Planning for LeDoux #2.

So Shawn and I have decided that we are at a point where we are ready for baby #2. So, I am starting to track my cycle, temperature and all that fun stuff. :-) I don't know how long or short it will be. I would like to get in sync with myself before we get pregnant. But if it happens quickly, we will welcome another blessing!

I haven't told anyone, except my mom, that we are trying. I don't want the "So, when is the next baby coming?", "How long have you been trying?", "It is taking you long" and other unnecessary comments from people if we announce we are actively trying. I think this board is a great way to track (respectfully track) our progress with the pregnancy. And I know this is the place to let out frustration and hopefully get thoughts and prayers along the journey.

I joined a Bible study at Christ the King Catholic Church here in Little Rock. It is the Women of Grace Bible Study using DVD lessons taught by Johnnette Benkovic, who will be attending a day long Women's Retreat at the conclusion of the Bible Study. I am very excited about this, since it has been a LONG time since I participated in a Bible Study. And I think this one will fit me great for this part of my life with trying to get pregnant again.

Starting to see the light...

So, on Tuesday night, we sanded the compound and applied a light second coat to spots. I think we finished at 10:00 that night. On Wednesday we sprayed a texture on the walls. Finished about 9:30. I think it looks pretty good. On Thursday night, we were both exhausted and didn't do anything. So tonight we are gonna prime. If i can convince my child that it is bedtime... Stay tuned!


So we did prime that Friday night and Saturday. On Sunday, I bought the paint color and we painted when Jeanne went down for a nap. I bought a great little edger brush which knocked the time in half! Why I didn't buy this for the primer, I have no idea! So here is the finished color:
I like it. Now we are trying to decide about painting the handrails and baseboards to match the color of the countertop and the trim in the rest of the house. I think it will tie it all together, but that project is not on the front grounds! Lol




First, I am trying to decide how to put a curtain on our bay window in the kitchen. I have gotten several suggestions, and haven't tried playing with it yet. I still need to decide on a color/design curtain.
Here is the bay window. For those who read this, what do you think? Should I try to have a rod that follows the window itself? Or just one rod above the windows that is straight across?

What was I thinking??

So when we first looked at the house, I knew I would want to paint the kitchen and get rid of the wallpaper. It wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't me. Plus the seams were coming open. Sure enough, not long after we moved in, Jeanne started playing with the seams until she was able to pull a big piece! So I said it was time to remove the paper. One night, I pulled all the wallpaper off under the chair rail. Well, I realized I only pulled off the top layer. No biggie though because it came off so easy!




The next day (Saturday) we got out a scorer and chemical to remove the top layer above the chair rail (because I knew it wasn't coming off so easy). We sprayed and sprayed and the paper was stuck. So after fighting it for an hour or more, my husband got mad and just started ripping if off the wall. We soon realized our demise. Whoever built the house did not properly prime the sheet rock, as was common in the 1980's apparently, and the original wallpaper got glued straight to the sheet rock. As we were pulling the wallpaper down, we were also removing the sheet rock paper. This was turning ugly fast!!! My husband was not happy that this was not turning out as easy as we thought. As he does when something is going his way, he stomped off to the living room and I finished removing paper from the wall. I think I finished at 10:30 that night.

Shawn did prime a section behind the fridge sometime on Saturday, thinking we would find a smooth wall the next morning Wrong again! The paper was bubbled and cracked bad. So I went off to Sherwin Williams (which I highly recommend) for some help. The guy there explained that we would need to sand the walls down and then apply sheet rock compound since we were down to the gypsum board. So I brought the supplies and began working. I sanded the whole kitchen. Shawn comes in and sadly says that he didn't think it would be good enough. He was afraid the paper would still roll up. That just broke my heart! What was I thinking?? Why did I let myself think this would be a good thing to do?? Why didn't we just paint over the wallpaper??

Shawn then went to the store and bought a power sander. When he got back I had cheered up again, and he was confused. Until he went in the kitchen. I had cleaned the floor, swept up all the wallpaper, and laid out newspaper everywhere. I had control over something and it made me happy. Anyway, Shawn put the sander to use and sanded down the whole kitchen again in less than 30 minutes, whereas I spent a few hours. Plus the wall was smoother. After we put Jeanne to bed, we put up joint compound on part of the wall. I only bought one container, and it barely made one part of the big wall... We finished again about 10:30. Shawn kept saying, "What if in the morning the wall is just on the floor?" That was my biggest fear. Needless to say I didn't sleep well. The next morning, we woke up to a nicely compounded wall!! That night, we finished putting compound on the rest of the kitchen.

So much fun!

So, we are adjusting to our new life. And we haven't looked back yet! We found a Hidden Valley Farm that we could pick blueberries from. We had a ball. I made pancakes and pastries with the blueberries. Jeanne didn't like the pancakes because they were "dirty." Hahaha the mind of a two year old!

We have found several places to fish. First was at Lake Maumelle. Since this lake is a drinking water source, we had to find a small cove to fish out of. Jeanne loved playing with her fishing pole. And her bait. We didn't have much luck this time. Shawn has gone trout fishing out of Greers Ferry and done well. This past weekend we found a nice swimming and fishing hole at Lake Sylvia. I caught a catfish. Shawn had a couple of bites, but the fish were sneaky enough to take the bait!

We have also found the zoo. It was pretty big and took several hours to get around it. They even had a great penguin exhibit! Jeanne really enjoyed seeing the animals and making animal sounds back at them. There are so many things still waiting for us to find!

I'm home!

So, we moved up June 4 and have been full speed ahead since! My mom and dad came up here with us to help with the transition and get little things done here. On the 4th, we hired movers to help us unload the U-haul. Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain when they got here, so we had to wait until the next morning. Between them, the security system and internet being installed, it was quite a busy day. Dad and Shawn tackled several little jobs the next couple of days and boxes slowly got unpacked. Mom and I did some shopping for curtains and pillows/decor. I can say I am feeling at home, and so comfortable here.

I started my job this week. There is a great group of people I am working with and love learning the new tasks. I think I will fit in, but time will tell. I will have to make my own niche I guess! Shawn starts orientation next week and is anxious to start his own job. Jeanne is adjusting to her new daycare. Everything is continuing to fall into place. I do miss my friends in Shreveport, but as I have learned, starting new chapters is a part of life. So now, I am just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride!!!

P.S. I'll post pics of the house once we get it a little more finished. And when I find my camera...

Realization brings sadness

My husband graduated Saturday from medical school. I am so proud of him, and of us. We worked hard these last four years together to keep a happy home and family while he was busy studying. We have worked hard to get through low times and enjoyed happy times. We have learned a lot from each other and have both grown up a lot in the last four years.

My mom, sister, grandmother, grandfather, and aunt came up for his graduation as well as his family. We all had a great time together knowing that Shawn, Jeanne and I are fixing to move. We ate after graduation and mom and my sister watched Jeanne that night while Shawn and I celebrated. The next day, mom and my sister were packing up and taking Jeanne with them for this week so Shawn and I could pack up the house. As they were fixing to leave, my sister gave me a big hug. That's when it hit: I don't know when the next time will be before I see her again. Being four hours away was hard enough, now we will be 8. 

I know, I know. Yes there are many families out there who are further apart than that, and they do just fine. You don't know my family. We survive and live off of the time we all spend together. My family makes up excuses to get together for a big lunch and be together. I am the first one in my dad's side of the family to be further than 30 minutes away from the rest of the family outside of college. As it is, for Christmas, my sister sat on my lap and told me that she wishes we could visit more. So, as happy as we are to move, I am saddended that I am not just a town away from everyone, and could just go visit at the drop of the hat. 

These pictures make me happy. The first is from 2001, when I was a senior in band and my sister was in the 8th grade, and just starting the high school band. The second is from 2005, when she was a junior going to prom. The third is from 2006, when she was going to her senior prom. The fourth is from 2007, my 5th high school reunion. The last is from 2009, my wedding day. She was my made of honor. :-)

Anxious

So we are counting down until we move!! We move on June 4th, 15 days from now!!! Shawn and I are getting so excited about the new house and new start. We are NOT excited about the actual move. It is one thing moving a few streets or even towns over. Moving almost 4 hours, and to a new start is not so fun.

Shawn has been doing a great job of going through the house and purging/packing over the last two weeks. I did a bit of the same yesterday. Our kitchen is getting filled with boxes, but there is still so much left. This upcoming weekend is Shawn's graduation, then the next week he and I will get the rest of the packing done.

As much as I dread the actual packing, move, and unpacking, I look forward to the new house and getting to decorate MY house! It won't all be done at once. We will have weekends down the road to get little things done.

I have been preparing for my new job as well by reading SOP's and quality manuals to get ahead of the game. As I read the manuals, I go through books and internet searches to better understand the background and reasons for the tests I will be performing. I am looking forward to getting to know my new coworkers and getting in the swing of things at the lab.

15 days and counting!!