Nesting and Organizing

I feel as though I am finally getting the hang of this "housewife" thing. I am LOVING every moment of it too. Eric and I will have been married for 2 years this September, and it took me a while to adjust to caring for more than 1 person. And if that wasn't enough going from 1 to 2, after 9 months and 1 day of marriage, I went from 1 to 4 (plus the 2 dogs and a large aquarium of fish!)

As I have mentioned before, we love our house. It is super fun to make any changes that we want without consulting a landlord. Eric and I are slowly making it "OURS"!! My first goal is to get things as organized as possible and this has been a slow process with 2 little squirts!

We all took a family trip down to Round Rock on Memorial Day in order to get some cool stuff from Ikea. As weird as it sounds, I needed more "things" to organize my "things"...isn't that nusts!?! Since I am now making home-made bread, I needed some canisters to put my flours into and I also needed a larger container to hold my spatulas and serving utensils. The pitcher that I had them in before was getting too tight. But this was my mom's pitcher, so I tucked it in the cabinet for safekeeping. :)

BEFORE...

AFTER...

The flour taking up a lot of pantry space...

My new canisters helping out...

Eric and I needed another duvet cover for our bed. I still migrate towards the red and pink girlie sets, but Eric helps keep me grounded. He has to look at it and sleep under it too, after all. I think that is why God gave me daughters...He knew I would need to decorate something super girlie again one day!!

Since our accent walls in the bedroom are dark turquoise, the bedding had to go with the dark gray, navy blue, black, and silver sheets we already have. :) I gave Eric some guidelines and this is what he picked out...he did pretty well!! I think it suits us...not too manly, not too girlie!!

And while I am showing you around the house, here is a picture of our master bathroom that we fixed up last summer after the babies were born. It used to have pink flowery wallpaper in it...blah!!

For some reason, I am also feeling as though I am nesting these days!! It's probably because my girls are about to turn 1 and I was on bedrest this time last year. I never got to fully "nest" the way a pregnant woman should...he he he!!

Yesterday Eric and I moved several large pieces of furniture around and I fixed up the girls room a LOT!! I am loving it and think they like it too!! Here is a little tour of the new layout:

The view from the bedroom door...

A different view from the door showing both the cribs and the changing table. The changing table/dresser was my dresser growing up. :)

The monogrammed painting that hangs above Lexi's crib.

Another view...

A little shelf that I repainted for the twins room...this hangs above Lilly's crib and has her monogrammed painting under it.

Their large closet...I LOVE this closet, however, we are adding another rod since the girls have tons of clothes!!

The new "play corner"...complete with a comfy chair, rocking chair, bookshelf, lamp, lots of toys, and a doll shelf across the ceiling. The duck is from Ikea and holds lots of little toys. We named her Norma Jean Duck...don't ask me why!

I hope you liked the nursery tour!!

And last, but not least...our soon-to-be-old sliding glass door. We have ordered a new one and although it has been a major hassle and should have been in a few weeks ago, it will hopefully be installed in the next 2 weeks...Lord, willing!! I am constantly thinking of new ways to upgrade the house. I may paint the living room and the twins room in the next year, but I need to take things one step at a time. :) Have a great weekend everyone!!

Pictures from Dallas and Our Week

Okay, here is the long awaited (for me at least!) post with pictures from Dallas!! I love some of these pictures that my Dad took...so cute!!

These first few pictures were before we left for the Aquarium. We ate lunch at their house and just hung out for a while before heading downtown. This one is me and Lexi snuggling....

Here we are showing Papa Epps how we like to wave at everything!

Lexi is "jumping"...a new favorite, although she needs mommy's help to do it.

A common view of the twins...my 2 favorite baby tooshies! :) They were going through Debbie's mail.

Then we left for the aquarium...when we got back, Lilly had had a small accident, so she just crawled around and posed for pictures in her diaper while I got out her "extra" outfit.

I like this one of Lilly...she was showing off so much for Papa Epps.

Miss Lexi crawling through the house...they didn't hardly sit still the whole time we were there. There was just too much to see and play with...
My girls just LOVE animals and especially like dogs! They giggle a lot when they see dogs and Dad's dog, Tucker, is no exception. Lilly and Tucker inspected each other nose-to-nose several times!

Then after dinner, it was the girls normal bedtime....here is Lilly, having her bedtime meltdown! She was so sleepy. Both girls were asleep about 2 blocks from my Dad's house and slept all the way back home.

Daddy and Lilly when she was a little calmer. :)

One of my favorites of Nana Epps with Lexi. They cuddled and played while Lilly was falling apart. :)

Now, these pictures are from this past week and were too cute not to share! Eric and I packed up the girls and went to Ikea in Round Rock on Memorial Day. I needed to get some things to make my house more organized and they have such cute things.

These bibs have been on my wish list for a LONG time now. They are "poncho" bibs and work soooooooo amazing for babies that rip their bibs off or wipe their mouths on their sleeves mid-meal. However, the bib could do nothing from keeping Lilly from head-butting her spoon. :) The next picture is Lilly modeling her new bib right after we got them.

We have just been playing at home a lot...and having a blast!! Lilly likes to get behind the curtains and play peekaboo!

Lexi's new thing is to hand you a book, sit down, and waiting patiently for you to read to her. Then about halfway through the book, she gets bored and grabs it from you or crawls away.

This last picture is PRECIOUS!! I have had Toby now for almost 14 years. He is soooo sweet and now almost completely deaf. I got up in the middle of the night a few days ago, and this was my view over the edge of the bed. I managed to snap a picture and not even wake him up! He just got his summer haircut and looks TINY!!!

All Natural Stuff

Hey! I meant to do this last night, but got caught up in other things and didn't get into bed until midnight as it was...

So, here is all the info I have gathered on cleaning naturally. First of all, let me say that none of this is my information. I am more than happy to give credit where credit is due. My best friend found these websites for me and then the rest of the info came from one of my FAVORITE blogs in the whole world...www.mycharmingkids.net

The blog above is linked to my blog through the little "Praying for Stellan" link. His mother Jennifer, is amazing. I think we could be friends and, WOW! what a great writer! I love her style. All of you (10 people or so!) that read my blog should totally check hers out. I started reading it for baby Stellan and now read it every single day. She not only cleans with natural products, but she cooks with mostly natural and super healthy stuff, and is a professional photographer!! My kind of woman!! :)

So, I am just going to list all of the info that I have found, and hope you read up more for yourself. I still haven't tried all of these things, but am excited to in the near future!! What I have done had worked wonders and I will probably never consider going back to store-bought cleaners. :)

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-as-a-disinfectant.html
http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm
http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm
http://www.vinegartips.com/cleaning/

From MckMama’s (Jennifer) blog…she has been cleaning with these products for years and this was from a post on May 9, 2009.

Okay, so toss out your chlorine bleach, Windex and Comet. Say goodbye to Formula 409, antibacterial gel and Chlorox wipes. Bid adieu to terrible fumes and cancer-causing agents. And say hello to natural ways to clean your house and body that work as well as store bought products...and won't break the bank!

Here are some of my own favorite cleaning ideas. Enjoy!

Vinegar: Just plain old white vinegar cleans seriously just about everything. I could not clean without it. It cuts grease, removes stains and gets the streaks and fingerprints off of my stainless steel refrigerator door. Vinegar's infamous strong smell dissipates as the vinegar dries. I also pour white vinegar in with my loads of cloth diapers, as it neutralizes the urine.

Lemon juice: The acid in lemon juice neutralizes hard water deposits, dissolves buildup and dirt on wood and removes tarnish on silver. Lemon juice also removes perspiration and other stains from clothing and is a bleach alternative.

Baking soda: Another cleaning supply I could not live without. It's totally all-purpose and non-toxic. Sure it deodorizes refrigerators, but it also cleans, removes stains and softens fabrics. It even rids clothes of perspiration odors! Try adding a 1/2 cup to your next load of laundry. Baking soda works as a non-abrasive scouring cleaner on countertops and ovens, and in bathtubs and sinks. I also sprinkle some onto my carpet before I vacuum.

Borax: A natural mineral that kills mold and bacteria. An alternative to bleach, it deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap.

Essential oils: I use these for disinfecting and fragrance

Salt: An abrasive. Get scrubbing!

Tea tree oil: This is a natural antiseptic and also functions as a fungicide and keeps mold at bay. I just add 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil to 2 cups of water and keep in a spray bottle to use for household cleaning. Tea tree oil also works wonders when applied to the skin in full strength to cuts, abrasions, eczema patches and insect bites!

Toothpaste: A mild abrasive. And oh so minty fresh.

Walnuts: Yes, you heard me correctly. Use the meat of a walnut to rub on scratches in wood.

And for cleaning Many Dirty Hands, as well as my own face in the shower, why goat milk soap, of course! http://www.goatmilkstuff.com/

MckMama also posts lots of really cool recipes on her blog. I am going to try her hummus, tabouli, and couscous recipes soon! I just have to get some things from the store first...and hope Eric is feeling adventurous!!

Let me know what you all try and if you liked it...

Memorial Day & Going All Natural

First of all, I wanted to thank all of our troops and veterans for their servie in lieu of Memorial Day yesterday! I realize I am a day late, but hey...

I am priveleged to have 3 particular men in my life that served!! I know many others, and want to sincerely thank them as well, but am going to highlight those 3 here for all to see!!

First there is my grandfather. He passed away last August and is sorely missed. He served in the Air Force as a bomber pilot. I LOVE telling people how he flew missions over Germany and dropped bombs during WWII. He was just the coolest and most awesome man I have ever known!! Here are a couple of pictures of him in uniform. I am thankful to have a lot of pictures of my family.

Lieutenant Colonel, Wayne Eugene Hermann...in the middle.The next man is a particular favorite of mine...MY HUSBAND!!! Here he is as a small child, with a father in the Army, practicing his salute!!

Isn't he the cutest little thing you ever saw? Then here he is, at 17, in his Air Force picture from basic training.

Next, we have my brother in law, Sam! Sam is an officer in the US Army and just left for Iraq a few weeks ago. He is married to Eric's sister and is such a wonderful guy!! Here is a picture of him when he came to visit and meet the girls last September. Lilly was flirting with him big time!!

I just can't thank these guys enough...love you all!! Sam, we are praying for you every day!! Come home safe!! :)

My next topic for the day is about my mother and me!! Woohoo!! First let me say how much I miss this woman! She really was amazing and fantastic! She will be gone now for 13 years next month...wow!

Any of you who knew my mother knows how she was into organic products, whole foods, herbs, and anything else you could find at a health food store. I thought it was neat, but never paid that much attention to it. It was just how we did things. She was very aware of chemicals and harmful things in our food. I think I was too young to really sit down and have her explain why we did some of the things that we did. I honestly didn't care at that point in my life...I was young.

I have laughed at myself so many times since marrying Eric, because I will say in shock that we cannot buy that, or use that...when asked why, I have no idea what to say. I just know that my mom said it was bad and we shouldn't use it.

And honestly, buying organic produce was not at the top of my priority list...UNTIL the twins were born. Now, everything I buy is important. I read EVERY SINGLE label. I was just eating some cheerios at the dining room table a while ago, and thinking to myself, "I wonder how healthy, these really are?" Then I picked up and read the ingredients on a can of frosting that I will be using for the girls first birthday party cupcakes. I thought to myself, "I wonder if WalMart will take these back without a receipt."

I now own a breadmaker, so I can be sure that what goes into my bread is healthy for my babies. Two weeks ago, I threw out all of our cleaning products and now make my own...by the way, cleaning with natural stuff ROCKS!!! I am not saying I am an expert or anything, but I suddenly really wish I could talk to my mom and learn from all of her experiences and research. And for the first time in my life, I want to plant a garden. :) I am loving this side of me and it makes me feel closer to my mom and grandma, even if they are in heaven!

The girls still like babyfood, but we are transitioning them into table food slowly. I only use whole grain pasta and am trying to find good produce, if I am unable to find organic. They absolutely love their fruits and veggies, so I want to make sure that the ones they get are the best. Maybe if Eric and I ever move, we will move to a town with a Whole Foods Market!! I miss that place.

Later on today, I am going to post another entry on all natural cleaning products, organic produce, and homeade goats milk soap. I can't wait to learn all about this stuff and teach my girls early on...

Here are a few pictures of my mother and I!! Wasn't she gorgeous? :)

Decorating for Christmas together...one of our favorite things to do!

Peekaboo, Daddy!

Where's Daddy???

(Those little black legs belong to the twins crawling underneath to see where Daddy went...)


There he is!!! Even the dogs joined in the fun. :)

Awwww, we love our Daddy!!
Lilly, are you getting your first tooth? Yea!! It will most likely be cutting through tomorrow.
Oh, and Lilly...what's up with your wild hair! ;)

Let's see your 2 teeth, Miss Lexi...

After a fun game of peekaboo, all little girls need to climb on their parents and smile like crazy!!

Then snuggle close and tell Daddy how much we like playing with him! (Lexi)

Lilly wants to get in on the cuddling too!!

After dinner, Lilly had to go check out what those doggies were doing on the other side of the couch and behind the "mysterious" baby gate!