90yb1zm-M1PcZtegUw/s1600/IMG_20151203_170207815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLo5mqziGxjBgbiF0O_6t7OkPfvNRGG4wwNqYM0Q1k6BIJqJmTuliq8h6AMw6BOIFevDPva5p9rWYrNAnkaoomwgIjwFXd1btFTjAenss4R94y27HMTYHNZyvH90yb1zm-M1PcZtegUw/s320/IMG_20151203_170207815.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dining room. The floor had been painted.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAflEXJdiCAHf30rUyWkOpsGpCGbAkJLSW2-XAx6CGnBtEGkYshSP64hSDwyzt9w1INMRd87SuCZvzwFHjMygLGKcDcoAIYnCi-wQEPex2j4w8PhRPBgc42DYPea9izDUUenq1q3e9K3o/s1600/IMG_20151203_170120361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAflEXJdiCAHf30rUyWkOpsGpCGbAkJLSW2-XAx6CGnBtEGkYshSP64hSDwyzt9w1INMRd87SuCZvzwFHjMygLGKcDcoAIYnCi-wQEPex2j4w8PhRPBgc42DYPea9izDUUenq1q3e9K3o/s320/IMG_20151203_170120361.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here is an example of having to patch new red oak in with the old. The patching was very uneven, but the crew sanded<br />
it until level. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXPheLP3dxqoJ7GMQKg5hUqRdwaL8YUYswyw7ergGQYYEzzzkE2FLwtOy79dUrjJI8BOT4zUsJDtu6JCfxVKrkd_tvtUY5YJ7usHiEBsycaBe_Ib_8IS7vusYpCaWtHnGxZv4Sd5Rj7k/s1600/IMG_20151203_170009606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXPheLP3dxqoJ7GMQKg5hUqRdwaL8YUYswyw7ergGQYYEzzzkE2FLwtOy79dUrjJI8BOT4zUsJDtu6JCfxVKrkd_tvtUY5YJ7usHiEBsycaBe_Ib_8IS7vusYpCaWtHnGxZv4Sd5Rj7k/s320/IMG_20151203_170009606.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had to replace the entirety of the bathroom floor from the sub-floor up. The flooring is new red oak we bought from a bargain shop. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9cJ0AuZl41jxqDMs_yfV5sLXAjo96RVWLhXAeaJB97NF159iQ-bT6_uohYJvCm2bxX-231SMCPuHuXc3ESxWYsAyOCLp5Y2ukNJn1twt9mXFMG-19oApreQ4sTd3H_zsgYjQOnlqJeE/s1600/IMG_20151203_165941626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9cJ0AuZl41jxqDMs_yfV5sLXAjo96RVWLhXAeaJB97NF159iQ-bT6_uohYJvCm2bxX-231SMCPuHuXc3ESxWYsAyOCLp5Y2ukNJn1twt9mXFMG-19oApreQ4sTd3H_zsgYjQOnlqJeE/s320/IMG_20151203_165941626.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The floors are original to the house and, therefore, are rich in character. Consequently, with character comes stains, water damage, etc. Don't get me wrong, we wanted the floors to look old, we just felt that left natural they would distract from the beauty and charm of the floor. After much deliberation, we chose to stain our red oak floors Special Walnut (Minwax). </div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_h0AKnQV_OMKSI5q0GJcTXwh02A3t258h6F2Etvf7NFcgwqYe0K1BSfKVbwR3fZ9Uow6cniovblLbBM1CT5vBNgIol6DMDCDaSP1s07771ieHMhiVAlUf_gvnYEYdY8jmc8vZ_4eGdM/s1600/IMG_20151213_163640198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_h0AKnQV_OMKSI5q0GJcTXwh02A3t258h6F2Etvf7NFcgwqYe0K1BSfKVbwR3fZ9Uow6cniovblLbBM1CT5vBNgIol6DMDCDaSP1s07771ieHMhiVAlUf_gvnYEYdY8jmc8vZ_4eGdM/s320/IMG_20151213_163640198.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGUx_Omzc2O0Doxr26koeFihI3BJ_KQ61jqUnuJ1Xdx7Jh9sxJ5Io_jsB4M8xvccgQGFwZg_UTSyhQjl3NtqkuQAOH33zp24tK7GG6kJZF8fFadjkbchEMAPGgO-rr5cOs6RIFejrbxI/s1600/IMG_20151213_163544919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGUx_Omzc2O0Doxr26koeFihI3BJ_KQ61jqUnuJ1Xdx7Jh9sxJ5Io_jsB4M8xvccgQGFwZg_UTSyhQjl3NtqkuQAOH33zp24tK7GG6kJZF8fFadjkbchEMAPGgO-rr5cOs6RIFejrbxI/s320/IMG_20151213_163544919.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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We chose a satin polyurethane because I didn't want the floors to be shiny. The man who applied it said that although it is a little shiny at first, it would wear down and leave just a little sheen.<br />
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We are so close! Currently working on the finishing touches.<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-38474338540304517872015-09-26T17:41:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:23:12.630-04:00Bare Bones No More<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Our poor house has not had drywall since </span><a href="http://wahlstedtfarm.blogspot.com/2013/07/back-to-work.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">July 2013</a><span style="text-align: left;">. Over two years, people! Why you ask? Two big reasons-- time and money. We lacked both.</span></div>
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A lot of time was spent designing the new floor plan (not to mention arguing about it, changing it, changing it again, arguing some more...) and, of course, building it.</div>
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Because the house was built in 1945, it had some structural issues that needed fixing prior to putting up drywall. For example, it had some termite damage on the fireplace wall as well as the wall with the picture window. </div>
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Creating our ideal floor plan took some time, too-- especially since Walter was doing the building himself. He had to take the time to research how to do it, get the necessary tools, and find the time in the evenings or on weekends to rebuild. Then, of course, there was some trial and error involved. I think he did a great job opening up the space by taking out walls and building support beams. He also built a bigger closet and a small bath upstairs. </div>
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Once everything was rebuilt, it was a matter of affording a plumber, new heating and air, electrician, windows, insulation, etc. </div>
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BUT, after all that waiting, on a beautiful Thursday afternoon the drywall was delivered. Cue angelic music.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwnPamc9UT2u_c_-oi64OjVpYw9Aq_QcTRKbpnCxEu8hpz78x25_92E9d7hvrAex-SAL3I_UIHCJ53zqc0_gEEzVjN4boS9at24ef80_RdDPgRcf58Z-GMyk01SDP-5r6YgAt-43UGTw/s1600/IMG_20150917_131210523_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwnPamc9UT2u_c_-oi64OjVpYw9Aq_QcTRKbpnCxEu8hpz78x25_92E9d7hvrAex-SAL3I_UIHCJ53zqc0_gEEzVjN4boS9at24ef80_RdDPgRcf58Z-GMyk01SDP-5r6YgAt-43UGTw/s400/IMG_20150917_131210523_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">The had to lift the drywall up through the window on the second story. They also had to lift it up and over the dogwood tree to even get it in the bottom story.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorGj7zdYc7exq0QKD8eN7JWVPn3QNpGbAvYdrMUGdIxklch0yiE9jYZ0Z-QmAWG93dvcstZMP29v2WSoJsnxlhls-mMvPeO7F7phJQmGoY5SUMQFO33ZjB_Q4SQhr75PPj46LxrX9Pvc/s1600/IMG_20150917_134218703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevLBop8AQlt9jcQSOtABIKoUhOOl5Nk5bd81zfLZ6y5bx4FsRPV1CrQn31uuTIg0d3jDw1ImWcmLWjDLBVV6fWql-3LJ58CMiigsJT2kvhsT65l7p4phXVJOolY1QC_URwzXtOcNct1M/s200/IMG_20150917_134645224.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorGj7zdYc7exq0QKD8eN7JWVPn3QNpGbAvYdrMUGdIxklch0yiE9jYZ0Z-QmAWG93dvcstZMP29v2WSoJsnxlhls-mMvPeO7F7phJQmGoY5SUMQFO33ZjB_Q4SQhr75PPj46LxrX9Pvc/s1600/IMG_20150917_134218703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorGj7zdYc7exq0QKD8eN7JWVPn3QNpGbAvYdrMUGdIxklch0yiE9jYZ0Z-QmAWG93dvcstZMP29v2WSoJsnxlhls-mMvPeO7F7phJQmGoY5SUMQFO33ZjB_Q4SQhr75PPj46LxrX9Pvc/s200/IMG_20150917_134218703.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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(We had 125 4x12 sheets delivered at the request of our drywall man.)</div>
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The following Saturday, Fugate Drywall showed up and went to work. They've been working ever since. In fact, they are down there working as I type this very minute. </div>
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It's took them longer than planned because, like all DIY/Fixer Upper/Renovation stories, there was a setback. Our electrician had already installed the plugs and switches which caused the drywall install to take longer. From what I've gathered, they have a system. The boxes are set and wires are pulled, but you leave them that way so they can cut the hole in the drywall easier. With that method, they don't have to go back and clean up the edges. So, the whole first day of work, I'm pretty sure the drywall guy hated our house's guts. Fortunately, he got happier as the week went on.</div>
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Being the impatient person I am (yeah, right, I've waited two years for drywall), I caught them gone and took some pictures of the house. At first, Walter and I were afraid after seeing the whole house open for so long having walls would make us feel claustrophobic. It doesn't. The walls accentuate his beautiful work, the fireplace, and the pretty, large windows.</div>
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So, if you've been patient enough to last this long, here are a few shots of the house with drywall. Or, if you just want to look at the pictures, you finally reached the end of the words.</div>
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Just kidding. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">You know I like my captions.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-00I-wp2wVW5tRlD1mfQDk74EnfRqrQwCUoEqcK1c1cM427ivZwrmhVLiq0FFWKFoO5ra18G3kkLY8R5ggCLsA-xgt4tgrkvtpcNuteOawRqY9lTIvvJqBANXxFuLxPJdSiVn7x2mmI/s1600/IMG_20150926_123034796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-00I-wp2wVW5tRlD1mfQDk74EnfRqrQwCUoEqcK1c1cM427ivZwrmhVLiq0FFWKFoO5ra18G3kkLY8R5ggCLsA-xgt4tgrkvtpcNuteOawRqY9lTIvvJqBANXxFuLxPJdSiVn7x2mmI/s400/IMG_20150926_123034796.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from dining room into kitchen. The basement opening is on the right. Back door is on the left.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwY24Jted-dsOBRbRdecxkfgoAPnLlF3TP1MFrZsSuwplfMSg1wXkXzAumokPF7UrrBBdQ4BwDT-wTkr9OOf_pd75k2ffoVT-mMaDZqO4w1Fdp-N8Cx2Kkhi0XsizpLU5PFsCb12VkKwg/s1600/IMG_20150926_122928406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwY24Jted-dsOBRbRdecxkfgoAPnLlF3TP1MFrZsSuwplfMSg1wXkXzAumokPF7UrrBBdQ4BwDT-wTkr9OOf_pd75k2ffoVT-mMaDZqO4w1Fdp-N8Cx2Kkhi0XsizpLU5PFsCb12VkKwg/s400/IMG_20150926_122928406.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from back door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoauarGUPy8co7zimxP6SP4o8_xvEGJvqoGXXf02pSek3n5_wHrMAbZy-4RYzT9L-JJweFBGXXKumSNyClwFImeNalfZnO8P2rIARpoKHBBHAibBb1a5_-oMGTrJebsATArn3S55HA3M/s1600/IMG_20150926_123054956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoauarGUPy8co7zimxP6SP4o8_xvEGJvqoGXXf02pSek3n5_wHrMAbZy-4RYzT9L-JJweFBGXXKumSNyClwFImeNalfZnO8P2rIARpoKHBBHAibBb1a5_-oMGTrJebsATArn3S55HA3M/s400/IMG_20150926_123054956.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From living room into kitchen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFS_amv3r6CzNQckEP_gYgCYF3H_60c5JlfT-Ghyphenhyphen29g1Yj4Jp2CPbyvnX2dv24qX4-NBS3rTdYXi3RiuVK0J4SpIsGRDkJe9nmAw2ZtY8wA0Y1XNeYj1ZN5a9-hohBX3iNPxMikMYCf4/s1600/IMG_20150926_123119285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFS_amv3r6CzNQckEP_gYgCYF3H_60c5JlfT-Ghyphenhyphen29g1Yj4Jp2CPbyvnX2dv24qX4-NBS3rTdYXi3RiuVK0J4SpIsGRDkJe9nmAw2ZtY8wA0Y1XNeYj1ZN5a9-hohBX3iNPxMikMYCf4/s400/IMG_20150926_123119285.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIspF5oa1DOfAWUuaTEUddB-u6vBdVejCeVs3OVwZ5hxazeWQ4bJX4B190E5LgCQz9yt6R-_p_xtPqRHOvIPKfImtTPBB-ngvbb_2CfeIq72VYzIazoMJig93lJSeIal11aLz7n1HCZU4/s1600/IMG_20150926_123140917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIspF5oa1DOfAWUuaTEUddB-u6vBdVejCeVs3OVwZ5hxazeWQ4bJX4B190E5LgCQz9yt6R-_p_xtPqRHOvIPKfImtTPBB-ngvbb_2CfeIq72VYzIazoMJig93lJSeIal11aLz7n1HCZU4/s400/IMG_20150926_123140917.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15sVbFOHJUAh9nm6XwUmiKhQuAJtlHUNww-WXmB4_HkO6qRgfg_r41zJ7L4D9yz_r-eorPYWP-NBOeow7eylgHs4tI_xQWwH8m_Ab77NIKaz2pICyKEHKxqDzkPYoYVYjTnSfy_G9W48/s1600/IMG_20150926_123146452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15sVbFOHJUAh9nm6XwUmiKhQuAJtlHUNww-WXmB4_HkO6qRgfg_r41zJ7L4D9yz_r-eorPYWP-NBOeow7eylgHs4tI_xQWwH8m_Ab77NIKaz2pICyKEHKxqDzkPYoYVYjTnSfy_G9W48/s400/IMG_20150926_123146452.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instead of a tight hallway, we decided to open it up and reveal a few stairs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aFj6tqIyjU68DjjpXNLGywfPbCvetmSblA8FDuPFr5yT9FLtEtgAoeggFOMS7t7Oowf8B0gIk2kscuUdJY61v8w5SsAe0E7QFMZRfprcKXhEomra4wP-4IyjC2cEdhSicRhHajr4Sak/s1600/IMG_20150926_123234045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aFj6tqIyjU68DjjpXNLGywfPbCvetmSblA8FDuPFr5yT9FLtEtgAoeggFOMS7t7Oowf8B0gIk2kscuUdJY61v8w5SsAe0E7QFMZRfprcKXhEomra4wP-4IyjC2cEdhSicRhHajr4Sak/s400/IMG_20150926_123234045.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View into downstairs bathroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry shot of downstairs bedroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upstairs: New bath, bedroom, office/bedroom</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdZGFEQFj4F_HVpaB9GcEfrWiZRT32Olz4xgWg74qWecIrv2VO9AY_gmXDV3my3ytwoFq7twQ0wDzkHix_9n-3Tcz66KRAULahJ3wjZgesQdIo84GW0ywacc4krT0zD1M-1nXyheu9qU/s1600/IMG_20150926_123416629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdZGFEQFj4F_HVpaB9GcEfrWiZRT32Olz4xgWg74qWecIrv2VO9AY_gmXDV3my3ytwoFq7twQ0wDzkHix_9n-3Tcz66KRAULahJ3wjZgesQdIo84GW0ywacc4krT0zD1M-1nXyheu9qU/s400/IMG_20150926_123416629.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We are hoping to paint next weekend. Then, we'll be refinishing the floors. With all that drywall dust, I'm sure it'll be fun. </div>
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Stay tuned!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6byEmyO1f-nT6qqnOWa11ecGg76rTsrQgncJbu_gQbbGFyLUrIWvHhF1RmC8aPoKUc6HW-o7fBWIeMJZw4dMDCAwablib1xqy4cSb8vYVj67yZqxroXXjEfVpWuS_r8Ab9oK8KeeUQU/s1600/IMG_20150926_123656794_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6byEmyO1f-nT6qqnOWa11ecGg76rTsrQgncJbu_gQbbGFyLUrIWvHhF1RmC8aPoKUc6HW-o7fBWIeMJZw4dMDCAwablib1xqy4cSb8vYVj67yZqxroXXjEfVpWuS_r8Ab9oK8KeeUQU/s320/IMG_20150926_123656794_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, hopefully, I'll get to paint our new exterior <br />
doors and show them off soon-- weather permitting.</td></tr>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383127494463537831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-89293817475166001632015-09-18T22:47:00.003-04:002019-06-16T21:23:36.964-04:00The Insulation Installation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGJ0RMzwiUhN8TpIiQEMMFSidI-HDefYcJWbHUabq-9JV3j-kfb3xSn3xS9rJzV7DTP1SWC8Rco6LR_O3sEDCOVxLVrvyUUD24myBEU6mqWXjZ8TczaWSszIRBLwTxIMDUly2zsokOKc/s1600/IMG_20150914_191628108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGJ0RMzwiUhN8TpIiQEMMFSidI-HDefYcJWbHUabq-9JV3j-kfb3xSn3xS9rJzV7DTP1SWC8Rco6LR_O3sEDCOVxLVrvyUUD24myBEU6mqWXjZ8TczaWSszIRBLwTxIMDUly2zsokOKc/s640/IMG_20150914_191628108.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our house is now insulated! A crew worked from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, finishing a job in 12 hours that would've taken Walter and me <strike>exceptionally</strike> <strike>drastically</strike> <strike>about a hundred times</strike> longer. If you can get past the cotton candy craving the insulation evokes, it gives the general appearance of walls and ceiling causing the rooms to feel a bit more homey (in a Mr. Mint and Gramma Nut are my neighbors sort of way). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqxBQlhSCMBcagCgOgAabb5W2BAOQ4Uh4hVRbfrItbZrKg1UZvNfKDBO8FG4IJ0Jr0vSbQwdJqcfiatz2EMbrjkJZIrxRZUp-KGEwYA6gneZIb72W5CYs9FN6bjhPsG4NSWjuToQeW24/s1600/IMG_20150914_192046058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqxBQlhSCMBcagCgOgAabb5W2BAOQ4Uh4hVRbfrItbZrKg1UZvNfKDBO8FG4IJ0Jr0vSbQwdJqcfiatz2EMbrjkJZIrxRZUp-KGEwYA6gneZIb72W5CYs9FN6bjhPsG4NSWjuToQeW24/s320/IMG_20150914_192046058.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIyvDcHMNBDQw5by3XeMfZtPTTFdU3JTxO_DRmhJy9kI0LbM0QfoPHCgNexdMO2QZOaCJya0eag3EM28V2LaAGYYV9myGMMqFXbwORqDe74RIKRip_csQTeCtV-RYQZmjc2bDB1xNuwA/s1600/IMG_20150914_191924468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIyvDcHMNBDQw5by3XeMfZtPTTFdU3JTxO_DRmhJy9kI0LbM0QfoPHCgNexdMO2QZOaCJya0eag3EM28V2LaAGYYV9myGMMqFXbwORqDe74RIKRip_csQTeCtV-RYQZmjc2bDB1xNuwA/s320/IMG_20150914_191924468.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last Saturday, Walter had some help from his brother, sister in law, little nephew, and cousin cleaning up the rooms. That's the thing about renovating, you have to clean up so new messes can be made.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyZEYYBET9IIIbCecdYOxlabEPXGRiMJpM4Vuo8A8dSO0ThEWKmX8OtfpWl9MY671cScsOHidQqm7IA11xEnEL7EL1Tiq1T3twITBWjFqYFIC2bZzTR_eCsA9jvlUQocRGvYzKHxuz8E/s1600/IMG_20150914_191913927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyZEYYBET9IIIbCecdYOxlabEPXGRiMJpM4Vuo8A8dSO0ThEWKmX8OtfpWl9MY671cScsOHidQqm7IA11xEnEL7EL1Tiq1T3twITBWjFqYFIC2bZzTR_eCsA9jvlUQocRGvYzKHxuz8E/s320/IMG_20150914_191913927.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEKcf_m2SpsuJAc5NrzDNWKN3CXU5uxjSBi8-BlC8OQwv27jr-i7UJ2hfioJx-5mldRs2lu-TwrlvYVHCha8cmKagZCrjGP60NsgmeJ4vte1Dufz7X1bbYzutmd3oNYQ1m5Ed-K_BAV4/s1600/IMG_20150914_191905419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEKcf_m2SpsuJAc5NrzDNWKN3CXU5uxjSBi8-BlC8OQwv27jr-i7UJ2hfioJx-5mldRs2lu-TwrlvYVHCha8cmKagZCrjGP60NsgmeJ4vte1Dufz7X1bbYzutmd3oNYQ1m5Ed-K_BAV4/s320/IMG_20150914_191905419.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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See what I mean? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVfhhxSoX9_of8QLT7q_AIvwfsJwM-zUG04caDPuQQufGsANQ0EVwLjYAUwRQUzzOdAgfrBoEKv0V7XdmB1Gb-56k2lJLYRTG5Y7zqGEIGojcifJez7-fv6SyoZcMTdhdJ0bhZ9VRkQ0/s1600/IMG_20150914_192005011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVfhhxSoX9_of8QLT7q_AIvwfsJwM-zUG04caDPuQQufGsANQ0EVwLjYAUwRQUzzOdAgfrBoEKv0V7XdmB1Gb-56k2lJLYRTG5Y7zqGEIGojcifJez7-fv6SyoZcMTdhdJ0bhZ9VRkQ0/s320/IMG_20150914_192005011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The exterior walls were insulated along with the upstairs ceiling. For sound insulation, Walter had them insulate the bedroom and bathroom downstairs. Prior to this, only the attic crawl space and the attic storage area (right side of the house only) had been insulated. It was a blow in type that looked much like the picture below (but that insulation is new).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzjdb6G3CvKyrdjxoElSl4-Kvq7B2pT2NwgF6is4uzkA-egffHP_5HknEFnph59CL9_xhcrIm0asf-RUfGkgdOGOQdDs4XyqxOPD2mX38sAMiPyRwz8iLXVrSFvYmdOZ2T440PMzImJY/s1600/IMG_20150914_204502785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzjdb6G3CvKyrdjxoElSl4-Kvq7B2pT2NwgF6is4uzkA-egffHP_5HknEFnph59CL9_xhcrIm0asf-RUfGkgdOGOQdDs4XyqxOPD2mX38sAMiPyRwz8iLXVrSFvYmdOZ2T440PMzImJY/s320/IMG_20150914_204502785.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walter had to build an access panel for the upstairs unit before <br />
the insulation could be installed.</td></tr>
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Tomorrow morning, a crew is coming bright and early to get the drywall up. Hooray!</div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383127494463537831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-39144306867655777922015-08-27T21:34:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:36:58.914-04:00Let there be lights.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If we could have spoken the wiring into existence, we would've. However, no matter how many times we mentioned or wished for it, it just didn't happen. But, now, we flip the switch, and there is light. And it is good. (Oh, and so are the outlets.)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, friends, the <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><a href="http://wahlstedtfarm.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-tractor-tiff.html" target="_blank">"We're Nowhere Near Wiring and Plumbing" Perturbation of November </a>" (which took place in 2013, mind you) can no longer rear its ugly head. T</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">he struggle of using one outlet, multiple extension cords, a flood light, and the daylight hours to do what was necessary to remodel our home (also since 2013)-- in the past.</span></div>
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Walter began running wire (enlisting help sometimes) and mounted the lights and outlets on evenings and weekends in July. He looked up code, studied a bit, and --with the trademark Walter confidence which I admire--went to it. He taught me a little of the small jobs such as stripping the wire in the outlets and punching the holes out of the outlet cases.He took a couple days off to concentrate on the job, and an electrician showed up. He worked with Walter for a day, then, finished up for us. </div>
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There is still lots of work to do, but with this huge item off our checklist, we are <strike>that much</strike> closer to moving in! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8mQN2Zw7fd478r6ewo6URmUuBq5qYyDAuTE9xLF3o4ipRCQQmE3MYiiK2Frt2vrSeGgvx4khxKRVs5Y7ZuA1_CIuaezkVcW51AZphqEFNpqQBqIFBoiDjON3UWHTyclp50koxz-HhF4/s1600/DSC_2995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8mQN2Zw7fd478r6ewo6URmUuBq5qYyDAuTE9xLF3o4ipRCQQmE3MYiiK2Frt2vrSeGgvx4khxKRVs5Y7ZuA1_CIuaezkVcW51AZphqEFNpqQBqIFBoiDjON3UWHTyclp50koxz-HhF4/s640/DSC_2995.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recessed lighting in the living room, along with two spots for a fan.</td></tr>
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P.S. The insulation crew are going to fit us in next week!</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-67088625379977691692015-06-19T19:16:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:23:58.816-04:00Father's Day Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I already knew he was a wonderful husband. I knew he would be a good father, too.</div>
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Yet, he exceeded my expectations by being a <b>great</b> one.</div>
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Happy 1st Father's Day!</div>
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383127494463537831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-13668746009666195092015-05-14T16:36:00.002-04:002019-06-16T21:24:59.783-04:00Mother's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I just celebrated my first Mother's Day.<br />
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Having a baby was something that I struggled with throughout the years of our marriage. Walter wanted children, and, while I love kids, the thought of having my own was quite terrifying.<br />
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I married Walter when I was twenty-one, and, because we were still in college, I didn't think having children was wise in our first years. Walter was always vocal about his desire to have children, but I was always saying "let's wait".<br />
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I had three reasons why I wanted to put off having kids:<br />
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1. We were actively involved in at least three ministries at once.<br />
2. Our apartment was too small.<br />
3. We didn't have job security.<br />
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But when God worked everything out for us, giving us a home and giving us job security, why was I still not ready to take the plunge into parenthood?<br />
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The truth is, I had much deeper fears that I had a hard time facing:<br />
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1. Fear of "ruining" my body. You've heard it before a woman refers to her excess weight and tells you it came from having kids. Society pushes breast augmentation, tummy tucks, or unrealistic measures to get us back in our pre-pregnancy shape. What would happen to my body? What if I was too unattractive for Walter during and after pregnancy? It might seem silly-- and I admit that it's a vain reason. But, honestly, as someone who struggled with body image all my life, the idea of this change scared me.<br />
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2. Fear of the pain of labor. Body image issues aside, I was terrified of the pain child birth would give me. After all, it is God's big punishment to Eve for sin. If that's not a reason to believe this is going to hurt majorly, I don't know what is.<br />
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3. Fear of losing my spiritual identity. What I mean by that is, I felt as if I were doing exactly what God wanted me to. As I mentioned before, I was involved in several ministries at once. I was a camp counselor during the summer. We were leading two college ministries. I was part of a ministry team that traveled from church to church. My role in those ministries would be changed if I began a new chapter in life as a mother. Was that something I wanted to give up? I mean, I was doing work for God. Work I enjoyed. Would God really want me to give that up to be a Mom? How would I be able to serve God?<br />
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4. Fear of change. This encompasses all of the others really. With a baby comes big changes. Mental, spiritual, financial, leisure, physical-- having a baby would change everything.<br />
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I knew having children was something that God wanted me to do. I just didn't feel ready. Then, one day, I came to peace with it. I realized I needed to let go of my fears and selfishness. To be like Christ is to die to self and having a child (for me) has been a lesson on just how to do that.<br />
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For weeks, I ached physically from the act of bringing a child into this world (and sustaining his life through feeding him!). When I look in the mirror, I see someone I don't recognize. I can't fit into my clothes because my body has completely changed. The clothes I can wear are stained within an hour of wearing them. My conversation is lacking because I talk to an infant-- unless you are a parent too, then, I have lots to share :). I cry a lot-- if he cries, when I have to stop holding him and put him in my bed, or, sometimes, because he's just so beautiful I can't believe I'm so lucky to be his mother. When I try to remember my life before, I feel like that life was a dream, and that person was a completely different person. I guess because of this, I feel that this is the closest to dying to self and living an unselfish life I've ever known. I don't despise my new stretch marks, but think of them as a reminder that I'm not the same person I was before.<br />
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Yes, after seven years of marriage I surrendered to the calling God had placed on my life.<br />
I love being a mother.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXOU1GkHMDdbOKby2Qp6Do_wbZYpEFinM7a4Zy_9gy9eYaamfxZ_AyGhyaXsz__t-bwBWeFy0xTHSRStZmZrgvUIWD_MalcRFCmh-hq45RSuo6N894Ay-Q18ql2MrRiYE7irk0cr7aeo/s1600/IMG_20150506_190636379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXOU1GkHMDdbOKby2Qp6Do_wbZYpEFinM7a4Zy_9gy9eYaamfxZ_AyGhyaXsz__t-bwBWeFy0xTHSRStZmZrgvUIWD_MalcRFCmh-hq45RSuo6N894Ay-Q18ql2MrRiYE7irk0cr7aeo/s320/IMG_20150506_190636379.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walter bought me a cake to celebrate.</td></tr>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-76583481484919952602015-04-11T11:49:00.001-04:002019-06-16T21:37:24.002-04:00Heating and Air? Check!We've had a lot going on lately. Having a newborn and renovating a house can be tough. Fortunately, we had some hired hands to do some of the work. (Although Walter still works on things here and there on a daily basis.)<br />
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We had a few down months, but now things are picking up again. We now have heating and air:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Downstairs unit (basement)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdamSr7Y-b3IVCQ7SaXPvvVtq5irgQwiejLvksq4VP1OhHl-a2jkcbHrNlue24E3lktXWnk8fLPTLkeBAihyphenhyphentSUhu0ttVm-ggos6Zt2Cn4EpQBfe6g0uPxgXYgQ1-iRgz7fjEaDL4NjQ/s1600/DSC_2695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdamSr7Y-b3IVCQ7SaXPvvVtq5irgQwiejLvksq4VP1OhHl-a2jkcbHrNlue24E3lktXWnk8fLPTLkeBAihyphenhyphentSUhu0ttVm-ggos6Zt2Cn4EpQBfe6g0uPxgXYgQ1-iRgz7fjEaDL4NjQ/s1600/DSC_2695.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upstairs unit (attic)</td></tr>
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Walter has been laying out our lighting and electric outlet plan. Also, he has prepped the walls upstairs to get us ready for insulation.<br />
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Yet, even though we're busy, we still have time for this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-e_dfo5f2Q8Z57gZXs0JbM8JL8VTFt9-Ry_3dvsBnqn8k9CC_GQUl-hUDaSHDWwMs7ExG7M_8rqBMST5abKvr96vzzb0Hhpe6hdneBqju-Yv4y4t9hNI2B-GutTu12qrAKCRLidiJ8Y/s1600/IMG_20150331_123248581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-e_dfo5f2Q8Z57gZXs0JbM8JL8VTFt9-Ry_3dvsBnqn8k9CC_GQUl-hUDaSHDWwMs7ExG7M_8rqBMST5abKvr96vzzb0Hhpe6hdneBqju-Yv4y4t9hNI2B-GutTu12qrAKCRLidiJ8Y/s1600/IMG_20150331_123248581.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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and this:</div>
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And of course this.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYLTzCkGzm_aUNCP23hAT2PQWwnfgk0pf6I-v6SNZJ_j0MtmAId1WWXqj0-p5xV8PBjZbaqznoSO9iLz7qdjxkchyphenhyphennjG9iB_JysPslP-7m0XRgPp3NFC6ceCwhXsR0iMu8bCS04q6U_s/s1600/DSC_2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYLTzCkGzm_aUNCP23hAT2PQWwnfgk0pf6I-v6SNZJ_j0MtmAId1WWXqj0-p5xV8PBjZbaqznoSO9iLz7qdjxkchyphenhyphennjG9iB_JysPslP-7m0XRgPp3NFC6ceCwhXsR0iMu8bCS04q6U_s/s1600/DSC_2646.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Next step, wiring! (Finally!)</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-25401693435255113242015-04-09T20:17:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:42:19.105-04:00Our Baby Story<div>
After I was born, my mom wrote down her story of my birth so she could remember it well. I thought that was so cool when I was younger because I was able to know what happened on the day I was born. This post is my way of remembering that special day.<br />
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P.S. This a <i>birth</i> story, so if that stuff makes you queasy or uncomfortable, don't continue reading. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now we are three!</td></tr>
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<b>Early Labor</b></div>
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At week 37, I had a routine appointment with my doctor. She checked me and I was dilated three centimeters. "You're really progressing," she told me with a smile. "I'm on call tomorrow so I might see you then! If not, I'll see you next week!"<br />
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The previous week, I was at one. Now, just a week later, I was at three. I had read a few books that said not to put too much faith in the weekly checks. "That measurement tells you nothing about when you will have your baby". I repeated this over and over in my head. But, I also told myself this let's me know that my body is gearing up and getting ready for this big event. So, I smiled back at her thinking that I probably wouldn't see her tomorrow, and I would most likely be back for another appointment the following week. Yet, a new realization hit me. I would be having this baby. Soon.</div>
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Monday, I worked that week with very few contractions. Maybe three a day that I actually felt. The following week, I went back to the doctor. My doctor's assistant checked me. "Hmm... looks like you are still about the same." Ok, so maybe I wouldn't be having this baby soon after all.</div>
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At that point, I was a little discouraged. Had my body stalled out? Was I going to have to be induced? Since I had begun dilating so early, I didn't think inducing would be something I would have to worry about. Then, I realized that I hadn't even reached my due date. I wasn't late so there was no need to panic. So, I went back to work trying not to worry. </div>
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That Thursday, my body had some kind of shock to its system. I was shaky. I felt weak. I had to leave work and go home and rest. Walter and I figured it was my body telling me it was time to slow down and take it easy. I rested a lot and took some walks with my husband enjoying the fresh air. Saturday, I felt good enough to go to a household shower for a friend of mine. But Sunday, I started feeling a little odd again. </div>
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I began feeling some "hard" contractions. (I say "hard" with quotation marks because compared to what I experienced later in labor--these were nothing at all.) Walter grabbed his phone and started timing the contractions. Somewhere, I had read that you could measure the strength of your contraction by touching your nose, chin, and forehead. Nose was normal, chin was a medium contraction, and forehead was a hard contraction. So we laid down on our bed timing the contractions and feeling of my belly. These contractions were like a wave that begun with blood rushing to my head and moved down to my stomach. They weren't painful, and as I breathed through them, they felt almost like a rush. Eventually, they settled down and my body went back to normal.</div>
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I didn't go back to work on Monday. Walter and I both stayed home. We took walks. We had the gas company come by to hook up a line for us. The heating and air company finished their work on our house. We closed the day by heading to the doctor. </div>
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"Do you think we should load up our stuff for the hospital just in case? It could be like a practice run," I suggested. Walter agreed that was a good idea and we loaded up the car with all of our belongings. We both thought we probably would just end up getting sent home unless I was dilated tremendously, which was fine by us because we both expected me to labor for a while at home anyway.</div>
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<div>
At the doctor, we sat in the waiting room. I had a contraction or two like I did the day before. Right before I was called back for my vitals, I had a "hard" contraction. I walked to the scale almost out of breath. When I sat down for my blood pressure, I knew my pulse would probably be racing. </div>
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"I'm going to check you one more time," the nurse told me. That's new, they've never done that before, I thought. Now, I am the type of person who thinks of these doctor visits like a final exam or test. I want to get a great score. I want the numbers to be good. So, knowing I had to redo a blood pressure test began to cause me to panic a little. Not the greatest thing to do when you are getting your blood pressure checked. "It's a little high," she told me after taking my pressure again, "168/82. What is it usually?" </div>
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"The highest it's ever been was 127 over something," I replied. I could feel my heart beat faster. Calm down. Calm down, I kept telling my self. But it was as if a surge of hormones were taking over my body, and I couldn't control my emotions. I went back out to the waiting room and told Walter what was going on. </div>
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"It's ok," he replied calmly, "It's probably because you are having some contractions." I tried to trust that he was right, but I was in full panic mode. When they called me back to a room, I cried on him. </div>
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"What if something is wrong?" Just then, the nurse came in again to do another blood pressure test. </div>
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"I'm just going to check you one more time," she told me. I tried to make myself look as if I hadn't been crying and was calm, but I'm sure I failed. She took my pressure again this time telling me the new numbers, "162, so it is going down some."</div>
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The doctor came in shortly after and looked to see if I was swelling. I was. She checked me out and saw that I was about 4 and a half. "Here's what I think," she began, "I think you are about ready to have this baby. I think you are in early labor and transitioning. I'm going to send you over to the hospital for monitoring and blood work. Because of your blood pressure, we want to make sure you don't have preeclampsia. Your urine doesn't show any protein, so it probably isn't preeclampsia. But, I'm pretty sure you are either going to have this baby tonight or tomorrow. You've just got that look about you."<br />
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Let me take a minute to explain the "you're about to pop" look. From what I understand when you are about to have a baby, you end up going from something like this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn_MJ9sJTQxAixeV7A0ZcXtckbsaUBcl6Es8lmb02rhFpSEZfyUY1QYIHcKETK6cBcQdMVeHMYLYGfk8fqrC4FcFGulhuqmlUy1RiNqvzv7_O3hJvXE1rb84sfsXXKoDJICVTL1Rlvg0/s1600/Profile_-_Belle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn_MJ9sJTQxAixeV7A0ZcXtckbsaUBcl6Es8lmb02rhFpSEZfyUY1QYIHcKETK6cBcQdMVeHMYLYGfk8fqrC4FcFGulhuqmlUy1RiNqvzv7_O3hJvXE1rb84sfsXXKoDJICVTL1Rlvg0/s320/Profile_-_Belle.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pregnancy glow.</td></tr>
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To this:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not a monster!</td></tr>
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<div>
If my blood pressure was dropping before, it certainly skyrocketed at that moment. My mind was racing. I was going to have this baby. I was going to the hospital. I didn't even feel like I was having contractions. What about laboring at home like I had pictured. What about the enormous pain I was about to experience? </div>
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The office sent some paperwork over for us and said the hospital knew we were coming and to check in at the emergency room. I heard the words C-section mentioned. I felt sick. Walter was pretty shaken himself. Part of it was because we didn't believe I was in labor yet and were afraid they were going to try to start my labor for me. Part of it was because we knew in a short time we would be parents.</div>
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We pulled in to the parking lot and Walter looked over at me and asked if I was ready to go in. "We can wait or go right in," he told me. "Do you think you need to eat? We can still go get something. We don't have to go in right now."</div>
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"I don't know. I know I need to eat, but I don't think I can. Maybe I can eat one of those protein bars."</div>
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"Do you want to walk around on the track?"</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtxeXvbkD3956_3HiGM4lx5kFB634kobbBrDk4AxpyaEzD__OnEaSNg_NpJhi4cinj7mNNEJJZrtV6bg_DXkH7-o4MrdSRk_B5aSujbTz8T_ulz0CtyiME8Le-RjpRdzz-LYaGfi-eqw/s1600/IMG_20150323_173557092_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtxeXvbkD3956_3HiGM4lx5kFB634kobbBrDk4AxpyaEzD__OnEaSNg_NpJhi4cinj7mNNEJJZrtV6bg_DXkH7-o4MrdSRk_B5aSujbTz8T_ulz0CtyiME8Le-RjpRdzz-LYaGfi-eqw/s1600/IMG_20150323_173557092_HDR.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken in the hospital parking lot. <br />
I was a nervous wreck, but<br />
I was trying to look excited.</td></tr>
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"I don't know. I guess." I couldn't make any decisions because I was too nervous of what was about to happen. Walter, trying to ease the tension, got out the camera to take a picture of me arriving at the hospital. I was still a mess. So, he took me by the hand, and we walked to the walking trail around a pond.<br />
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I broke down on him. "I'm really scared," I confessed, "Mostly of the pain." He hugged me and we said a prayer, then, walked some more around the trail. Finally, when I felt somewhat ready, we went on in to the hospital.<br />
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There was a line in the emergency room, when one line opened up, Walter and I headed over but were cut in front of by a couple who was looking for someone. So we waited. And waited. Both of us were getting more and more nervous as every second ticked by. Finally, we checked in and I was wheeled to my room.<br />
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There, I was introduced to my nurse. She was incredibly friendly and that helped Walter and me feel much more at ease. After talking to her about what I wanted for my labor, she took note and let me know that they would do whatever was needed to help me achieve the labor I wanted. I felt a great sense of relief. In fact, I remember telling her that I could handle this now after talking to her. She said she was excited for us and joked that maybe we could wait until morning shift so she could be with us when we had the baby. She talked to me about my vitals and told me my blood pressure was good, but they'd keep checking it just in case. Then, they got a reading with the fetal monitor. She pointed out that I was having contractions. At that point, I didn't even know it. She told me to feel my belly and pointed out that it was very hard and would let up and soften. Then, Walter and I watched the rise and fall on the computer screen. For a moment, I thought, if this is a contraction, this will be a walk in the park. But, realistically, I knew this was nothing.<br />
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Walter packed the rest of our stuff in, and we made our self comfortable. It was probably around 6:30 or 7:00 when we made ourselves comfortable in our room. A new nurse, just as great as the first, came in for her shift and introduced herself. She told us she had talked to the doctor and the doctor was on board with our natural birth plan. She talked to me about options of some pain medicine I could have instead of the epidural.<br />
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I was very vocal about wanting to be able to move in order to get more comfortable during my labor, so they said they'd remove the fetal monitor after about fifteen minutes. They also brought me a birth ball. I asked if I could still eat, and the nurse told me I could until midnight. Since the hospital cafeteria was closed, Walter went out to get some food for us. While he was gone, I got in the spa tub to ease some of my back pain. Once I was in, I realized that I might need help getting back out due to my contractions (mainly back pain), my huge body, and my limited mobility. I texted Walter and told him when he got back I'd probably need his help. Unfortunately, I had locked the door, so I had to gingerly climb out of the tub and try not to hurt myself.<br />
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My contractions were picking up at this point, and I had to concentrate to breath through them, but they were spaced out enough where I could still talk, eat, and move. Walter and I ate our meal, but my appetite was decreasing.<br />
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Now, my contractions were getting stronger, but they weren't terrible or painful. I would have Walter walk me into the bathroom and help me get on the birth ball. Eventually, we decided to relax in the hospital bed and watch the tv. Then, we tried to get some sleep. The nurses came in intermittently checking my vitals and asked me to rate my pain on a scale from one to ten. "Well, I don't really have a good reference to go on," I replied. "I guess, a four?"<br />
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The nurses looked at me amused and one answered, "Ok, good. Some people would already be saying a ten."<br />
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After they left, Walter turned out the lights and we got into the hospital bed. I was having stronger contractions and needed to know he was near me. We prayed together, and then, tried to get some sleep.<br />
<br />
<b>Active Labor</b><br />
<br />
We thought it would be a long night because I was having more "intense" (as I described it to the nurse, I wasn't going to call it pain yet) contractions. Suddenly, as we lay in the bed, I felt something pop in my pelvis. I jumped up in a panic. (I guess I should mention prior to this Walter had read a message board comment about a lady who said her sons head had been jammed into her rib cage during her pregnancy, so I was just imagining my baby's head stuck somehow in my pelvis.)<br />
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"Do you want me to call the nurse?" Walter asked.<br />
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"I don't know," I worried.<br />
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"That's what they're here for to help," he reminded me.<br />
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He called for the nurse. I turned just a bit and it felt a some water, "I think my water broke," I told him, but I wasn't sure because it wasn't a lot of fluid.<br />
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The nurse and her assistant came in right away. "She thinks her water broke," Walter told them.<br />
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"Ok, well let's check." They had some kind of swab that was supposed to turn blue if it was really the fluid. The problem was they had a hard time finding the fluid. I just want to note that the assistant was doing a LOT of checks. I guess this was her first birth. All I know is it felt like she was the Mr. Magoo of nurses. She couldn't find anything-- and I mean anything--my fluid, the baby's heart rate, other vital measurements that let you know how you are progressing...) She put the fetal monitor on and couldn't find the heartbeat for a moment, which made me panic because, remember, I was thinking the baby's head might have been the pop. When she found the heartbeat, I was relieved.<br />
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While I lay there, she swabbed for some fluid, but there wasn't much to get. During this, I told them I had to go to the bathroom. When I got back out, she was still looking for something to swab.<br />
<br />
"I think you could probably find some on the bathroom floor," I finally told her. Fortunately, she did and it was positive. My water had broken. This was around midnight.<br />
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"Now, things will start moving along," she told me.<br />
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And they did. Before I knew it, I was sitting on the birth ball, pillows stacked at the foot of the bed and my upper body leaning on them. I was trying to rotate my hips between contractions to ease the--I'll go ahead and say it now-- pain. Walter was pushing on my lower back to help relieve the pressure. He would also help me remember how to breathe and to relax.<br />
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I couldn't really look around the room or answer questions, but I could hear everything. I heard the nurses come in and say they needed to get a monitor on the baby's heartbeat again. so when the nurses came in after a little while, they asked me if I wanted to sit on the peanut ball. I had no idea what that was, but it sure didn't sound like anything I would ever want to do.<br />
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"She seems like she's pretty comfortable here," Walter told them.<br />
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They asked me, and I replied with my signature, <i>I don't know</i> phrase I had been responding with since told I was in labor.<br />
<br />
"How about we do it after the next time she gets up to use the bathroom?" Walter asked. I have no idea how much time had passed, but I could no longer walk to the bathroom on my own. Walter had to help me and let me rest on him. Then, when I got there, I felt as if I had no time before the next contraction started. After what seemed like eternity, I was finally able to make my way back to the bed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYq1wgfGPxZODXriBOz4Ukuh_ak-A3IWktprHlfQoc_v-1RE48DZwJ_wlTzB0QEUfT1W1PegnIBrUTNq1AaI-6HENwWweGOxsdyegA5Uo-nYB-tqjF0EWXWFbGsRhmU1nd1E-2wxxVvo/s1600/IMG_20150324_063926465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYq1wgfGPxZODXriBOz4Ukuh_ak-A3IWktprHlfQoc_v-1RE48DZwJ_wlTzB0QEUfT1W1PegnIBrUTNq1AaI-6HENwWweGOxsdyegA5Uo-nYB-tqjF0EWXWFbGsRhmU1nd1E-2wxxVvo/s1600/IMG_20150324_063926465.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The peanut ball. Thank you for speeding up my labor. <br />
No thank you for the pain you caused me.</td></tr>
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The nurses were ready and armed with a gigantic orange ball that they wanted me to keep between my legs. I was in too much pain to protest. Their reasoning for this was it would help with dilation. They also put on the heart rate monitor so they could get a read on the contractions.<br />
<br />
"About five minutes apart," the trainee nurse said. They felt a lot closer than that. I laid on one side with that ball. Walter would watch the monitor where he could see the contractions, but after a while, I think it must've slipped because he couldn't watch them on the monitor anymore.<br />
<br />
He didn't have to guess when they were coming though because I would let out a low groan to help relax through it. I had my eyes shut tight. All I could do was feel and hear. I would hear him telling me to relax certain parts of my body. "Relax your jaw. Relax your shoulders." He didn't say them like orders, they were calm statements that I was able to focus on and I would try my best to do it. (What we had read was that relaxing lets the body do what it needs to do, and tensing fights that. That's why there was such a push for me to relax.)<br />
<br />
It seems like the nurses wanted to check me again, but they were nice enough to wait until the contractions passed. I think I remember them saying the number 6. I remember wishing that I had heard a higher number because I was in a lot of pain. I knew I wasn't in the thick of it yet, according to what I had read, the worst was yet to come. Soon, my body was trembling uncontrollably, so it became really hard to relax. I was hardly aware of anyone else in the room. I just kept focusing on my breathing and Walter's instructions. I think they flipped me over which was no fun. Walter kept his hand on my back so I knew he was there. I think I heard him ask the nurses where he could get something to drink. I also heard them tell him, my body shakes were normal and caused by hormones.<br />
<br />
He said he was gone for a few minutes. I didn't realize it at that point. I don't even remember being flipped over a third time. Walter tried to help me relax my legs, but that ball made me feel as if I was having to hold it. I just wanted it gone so I could curl up and relieve this intense pressure I was feeling. It felt like some kind of machine was pushing down with full force, then, another was pushing my hips apart with full force. At this point, I started thinking that if I had to endure this for hours longer I might not make it. I didn't want to say that out loud though. I didn't want to give up. Also, I remembered that when you get to that mental breaking point, it is usually when the worst of the labor is over. What if I was wrong, and I was one of those "my pain is a ten" claimers when it was really a six?<br />
<br />
I don't know how long I was in this state of trembling and groaning, but I do remember suddenly feeling my stomach do two pushes down. I was able to open my eyes. I waited for the enormous contractions to continue, but I felt some type of relief. I remembered reading that before the pushing stage you sometimes get a relief period. I looked at Walter, "I think I need to push!" I told him. He didn't hesitate to call the nurses, but he admits now that he didn't think there was anyway I was at that stage yet.<br />
<br />
<b>Second Stage</b><br />
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"Uh, she told me she thinks she needs to push," he told the nurses over the call button.<br />
<br />
In no time, about a dozen nurses came in. The lights flipped on. People were moving in all directions. Mrs. Magoo did a final check. "Yeah, the head is really low and I don't feel anything."<br />
<br />
I was so relieved to hear this because I was thinking if I were just at a seven or eight, I wouldn't make it.<br />
<br />
"We'll call the doctor, don't push yet!" The nurses instructed. One sat on the end of the bed seeing how far the baby was moving with each contraction. I heard one nurse say that they might be delivering this baby themselves. One was instructing me to act like I was blowing out candles in order to keep from pushing. I grabbed Walter's hands and squeezed. Locked my eyes on his and breathed. They kept telling me not to push, and I finally replied, "I'm not trying!"<br />
<br />
I just wanted this baby out! The contractions were picking up again, and I didn't want to fight them anymore. Finally, the doctor came in and my hotel-esque room turned into a full blown hospital room.<br />
<br />
I heard three voices this time. The doctor, the countdown nurse, and Walter. Others were cheering me on, but they were faded in the background. I was supposed to hold my breath for ten seconds and push, then, do this again two more times. It was very difficult. I felt like the only thing I was pushing out were my eyeballs from their sockets. Also, at first, I kept letting out my breath early. Once I even yelled and the doctor told me there was no yelling at this stage.<br />
<br />
I don't know how long I pushed, but I don't think it was a terribly long time (even though it felt like it). They would follow my lead as I felt each contraction building I would push with it.<br />
<br />
"Look at all that hair!" I heard some of the nurses exclaim as they saw my baby's head. Now, that I was getting the hang of this and knew he could be seen, I began to push harder.<br />
<br />
"Five pushes this time!" the doctor ordered.<br />
<br />
I pushed until I saw black and stars. On my final push, I let out some kind of primitive war cry. I felt something hit my chest. I looked down and saw my baby boy for the first time. I looked over at Walter, who had tears in his eyes. I had such an adrenaline rush that I couldn't even see straight. (This rush lasted for about two days, I think). He was born at 4:11 a.m.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIDvWThzBk7B_rtei5dfdL1UcrYtrp66YRUJqfAULeOxw9M1xI-LIrs6nvpxboKNf3W6JG55rVI66n4-Yszyp11rFvErz7LsqYWYPg3KiYTjjKvSjKFgN1eJbDMjsDY5_ZvnGpvHAY-g/s1600/DSC_2597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIDvWThzBk7B_rtei5dfdL1UcrYtrp66YRUJqfAULeOxw9M1xI-LIrs6nvpxboKNf3W6JG55rVI66n4-Yszyp11rFvErz7LsqYWYPg3KiYTjjKvSjKFgN1eJbDMjsDY5_ZvnGpvHAY-g/s1600/DSC_2597.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhausted, yet elated.</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>Third Stage</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8pWZRrWhIaPCqIk2U9bP0sAtemCnMJgmdBCISf9AD3-voDh8jdmyxUVVLuvssKUgxC8LJVJthguL6wrIIUC6AIf9NQUR4ZwJakPk3th47OuAW-qEaj8aQV9kD9LfFNzhSzCJC0M6ZF4/s1600/DSC_2589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8pWZRrWhIaPCqIk2U9bP0sAtemCnMJgmdBCISf9AD3-voDh8jdmyxUVVLuvssKUgxC8LJVJthguL6wrIIUC6AIf9NQUR4ZwJakPk3th47OuAW-qEaj8aQV9kD9LfFNzhSzCJC0M6ZF4/s1600/DSC_2589.JPG" width="320" /></a>He was measured and weighed-- 7lbs 14 oz. and 21 in. long. Then, he was given to me, and I fed him for the first time. After an hour, Walter got to hold him. Somewhere in all this, I was put on pitocin to help heal, my placenta was released, and I was stitched up. I still had tremors, but no more pain--only joy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWagubx9KdyW9FG3nvUOQzfwxfnLPvIXln7WVdvm2xKbxuMnSnTWRywoFH2x34b5hRHofgXjekUQHRhYHe8ROaNJNORWE-Px8koporu25PjIQhQldxaUXHragwKDKRdPNjhKa2PJW2gA/s1600/DSC_2621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWagubx9KdyW9FG3nvUOQzfwxfnLPvIXln7WVdvm2xKbxuMnSnTWRywoFH2x34b5hRHofgXjekUQHRhYHe8ROaNJNORWE-Px8koporu25PjIQhQldxaUXHragwKDKRdPNjhKa2PJW2gA/s1600/DSC_2621.JPG" width="400" /></a>Mom and Dad came in to visit around 6 a.m., and then, a nurse told me when I was ready she would walk us to our room. I expected to get wheeled again, but I guess, they thought I'd be fine. So, all of us walked to our new room where we would spend the next two days learning how to take care of each other, learning our new roles as parents, and learning a new definition of love.<br />
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There are some days when I still can't believe he is here or he's ours. </div>
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God has truly blessed us.</div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-3245360350877652942015-04-04T21:24:00.000-04:002019-06-17T20:36:49.638-04:00A Few Family Photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Rain has caused our grass to get high, but the high grass with a few wildflowers thrown in has created a wonderful backdrop for outdoor photos. Oscar had a hard time staying awake, so we didn't get to take many, but here are a few.</span></div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-6134819307420274402015-03-31T11:28:00.000-04:002019-06-16T21:36:33.504-04:00Showered with Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
February 28th was the day of my baby shower. Because of snowy weather, we weren't sure if we should still have it, but anxiousness has really kicked into high gear this trimester. So when mom called me up asking what we should do, I simply replied with, "Let's just get this over with."<br />
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Not that I dreaded the shower by any means, but I had been stuck at home for two weeks working on decorations and trying to get my mind occupied with other things, but when you have a baby kicking and moving around it is hard to think about anything else.<br />
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We had it, and I had peace of mind -- for a bit.<br />
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When we first planned the shower, I didn't have a theme. I had no preferences. But as the winter went on and I began to have a lot of free time on my hands, I began to start seeing some things I would like. I thought of the first gift I made for my baby, which was a Winnie the Pooh watercolor painting.<br />
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I really liked the quotes from the books as well as the simple, rustic look of the characters. So, Walter went to work chopping up wooden slabs for the tables.<br />
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My sis sculpted and painted the little bees that we scattered throughout the tables.<br />
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My aunts had some baskets we could use, and I decorated some mason jars for some simple centerpieces.<br />
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We had the shower at Artemus church so the tables, table cloths, chair covers, and burlap strips were already provided (so was the lattice which we used to just frame the area).<br />
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We set up three rows of tables and mismatched the layout of each table. What we put on each table matched like the wood pieces, bees, and mason jars.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">The sign in table had some chopped wood from the farm (I wrote a quote from the book with a sharpie). I painted a canvas for the guests to sign, rather than have a guest book. (Like I said I had a lot of free time... and I was obsessing a bit.) </span></div>
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Walter and I are very thankful to everyone who helped decorate, plan, cook and clean up. We are very grateful for all the gifts we got before, during, and after the shower. Our little Walter is loved!</div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-90160091298250424322015-02-21T11:56:00.002-05:002019-06-16T21:28:11.603-04:00Our Week of Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This week, Walter and I were both blessed with a week off work (thanks to about a foot of snow depending on where you stepped). Our county pretty much shut down allowing us to spend some time together in snow blanketed, serene setting. Because, let's face it, serene will soon become a foreign word to us.<br />
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So this week has been another "s" word--surreal-- for a few reasons:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43Zp2T0ryQ-1jq_qnQFYlNkh1TPFstlXeu9Il79C7NV1Onxxyww5Bew9hkgYJ38R0cFdu4iPNEaNfRoI66HTkubOGhiHxKtO208Zd-nJkjfSLlIHeMloED_24Y6yFevGJZc87-90QYc0/s1600/DSC_2346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>1) Walter got a whole week off.<br />
2) Snow stuck to our yard and is still there<br />
3) I don't remember ever being snowed in where we couldn't get out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KY 225 (February 16)</td></tr>
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Ok, so maybe those things aren't THAT unbelievable, but it seemed that way to me and this is my blog.<br />
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Ruth loves the snow, but it was almost too cold for her to have fun some of the time. Plus, she had never walked in snow that deep before, so she would play then, try to clean her feet off.<br />
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Our little pal Wilbur. People kept saying "bring in your pets." Well, Wilbur isn't ours (we don't know who or if he belongs to anyone), but he was kept safe during the cold temps. He had food, water, and was even our house guest. He even got a hot bath! He also slept in Ruth's dog bed. (She wasn't too happy about that one.)<br />
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I'm going to leave you with some pictures of us enjoying our touch of winter wonderland while I check and see if my roof is caving in. Just kidding. <span style="font-size: x-small;">I hope...</span></div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-49643872397090286762015-01-19T21:30:00.003-05:002019-06-16T21:28:40.199-04:00Remodeling the fireplace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of the features we liked in the rock house was the fact that it had a fireplace. While the fireplace was okay, it didn't have the the rustic character we were looking for, nor did its current design act as the focal point we wanted in our living room. But, just like with the rest of the house, we used a little imagination and thought of what it could be (okay, a lot of imagination).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">This is what the fireplace looked like when we first purchased the house. It had a brass frame, faux brick facing, and a wooden mantle that could easily be removed. The brick facing slightly covered some type of old venting or piping was used. We didn't hate the design, but eventually, we decided we'd prefer our fireplace to resemble the exterior of the house- which meant going with rock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">We removed the mantle and everything surrounding the fireplace by this point. We were still struggling at this point with what to do/what we were ABLE to do with the fireplace. You can see it is still closed up and we hadn't even had it checked to see if it worked. We just had hope. (Also, we hoped that the rumors of snakes living in the chimney weren't true either. But just in case, we left it closed until absolutely time to get to work.)</td></tr>
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At first, we were thinking of leaving it as a fireplace and only making cosmetic changes. Then, Walter's cousin had suggested a wood burning insert. We called a mason, Walter brought up the idea of a wood burning insert, and the mason told us that was the way to go for efficient heating. He also mentioned it would probably be the cheapest way to go because there we didn't have a damper. (Damper (n): a big piece of metal up in the fireplace that allows you to close the chimney off to the inside-- Walter Wahlstedt definition)</div>
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Efficient and cheaper-- Walter heard those key words. Thus, he set out on his research mission to find the best wood burning insert for us. He found some information online about Buck stoves, and went to the closest Buck stove dealer to check it out (WD Bryant in Corbin). They had a showroom in the back, but after talking to the salesman, he recommended a Lennox. Plus, they were having a sale until the end of November on the brand. They were durable, efficient, and a good price, so we went with it. (Note: It took us a few weeks to decide. We had to consider how much square footage could be heated, what size stove, and which size could fit in our current fireplace.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lennox C260 Country Collection fireplace insert. </td></tr>
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We actually hired a different mason (hey, you gotta shop around) to install the rock and the wood burning insert. We didn't chance doing this ourselves. (We did learn through this once you go DIY, it is very hard to hand over the reigns of a project his big over to someone else-- even if they are way more experienced.) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a fireplace in the showroom of WD Bryant that inspired our look.</td></tr>
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We decided on a stacked rock design that was close to the color of our exterior. We also wanted a raised stone hearth instead of the flat, tile one we currently had. We purchased a keystone as well as a few accent pieces of rock to finish the design. The mason laid the rock right over the existing brick (since the "brick" was thin and flat it was fine) and then, laid 4" concrete block to push the bottom section of the fireplace out adding dimension.<br />
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A complication arose, and we had to order on offset bracket so we could move the stove out and still connect the insert to the flex liner in the chimney. Waiting on this piece set our project back about a month. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">You can see the faux brick peaking out from behind the concrete here. Also, due to waiting on the offset bracket, our fireplace that should have been completed before Christmas wasn't able to be completed until this past week. So, this was the sad sight we looked at for about a month.</span></div>
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Once we received the piece, we green lighted the mason. While we were at work Monday, he came in and quickly went to work-- laying the remaining rock (Stonecraft Ledgestone Chardonnay-- WD Bryant) and set the insert in for a final fit. I was off the next day, so I was able to talk to him and remind him of the design we wanted (after all, it had been over a month since we'd talked) and ask him some questions about the insert. That was a blessing. I was able to remind him of the design I had wanted just above the insert, and he was able to address any safety concerns I had. Together, the three of us were very proud of the work. :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">The hearth wasn't as high as we'd like, but it was all that was able to work. We still like it. The keystone and accent rocks were put in to blend both the fireplace and the hearth together. </td></tr>
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That seems like enough work right? Well, you still have to break the insert in to make sure it's drafting properly and allowing it to go through the curing process. The paint has to cure to make sure it is used to its full potential. We had a problem with drafting at first due to the ash pit from the fireplace being completely open. That was solved by filling it in. Walter has already been building some fires trying to figure the insert out.<br />
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The only thing missing is the mantelpiece. We aren't going to use the old one (from the first picture), Our plan is to use a piece of old wood we found at Walter's dad's house and build one. I'll show you when it happens, don't worry.<br />
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For now, we have a rustic, rock fireplace that creates an anchor for our living room and HEAT so we can work even when the temperatures are freezing. I'm really looking forward to that...<br />
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walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383127494463537831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024978022695240076.post-48802030210207880742015-01-15T21:22:00.000-05:002019-06-16T21:29:09.905-04:00Celebrating snow and 30 weeks!I've been off for three days now because it is wacky winter in SEKY again. We had frozen rain, frozen roads, frozen cars... you get the picture. However, last year, I had only worked approximately 2 days. So, we're doing better this winter.<br />
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Fortunately, I had plenty to do on Tuesday concerning our wood burning stove insert and fireplace such as make sure everything was going according to plan and going to pick up more rock. It's still in the works, but getting closer and closer to being finished. Walter has been testing it out all evening. (I'll post pictures of it completed soon.<br />
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Unfortunately, I have a lot less energy now, so doing any errands requires at least a two hour nap to refuel. But rather than just settle for a two hours, I've spent the last two DAYS refueling.<br />
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Yet, somehow, (like magic) when the snow started falling, I suddenly had energy to pack up my camera and go out to take some maternity pictures. (Well, I set up the tripod. Walter had to snap some pictures for me. Selfies with a DSLR camera are kind of difficult to take.) I had been wanting to take some maternity pictures this winter, and with the snow it seemed like a great opportunity. Oh-- and the picture session was short due to my limited knowledge of cute pregnancy poses. So I wasn't without my coat very long. (I know some of you were worried-- Mom and Mammaw!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sixteen weeks... yeah, I thought I was showing. <br />
I guess I was, I've just forgotten what a <br />
(semi) flat stomach looks like.</td></tr>
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I'm finishing up 30 weeks now. Looking back at my first picture (16 weeks), I can only think, "Wow, I didn't know what big was!" Now, with ten weeks to go-- give or take a couple-- I'm realizing it's true meaning.<br />
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P.S. Some of our photos were photobombed by our little doggie friend we've taken in (sometimes, he wonders away). Right now, however, he's always close by-- especially since we've made him a little dog house for the winter.<br />
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Now that's a belly! Enjoy the snow and stay warm!</div>
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00672818884218095517noreply@blogger.com2