Paintin' the walls...

So the last week I have had a bee in my bonnet and I have wanted to finish painting inside our house.

Just a little background: We bought our first house in July 2008 and we love it, however moving from a cute 1930's- 950 square foot house in downtown which had beautiful painted walls to a 1990's- 1,700 square foot house with all white walls was a change. Don't get me wrong the size is amazing compared to our rental but the lady who owned our rental before us was a very well known interior designer so it was full of character ad color. It was actually featured in the "California Cottages" book. I am one of those people that is affected by color ...I LOVE COLOR! So I knew when we moved in we were going to paint the walls earth tones.

Ava's room was the only room painted when we moved in and I painted Jude's room when I was 7 months pregnant. Wes always offers to help but I really like painting by myself as silly as it sounds, it is relaxing to me. So obviously when you have two kids painting walls isn't so easy so I have had to spread it out and do it while the kids are asleep at night- tape up the wall one night and paint the next. I have also used "Freshaire Choice" paint because it has no VOC's in it and it is okay to breathe while pregnant or with small children.

Slowly but surely I have half the house done. When we moved in we also changed the light fixtures and updated the house a bit. Our house was in mint condition when we purchased it

however, it WAS true 90's with gold and crystal fixtures

Our next home improvement project that Wes and I talk about is pulling up the carpet and putting in dark wood floors.

I took pictures of some of the paint job I have completed below:

The formal dining room (with baby gate) it goes back to our den and kitchen. I just painted the kitchen and will be painting the den soon (I hope :-)

)

One view of our office from the living room (the color is dark brown). Sorry it is hard to tell I took the picture at night.

I wish I had before and after pictures of our house to show the difference.Lets just say color
has made a HUGE difference.

Make-A-Wish foundation in the Greater Bay Area

I was contacted on etsy to donate one of my birdhouses to the Make-A -Wish foundation in San Francisco for their annual wine and dinner auction on treasure island. I had no hesitation and did so whole hearted. I decided to make one just for them. I chose a butterfly book from 1922 because butterflies seemed so fitting. It ended up being my best and favorite birdhouse I have ever made-I hope it brings in some money for them. What a great foundation it is I hope to do more for them in the future.







This foundation has helped one of my family members. My cousins daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease at the age of 3 years old where tumors show up repeatedly. She has been on chemo many times, lost her hair many times, has had surgery many times and has lost the use of her left arm due to one of the tumors. Each time a tumor is found we pray it is operable. When she was 5 years old she was given a wish by the Make-A- Wish foundation and she chose a supreme playhouse for outside (electricity and all) a dream of any little girl. It made her smile and she still loves it to this day. She is 9 years old now and they have found yet another tumor, this time it is on her spine close to her neck. This one has everyone worried and we pray this is not the tumor that will take her from us. They can not operate on this one only do chemo. Please, keep Mariah in your thoughts and prayers.







I took pictures of the birdhouse below but when I took pictures of it I was not fully done. I added a lot more to it and as I was going to take a picture of the final product the camera died.

When Ava asked what I was doing I told her about the kids that it was going to help. I explained that some were so sick that they did not even have hair. She all of a sudden disappeared and came back with a chunk of her hair in her hand that she had just cut and said, "Here momma you can give this to the kids without hair". It was such a sweet and nice gesture, I told her thank you and then proceeded to talk about why we only let stylists cut our hair :-). Kids are so pure and sincere it made me feel so good that she did that. She also gathered some of her used pink socks, a card she made, and a heart she made at preschool to be given to the kids all on her own without being asked. I am very proud of her. In the past Ava and I have talked about donating her long thick hair to "Locks of love" within a year or two, she said she would like to do that.

This whole experience has made me want to be more involved in more charities, I love being able to help other people and it looks as though I have a little side kick who feels the same.

Winter Weekend in Tahoe

We went up to our friends cabin in Tahoe for the weekend. I love Tahoe it is beautiful, however I think I am more of a summer time Tahoe person, maybe because lake Tahoe looks so tropical and warm in the summer time even though it is soooooo freezing. Lake Tahoe has the most beautiful translucent blues you have ever seen it is a must see if you have never been.

I loved being in the cabin so very warm when it was so cold and snowing outside. Ava had a blast sledding in the snow; however Jude became sick when we arrived in Tahoe. He had a temperature of 102. I think he might be allergic to the VERY cold weather/winter, just like his momma ;-). Maybe we should move to Hawaii (wink, wink).

Poor jude and his pumpkin hat, it made his head look so big (we had no idea he was sick at this point) can you tell?

Do you like the over sized glove look? We like the huge lobster claw look in our family (he he he!)

**Daddy took these below pictures of our sick like boy at the cabin- at least Ava had fun ;-)

That is the , "I am sick face"....sad.

The test results are in...well kind of, sort of

So, I am sorry it has taken so long to write about Jude's results but I just got the last bit of news today. Lets see where to start? I am going to give you a summary..well try to.

Two days after the test I was called about the results and I was nervous. My friend stacey had the same procedure done with her 3 month old son and they still had not called and it had been three weeks for her. So of course I was VERY nervous about the results coming so soon. The nurse said that apparently Jude was moving a lot and they could not get very clear pictures of his heart and so she gave me the cardiologists number who read his results so he could speak to me and explain them. Well, that freaked me out-not to mention she would not say a thing about the results to me. All I could think about was why didn't my pediatrician call me? why am I calling a cardiologist? So for an hour I felt so very sick. Then I checked my voicemail on my phone and noticed my pediatrician had called and said that Jude had moved a lot and they could not get very clear pictures but that it "seemed to be okay for now" and that he wanted to check it again in March. I was so confused, Jude held really still and the echo tech was impressed but apparently not still enough?

So I just let it be and figured it was fine and as I take Jude to the Dr. today (1 week 1/2 after getting the results) because he has an awful cough the Dr slips in and says off topic, "Well the echo pictures did not come back clear but it looks like an ASD-small hole in the heart but nothing to be concerned about, we will keep an eye on it and probably have him rechecked down the road". So I guess he does have one but luckily it is not too big of a deal, right?

I just hope they did not miss anything, since the pictures were not very clear but I have faith. I am just so lucky that he is healthy and I feel blessed because it could have been worse. That one hour where I was waiting was awful and I could not imagine what parents go through when their child is very ill. My thoughts and prayers are with those people.

Awesome and Rad

So my birdhouses are doing good! I had an art gallery in the bay area contact me and ask if they could display my birdhouses there....geez, what an honor! I looked at the art gallery online and it seemed like a very nice art gallery. I will add the link later to the art gallery. I also was just notified that one of my birdhouses is featured in someones blog (here is the link: http://www.fourelementsdesign.blogspot.com/). I am feeling good about them!
Now I just need to find more time to make more birdhouses....oh, time where are you? Time seems to always be running from me, please time- just stay awhile? I have a seat just for you and coffee in the pot, come on you know you want to hang out...

My French Basque Herritage

I have always been proud of my french heritage. It started in 6th grade when we had to choose grandparents and trace back our roots. Well, I chose my dads parents; and what I found was that my grandma was born in Southern France in a big farm house that has been in our family since the 1700's. When I say the house has been in our family I mean her great great great grandfather was born there followed by his father and his father (you get the point) down the line to her.

I have always wanted to go back to Pau, France to see the house and meet all of my cousins, and relatives. My brother and parents did three years ago but I was unable to go because Ava was too young. Apparently, their is a "fleur de lis" next to the entrance to the house which supposedly means someone married into the royal family from our family back in the day or we were favored by the the royals in France. Either way, I like to use it to my advantage and tell my husband that he is dealing with royalty- he just shakes his head and tries not to laugh at me.
When my grandma went over there she gave one of my cousins my address and we started writing when we were 12 yrs old. Her name is Emilie and she was raised in the house I was speaking about above. On our farm they have thousands of chickens, geese, and hundreds of cows. They make their money from selling pate (goose liver) . Emilie and i lost touch when we went to college and thanks to modern technology and facebook I have found her. I also found SO many more cousins and we now talk which is great. My cousin Fabian speaks English so it is easy to write to him.

The best treasure I have is an old film reel that was put on a video years ago that my great grandfather Gustave took of the farm in the early 1950's. It is so classic, a true gift. It is a completely silent film, with people shoveling hay, drinking, smoking and dancing. At one point in the film they all come out of the corn fields (sounds weird, but they thought they were funny). I also have an old record of the song they would sing when they came to the USA called, "Ode to Pau". Apparently, the men would all drink and start singing it while trying to hold back tears because they missed it so much. Oh and if you were wondering why they left France it was because my great grandfather was the second son and did not inherit the business and farm so they left with my grandma to California.

I have been to France before but we stayed north and it was only for a couple days in a tour group in high school. Hopefully, someday I will go ; I know my parents are talking about living in the South of France for 6 months in about 1 year and a half-WE WILL go visit :-).

My french-Basque heritage is so important to me. I was raised with my grandmas cooking for holidays and boy was it good! When I went to France and we walked into a French restaurant it smelled like her cooking, it was a nice smell. People may make comments about the French but I am proud of where I come from and I LOVE that country. My husband lived in Germany in high school and college and we are always debating on what country is better, you know my opinion ;-).

A picture of my beautiful grandma below (at Jude's b-day).

Just a little off the bottom, please?

So Jude got his first haircut, I just wanted barely a trim because Wes and I love his curls. It is funny how that works too, because I hate my curly hair but love his. Anyways, back to what I was saying, so the lady seemed to understand and then when I turned to get my camera set up she had whacked two huge chunks off ;-(. At that point there was no repairing it so I just let it happen (boo, hoo!).

It has slowly grown on me but Wes and I were sad because he looks more like a little boy now instead of a baby, I guess they must grow up. Ava saw it and said, "Ahhhh, poor Jude". Anyhoo, he is still my baby even if he looks like a handsome big boy.

Let the waiting game begin

So, Jude had his echo on his heart today. I have been so nervous that they would not be able to get good pictures and that they would have to sedate him but that was not the case. Wow, what a difference our local hospital had compared to the other one we were at. They were so easy going, helpful, just a great experience given the circumstances.

I really did not get much info. out of the procedure (I was hoping to). I did hear something that was alarming while she was clicking on images to save of his heart, she said to the other lady "Hold on let me get some over here on the heart and see if their are any other holes". I started getting scared when they said, "holes". At the end I asked the lady, "I know you can not tell me much and the Dr. has to do so but can you tell me anything at all?" She said, "Well, I can tell you I am not worried" . When she said that I felt better.

So, the earliest I would hear something would be tomorrow but that I can call the Dr's office by Tuesday if they have not called me.

The hole comment bothers me but she could be talking about something completely different, I guess, right? I just get worried because my friend who always had been very active started having some heart fluttering issues. At the time she was 23 and the found out she had two holes in her heart the size of dimes. She had to have open heart surgery and now is still just as active if not more...however, even if repairable "holes" are scary.

I am sure all is fine though and I am just a BIG WORRY WART! I will keep you posted when we hear.

Meet "Monk"...

This is our new addition to our furry babies, Monk. He is a Ragdoll cat (, and he is 12 weeks old. Now, when you think of an older kitten you think of hyper, random foot attacking, scratching, meowing at 4am in the morning..right? Well, not this one! he is amazing! He is VERY mellow, needs to be where ever people are (he is always sitting with us), he lets ava carry him where ever. He sat in my zipper up sweater today while I walked around and he just hung out with me.

He is dog like, and those are the ONLY cats I like. I will admit I like dogs but cats are my favorite-now when I say that I mean the cats that are unusual, non snooty, love bugs. I have not had a cat for two years now and it has been killing me. I did my research waited for the perfect one and ... bingo! we got Monk.

We named him Monk because he is monk like: very peaceful, calm, mellow, quiet, not a mean bone in his body, and tolerates many things (the kiddos). His breed is the ragdoll because they go limp in your arms like ragdolls (this one does). We lucked out, he is so AWESOME!!

We love him, he is our little shadow and I do believe he loves his people.

Maui I Love You!

So Hawaii was amazing! it always is in my eyes and always will be. It was my 10th time going and I love it more each time I go. Every time Wes and I go we try to think of how we can try to afford to live there. Someday it will happen. I have it on my "bucket-list". I apparently have been telling my parents that since I was a little girl and now my sweet little girl tells me that when she is a momma she will live in Hawaii . Even if I live there for only one year I would be so happy.

My favorite part of Maui is upcountry Maui in a town called Makawao and a town called Kula. Sure you can go to the ocean and see amazing beaches but upcountry is a hidden beauty and gem. These two towns are not very touristy and everything is lush and green, the views up there are amazing not to mention the people that live in both towns are so kind. We had two shop owners give us fruit from their trees in Makawao. Wes and I love Kula because it is so beautiful and not to mention that Wes and I were married in Kula a couple of years ago. If you ever get a chance go visit those two quaint towns, it is well worth it.

The kids loved Maui especially Ava (it was her second time going) I could not keep that girl out of the water, it was nice to see her having so much fun. It was also nice to feel the warm sun on our skin and wear flip flops in December. Some people need the seasons I on the other hand would be so content with the weather staying a constant 78 degrees in the day time the whole year through.

We went with my parents and brother so it was a special trip one to remember and treasure for sure. Wes and I did NOT want to leave at all but all good things must come to an end (boo!). Here are some pictures from the trip below:

Here we are at the Iao Valley

Brother and I

The balcony of where we stayed! Their is nothing like falling asleep to the sound of the crashing waves and the warm breeze.

My brother

This is a picture that Wes took and when we got home and looked at it we noticed the church we got married at in Kula can be seen in my glasses.

Our Hawaiian girl

Longer wait, Better option

So I am deciding to wait for our local hospital to look at Jude's heart . They are not for the sedation and they have someone who specializes in pediatric echos for the heart. They told me they will do puppets, flashlights, sippy cups etc. anything to get him to hold still. So we have opted to go that route because they were explaining that the sedation that is used can last for a while and he has to be monitored till it wears off. The only stinky part is that they could not fit us in till Jan 7th but I feel better about it. We are off to Hawaii on Thursday!! for Christmas time. I love Hawaii, I always feel so at peace there.

Anxiety: A-N-X-I-E-T-Y

So this last week has been pretty stressful on me and on Wes as well. Jude had his one year appointment last Tuesday and there was good news and bad....

Good news: He is where he should be developmentally (walking, a little talking, copying what we do). He also is still 75% on height (he has been since he was born) the Dr. thinks he will be 6 ft. tall or a little taller when he is a man.

Bad news: They heard back in Sept. a heart murmur and said that he wanted to recheck him a month later. Well I brought him back in October and the nurse was in that day and she listened and said she did not hear anything. So now I go back in December and our Dr. listens again and says, "His heart murmur has gotten louder, I would like to have him get a echo cardiogram". Of course I feel sick about it but hope that it is a small murmur like my mom and I have. The only restraint I have is staying away from any pills with caffeine in them (Excedrin migraine, etc.).
We leave for Hawaii on December 17th so I was hoping to have it done before we went but our local hospital did not have a spot until the 31st so they called another local hospital and they were able to fit us in yesterday. So this whole week I have been worried thinking of what could be and then thinking that it is probably fine but it will be good to get it checked and put me at ease ....ummmmm-NO! The hospital was screwed up! They had me come back twice to do it and then said "Oh he needs to hold perfectly still for us to do this, so we will have to sedate him, we usually do when they are under 5yrs old, so we will reschedule for next week". I was so mad, why did they not tell me this earlier when the appt. was made, or the first attempt at 11:00 and the second attempt at 1:00. So now I am still wondering about Jude and if you know me- I am a BIG worry wart! I do not like sedating a little person-but I know it needs to be done. So I have to wait till this week and hope they get us in before Hawaii.
The anxiety of it all is a lot, I am not sleeping at night with all the "what-if's" and I am checking on him all through the night to make sure he is okay. I am sure it will probably be a little murmur like mine but still with your kids you never want anything wrong with the "engine" of their body... so here I sit waiting. It has been an eye opener and has made me very thankful for my children's health not that I wasn't efore but I think I just take so much for granted. I look at parents who have really sick kids and I just can't imagine, it makes my tummy turn. Stay tuned I will let you know what we find out.

Another one bites the dust...

YAY!!! I sold another birdhouse!! I love seeing where they go...this one is going to Tennesse, the last one went to Missouri and the first one I sold went to the bay area. Now if only I could get more then four in my store....they just take so darn long!! Maybe I will make it my new years resolution- "more then four in my store!" (chant it)

STORYbook BIRDhouses

So I now have a shop on etsy selling my birdhouses made out of antique books. I have sold two already and we will see what will happen with the rest. I made the first one in 2004 my senior year in college and gave it to Kathryn, my best friend. Check them out if you get a chance! They take me a while to produce because each one can take from 4 hours to six hours, I hope to add more to my shop soon. Just selling one has satisfied one of my many life goals- selling a piece of my art work to someone who loves it. Though I am a counselor by trade and I love people and helping them, I have always had a passion and love for making art.

Check out my shop:

http://www.storybookfairy.etsy.com/