Dining Overload

I know I’ve had several posts related to my dining room lately but Thrifty Decor Chick is having a dining room party over at her blog so I need to consolidate my dining room posts into one convenient location because I don’t want to miss it!  Plus, I’ve added a few accessories since the last time you stopped by!

The plant is new and so are the IKEA vases.  I wanted to put some fresh flowers in there, but unfortunately we are in between blooms at our house and I didn’t feel like getting out to buy some.  So there.

You may recall from this post that I put peacock paper in to brighten up the hutch.

And my two lovelies in the corner.

And in the final corner:

I added some lemons for a little color and a cute little pitcher from Ikea to the Baker’s rack.  To see what this room looked like before, click on over to this post.  And for your viewing pleasure, check out some amazing dining rooms over at this party:

Ah, sibling love

More house projects coming really soon, but in the meantime….

Interaction between my nieces Brylee (2 and 1/2 years old) and Raylin (almost 8 years old), and their mom, Nichole:

Brylee is yelling in the car.

Nichole:  “Brylee, please be quiet; Mommy has a headache.”

Brylee continues despite the request.

Raylin:  “Mama SAID be quiet.  She has a headache.”

Brylee dives at her sister, clawing at her face.

Raylin screams and starts to cry loudly.

Brylee: “Be quiiiiiet, Ray-Ray!!  Mommy’s got a headache!!”

And yet she looks so sweet and innocent:

Oh Happy (Adoption) Day!

If I haven’t told you about Kimberly, she became my best friend when I tried to have her baby.  True Story.  Nothing brings people closer like having conversations about my menstrual cycle, her husband’s sperm quality, and a complete strangers eggs.  Anyway, I’m typically not very good at long-distance friendships, but Kimberly and I have shared an experience that most friends have not.  It brought heartache and pain, but it also led to a deep friendship and adoration for the fierce, beautiful, and compassionate woman that is now my BFF.

On Wednesday, I had the honor of witnessing Kimberly and her husband Chris adopt the most precious boy in the world, my godson Carter.

It was a happy ending to what previously had been a long string of disappointments. I’ve known for a long time what amazing parents Kimberly and Chris would be, so it was indescribable to see their hopes finally come to fruition.

 Here we are outside the courtroom post-adoption with Carter’s loving and beyond-excited family, including his grandparents and cute-as-pie cousins.   Of course, Carter is decked out in coat and tie.  Here’s the little ball of adorableness:

And here he is reading with his Uncle Davison:

This week I’ve been feeling extremely blessed.  Yesterday, we worked in our sad, sad yard to try to make it somewhat presentable.  Landscapers and gardeners we are not.  But I was out there in the beautiful weather working until my muscles were sore with my husband and my mother.  My mom was down on the ground, digging and planting.  This time last year, she lived three hours away.  This time last month, she was in the hospital having a six hour surgery.  And yesterday she was out there laughing and playing in the dirt with us.  Davison’s parents joined us for dinner that night and then we had a ping pong tournament in our garage with all three of our parents.  (Day bought a ping pong table yesterday for $40 at a garage sale across the street while I was still in bed asleep.)  And to top it all off, this week I finally got to see one of the couples I love most in this world officially become parents.  I’m getting teary-eyed just thinking of how my cup runneth over.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Sometimes life is unfair.

I’m sure you already knew that, though.  Last year, my 7 year old precious angel of a niece was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, or Type 1 diabetes.  Type 1 is the one that is genetic and has no cure….yet.  Watching a 7 year old check her own blood sugar levels, tell you what the numbers mean, and take a shot everyday with no tears is very impressive, but also very sad.  No 7 year old should have to be that grown up.  I guess I should be used to it since she’s already wearing bras and talking about “hot” boys.  🙂

Raylin has had a tough year.  She broke her arm, which led to the diabetes diagnosis, and then she got food poisoning that was so bad that they almost had to put her in ICU.  However, she has grown immensely and become quite the advocate for increasing awareness of her disease.  She was featured in a local magazine and this past weekend we went to Walk for A Cure at Darlington Raceway.

Raylin raised almost $3000 for diabetes research.  I believe her team raised the most and it was only her first year!  She also designed her team’s t-shirts, which were really cute.

We had a great time out there walking and spending time with family.  My mom had surgery earlier this month and spent a week and a half in the hospital, but she was out there, walking like a champ.  I am very proud of her!  She has lost over 30 pounds since November and is looking great!

So I guess the moral of the story is when life gives you lemons, you get your face painted and go on a walk with your family.  It makes life feel a little less bitter and a little more sweet.

Because even though I want to lock myself in a room and cry about how unfair life has been for Raylin (and maybe I already did that when I found out about her diabetes), my niece is strong and brave and can teach me a thing or two about dealing with adversity.  So can her mom.

To Raylin–you are my hero and I’m so proud to be your aunt.  I love you more than the whole wide world and back again.