Thankful!

  I have quite a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. I am so very thankful for my husband and everything he does for us so that we can be together so often! I take for granted the amount of time we are able to spend together as a family. I am extremely thankful to have such a sweet little girl, whose "issues" go no further than an occasional, typical, 2-year-old attitude. She is my world. I could just sit and watch her every minute of every day. Last, but not least, I am thankful to have a healthy little baby growing inside me. We got the test results back from Cory's cystic fibrosis test... he is NOT a carrier! What a relief. To add to the joy, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time on Wednesday. Again, thankful, thankful, thankful.

Too much for myself alone

  Last week, I feel as though my nerves hit a breaking point. Often, I feel like I carry way too much weight on my shoulders. I find myself to be an extremely stressed-out person. I wish I could be as laid-back and easygoing as those few unnamed people close to me, but that's just not me.
  Last Friday, I got a call from a nurse at Good Sam, informing me that I tested positive as a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis. I knew very little about this or the test - so of course the nurse (not so friendly, mind you) proceeded to tell me that if my child is born with the disease, he/she may die young or never live a normal life. Way to scare the pants off of me! I don't know if any of you moms reading this have ever had the test results explained to you (They were never explained to me until this day), but basically if you're a carrier, your husband has to get tested. If your husband is not a carrier, there is no chance that your child will be born with cystic fibrosis. If he is a carrier, your child has a 25% chance of being born with the disease.
  After getting off the phone and calling my husband to inform him that he needed to go straight to the hospital to get tested, I was finally able to process everything. Why hadn't I been tested with Mia? What if Cory's positive, and Mia was just fortunately born without the disease? I know that asking myself these questions over and over aren't going to do anything but kill me slowly over the next 5 days that we wait for test results to come back.
  At the end of a long day crying, worrying, and being angry, I did something that I don't do enough. I prayed. I didn't pray that the test results would come back negative - I prayed for the strength to handle what was to come next. And miraculously, a weight was immediately lifted from me. I have one beautiful, healthy, smart, amazing child...who's to say I won't have another? I cannot let "possibilities" rob me of the joy I have for the new life I'm carrying. No matter what happens, I know I am surrounded by love and will make it through any circumstance.
   If any of you moms reading this have ever found out you are a carrier, I'd love to hear about it!

Attention!

I have a very exciting announcement to make:

We are expecting another baby! 

It's been tough keeping it a secret for the last few weeks, but I am now happy to share the news.

   To be perfectly honest, the last few weeks have been difficult - between the sickness and the cloud of miscarriage hanging over our heads, we've been down during a what should be a very, very happy time. However, with prayer and the support of loved ones, our fear and anxiety is quickly turning into joy and excitement. We feel so blessed!

Hello!

I'm still here.. I am!
Why did I have to go and delete facebook? Now I'm dying to have it back.
There are some big things going on in the Taylor household.
So big that I thought facebook would have to take a backseat.
Now, I'm bored and lonely. And facebook beckons.
We'll see how much longer I last without it!

Nobody's Gonna Steal My Sunshine

:)

That's all.

Status Quo

Is that how you even spell "quo"?

I haven't written in here for quite some time. Probably because I feel that there isn't anything to write about!

I've been spending the last few weeks trying not to stress out.

I've been making sure to clean the house every morning (instead of only on Sundays)

...and I don't know about you, but a clean house makes for a stress-free Kayla. 

Cleaning house has literally been all I've had going on.

I've pretty much realized that things don't always go according to plan - not everything can be on MY time. Don't get me wrong... I'll give it my all, but I realize that doing so doesn't always make things happen when you'd like. I think I've learned to be okay with that.

I've gotten caught up in the "now-now-now", and I'm pretty sure I've driven my husband nuts over it. This is where the cleaning-the-house-every-day comes into play... It makes me appreciate what we do have even more, instead of worrying about what we don't.

This post was bo-ring. But honestly, this is what is going on right now. Minimal stress, minimal plans, just enjoying the beautiful weather and the time I get to spend with my fam.

Plans

Mia loves her daddy. A whole bunch.

And her daddy sure loves her!

It's no secret that I married a very sensitive man.

And it kinda sorta warms my heart that he and Mia are so close.

(Although I'd like a little momma's boy, too..please)

I'm having a thankful day/week.

It's unfortunate that sometimes life throws you curveballs 

and you feel unable to be so positive.

A good friend told me recently, "You think too much."

Truer words could not be spoken!

It's always good to have a plan, but you can never plan enough.

I've always been an over-planner, and life still surprises me.

I think it's time for me to stop "thinking" so much, 

and start appreciating everything around me!

Like this sweet little photo up top.

Things will happen when they're meant to happen!  

Are you there, Fall? It's me, Kayla.

Okay, I know it's been about 95 degrees outside this last week...
So I thought if maybe I took the initiative and brought in some fall decor...

fall weather would soon come. 

Lo and behold, it is 75 and breezy today! 

I love fall. I love it so much. 

Football, leaves, the smells of pumpkin and cider...

I could go on for days! 

I am looking forward to cozy-homeness 

(I realize this is not a word...I appreciate the red squiggly underlining, though)

this fall and winter! 

Lions, Tigers, and Bears!

This is my little angel. Sitting on a statue of a manatee. Having a blast.

  

  This year for Mother's Day, my gift was a zoo membership. (The zoo is one of my all-time favorite places). We've tried to take advantage of the membership as much as possible by going to the zoo when we can, but when we're usually free to go to the zoo, it's super hot outside and also very crowded - making it nearly impossible for a sweaty little toddler to see any exhibit without being on her daddy's shoulders.  

   Cory had the day off Thursday, so we decided to make the drive to the zoo. Best decision ever! Being the middle of the week, there was hardly anyone there. And, it was only 75 degrees outside! For the first time ever, Mia was able to walk to each exhibit on her own, and see the animals up close! Needless to say, this resulted in one happy kid (and two pleased parents). Mia said that her favorite animals at the zoo were the "koadas", "elfants", and "fishies". I can't wait to go back!

Happiness

   Okay...last night it was finally cool enough to take Mia out in the backyard to play. Also, around 6pm the entire backyard is shaded by our big tree, creating perfect lighting for these adorable photos :)

   

    I am so entirely blessed to be a stay-at-home-mom whose husband gets home by lunchtime every day. It makes me so happy that Mia gets to spend that much time with both her mom and her dad, and I know that it's a privilege. 

  Last night, while we were outside playing in the backyard, Mia said, "I'm happy!". I could have cried. This is my purpose in life! This is what we're meant to do! I think I'll have about 10 kids. Just kidding. I love my family!

Things I don't need to know

  Such as my mother-in-law telling me that she's doing a "colon cleanse" while I'm eating lunch. Yep, unnecessary.

 My mother-in-law needs a hobby - one that keeps her SUPER busy. Like, too busy to text. I think I've received nearly 100 text messages a day for the last week from my upset, frustrated, loony-tunes mother-in-law. It's starting to drive me a bit batty.
 
  As of right now, they don't have jobs back in Columbus, so they aren't sure when they're moving back to Ohio. But, I've been told that they will be moving back eventually. I'm sure she'll keep me updated on the situation...haha.
 
  I'm not feeling well. I think I'll eat a brownie and break out the ol' heating pad. Yep, don't mind if I do.

Memories

I'm never getting rid of this audio clip.

Every time Cory hugs or kisses me, Mia runs over to us wanting hugs and kisses, too. I recorded this the other day when she gave her daddy a hug after he came home from work.

I love her. And her daddy :)

Me vs. Mia vs. The Potty

  The battle with potty training has proved to be more challenging than I'd thought. We're at a crossroads in this house. Mia refuses to keep a diaper on.  This results in either a poo-smeared toddler, or puddles of pee around the house. However, she also refuses to go on the potty. She loves wearing underwear (Hello Kitty is her favorite) but doesn't mind soiling them one bit. 

  I've googled numerous potty training plans, and I've gone over in my head the fact that everything has been on "Mia's time" since she was tiny, but this issue has me stumped. I can't read the mixed signals. Oh, to be 2 and pee your pants without a care...

TEETH

For those of you know know my daughter.. 

she was a late bloomer with teeth.

 In the past 8 months, Mia has gotten 9 teeth! 

She got her first front tooth the other day, at almost 21 months. 

Needless to say, this was a BIG day for us! 

(I don't know about you, but I think she's looking darn cute with those front teeth!)

Mia Bo Bia

   My little Mia is getting so big! It's hard to believe she'll be 2 in a few months. Lately, she's been amazing us every day with the things she does and says. A few days ago, she was sitting at the dining table eating grapes, and she dropped one. After dropping it, she said, "The grape..I drop it. I drop the grape under the table." She has never said that much of a sentence. I am very thankful for her extensive vocabulary, but it can prove to be a challenge sometimes, too. Her tantrums are definitely..over the top, haha. 

   Lately, Mia has been very difficult, and sometimes I feel like there's no end in sight! The poor kid is just now getting her two front teeth, and still has six more teeth to get after those two! Long story short, I feel that I'm needing to remind myself of the joys of having a child - a daughter - and see past the stressful moments that we've had lately. I feel like I was meant to be a mom! Mia is so very special to us, and both Cory and I are very much looking forward to taking advantage of all the one-on-one time we get with her. Not many families get to spend as much time together as we do, and I take that for granted far too often! 

Twice is nice!

  Wow! 2 posts in one day! This is unlike me. I know the things I've been posting lately aren't very.. insightful or fun. But, I guess I have a lot on my mind to write about. So, bare with me.
   Made the executive decision not to take in the kitty. I really just needed to stop feeling guilty. Cory and I had been at odds over it for days. As of last night, we were going to take him in, but I woke up this morning with a completely different outlook on the situation. It just didn't feel right, and I saw where my husband was coming from. We need to focus on kiddos right now :) And that's perfectly fine with me!
  I'm starting to think about painting Mia's new bedroom furniture, and I think I've decided on white. Ha! I'm all for color, but I'm also all about versatility! (the chairs for her new play table may get painted blue.. I'd prefer not to have a sea of white furniture) I'm so excited to get her bed set up (which also means the crib gets moved to bedroom #3) because I get to paint her wall monogram! This makes me happy... custom painting is one of my most favorite things. I'd go monogram crazy if my husband didn't stop me. I'm already envisioning a black monogram above our bed...someone stop me, quick!

  

Where the Taylor's Cook

Our kitchen is well on its way to being complete. Thought I'd post a few pics of progress! 

We painted the cabinets back to white (a brighter shade of white), painted the trim above the cabinets a super light beige (along with the back wall of the kitchen around the entrance to the laundry room) and painted the backsplash black.

(my counters are a tad bit bare... I have yet to go accessory shopping!)

  

Please ignore the mess atop the fridge...and the missing cabinet doors that my wonderful husband has yet to make me :)

Oh, lucky me!

  Remember in that last blog post when I said we'd get a kitty "someday"? Um, yeah. I think you know where I'm going with this one.

  My lovely mother texted me literally minutes after posting that, "letting me know" that a stray kitten had found its way to my parents' house. Being the total cat-lover that I am (and still sad over having to let go of Daisy) I took Mia over to my mom's to see the kitty. Mistake #1. Mia LOVES cats. Polar opposite to the way she feels about dogs. She was practically begging me to take the kitty home. Did I mention that this kitty is absolutely precious, loves attention, let Mia pick him up and practically carry him over her shoulder, AND used the litter box immediately? Darn!

  Obviously we have a little bit of a dilemma on our hands. There's no possible way I can just put this little fella back out on the street. But, giving Daisy away is still fresh. Talk about poor timing! (excellent timing or horrible timing... however you want to look at it). This kitty is STILL at my parents' house.. waiting for a home. And I'm torn. This is all I have to blog about because it's all that's being talked about around our homestead. What to do...what to do!

A new home for Daisy

   Yesterday was a hard day. We decided to find a new home for our dog, Daisy. We had thought about it and talked about it for months, and we felt that it was the best decision not only for our family, but for Daisy, too! We were committed to keeping her unless the perfect situation came about - and let me tell you, thee perfect situation came about. We met a girl who (her and her husband) had just lost their 7 year old female golden retriever to cancer. TRUE golden retriever lovers. When she came to see Daisy, she was so in love with her! I felt like I would be giving this person a new friend after they just lost theirs, and I'd be giving Daisy the best life possible! Even though we only had Daisy for a few months, we got really attached to her and it wasn't easy to see her go! (Especially when your toddler says "bye daisy..new home daisy" as they're pulling out of the driveway). 

  The truth is, I don't think we're going to be "dog people" for quite some time. Mia absolutely loves kitties, so we promised we'd get a kitty some day. (SOME day) For now, I feel really good about giving Daisy a new home! She's probably getting spoiled to death, and now Cory and I can really focus on Mia and on expanding our family in other ways. This was for the best. And although it may be hard now, I think time will prove that it was a good decision for everyone.

Try saying, "black backsplash" 3 times fast!

Okay.. so we've made a little headway on our kitchen. I never realized how difficult it would be to figure out how to make our kitchen work on a shoestring budget. Trust me, if we had the option of picking out brand new cabinets, hardware and countertops now, I'd be in heaven. But, we don't. We're working with a couple cans of paint, here, people! So... here is what we've come up with so far:

  Do I even have to tell you all that I'm not in love with the color on the walls? I mean that's pretty much my favorite thing to say. But, I'm not. Ha. I can live with it! Some day it will be painted taupe, I'm sure of it.
  I took a dive and painted our backsplash black. Well, half of the kitchen so far. I'm going to sleep on it for a while before I go crazy on the other half of the kitchen. Lord knows I do not want to try to cover up black paint with white! It does make the kitchen look a lot darker, but I'm not so sure that's an awful thing.

  It's totally unfinished, but this is all I've got so far. We'll see what stays and what goes. Ha!

Anyhow

 Just after I posted those photos of the kitchen, I pretty much figured out what I'm going to do. So, that was pretty unnecessary, ha!

 So much has happened in the last week that I'm not sure I've even processed it all yet. Where do I even begin?

 Last week, Grandpa Taylor passed away. He was 85, and lived a long, happy life. He was such a good man, and he will be greatly missed! I feel very blessed to have gotten to know him for 4 years!

 On a completely different note... we got the news a few days ago that Cory's mom and step-dad are more-than-likely moving back to Ohio. They moved to Florida for 8 weeks, and after Paul not being able to find a job down south and getting his Columbus job offered back to him, they've decided to come back. For those of you who know me and know the relationship I have with my mother-in-law, you can assume my probable reaction toward this.
  Surprisingly enough, I actually hope they move back to Ohio. Susan and I have been at odds for a while (well, I've been at odds with her...in her world, we have a wonderful, magical relationship) but, I realize that life is too short. When Cory's Grandpa passed away, he really thought about how much time he had actually got to spend with him, and realized that it was less than he'd have liked to. I have grandparents like this, too, who I wish I could and would have spent more time with through the years. The truth is, even though I don't always agree with Susan's way of doing things, she is my child's and future children's grandmother, and I want her to be a part of their lives, and our lives. The thought of them living in Florida and not getting to see our kids grow up honestly made me very sad. I really hope things can get better between us if they do move back. Maybe I'm holding out hope for something that is impossible, but life is too short to spend time picking apart everything that Susan does every time I hear from her. She will always be family, and I need to work on our relationship with her for my children's - her grandchildren - sake.

Kitchen Dilemma

Okay... I had this brilliant idea to paint our kitchen cabinets beige (from white) to "warm" up the kitchen a bit. I'll be the first to admit that my "brilliant ideas" don't always turn out as planned. That being said, we started the bulk of the cabinet painting yesterday I am a having another I-made-a-big-mistake episode.

Here is a picture of the kitchen (upper cabinets painted) with the kitchen light off..

Okay, I can dig this ^. The beige doesn't look all that different from the white - just a tad 'warmer'.

And here are the cabinets with the light on..

um...ugh? They are totally yellow. I realize this is because my kitchen light is yellow.

So, my dilemma is, do I finish painting the cabinets beige and change the light fixture? 

or return the cabinets to white? 

I'm open to any suggestions. 

Actually, they would be greatly appreciated :)

Baby doll digs

  Here's my latest mini-project

I bought this doll cradle at a garage sale this summer for $1. It was white, dirty, had butterfly stickers all over it, and had a worn-out pink cushion inside it.

I picked out a new paint color for it (fyi...it's the same color of blue that will be going on a few other pieces of furniture in Mia's room) and I found fabric at Hobby Lobby to re-cover the cushion.

I think I scored pretty big when I found my fabric. 

Here is the quilt pattern compared to the fabric on the cushion:

 

Thank goodness I got extra fabric! I will totally be using it in small doses around the room! 

a few new ones

Not sure why the colors in the pic in the previous post were so...pink. These colors are much more accurate.

Darn, she's getting big. Makes me want to cry! When going through her closet to get her dressed this morning, I observed that most of her clothes are either pink, turquoise, or both.. I wondered why I liked those colors for her room.

Nemo cameo

Scheming with color

  Here's a photo... not the best one, but after buying and returning curtains 4 different times, I'm pretty proud of the final selection, so I thought I'd post a photo of Mia's "new" room.

More photos and a possible tutorial later today! stay posted!

Mia's a "big kid"

  We're in the stages of operation "big-kid" room in Mia's digs. I really need to take some photos.. we've changed everything! I just got my old Jenny Lind furniture to paint for her.. a twin bed, table w/ chairs and a toybox. Jackpot! All free, all heirlooms :) Now if only we could get a curtain panel at Target that didn't have dead bugs between the layers of fabric... yuck.

The love of my life and our struggles

I love Cory Taylor.

 I've been sorting through old photos, and so many of Cory and I from the beginning of our marriage make me smile. So many photos from before we had any cares or responsibilities, and before we had to face any major problems. After everything we've been through to-date, I still feel that Cory and I are the same as we were then. So in love, so happy (every married couple fights), and so trusting of eachother. As I feel we're taking a big step in moving forward with our lives and our family, I look back on our struggles and appreciate Cory so much more.. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have him by my side at all times.

 When I found out I was pregnant again, I thought that all the fun we were having with Mia would be lost, and even more so the fun Cory and I had together as a couple would cease to exist. It sounds so cold, but I was scared. That being said, I never ever would have wished or expected to happen what did happen. 

 After the miscarriage, we were lost. Why us? What did we do to deserve this? Needless to say, I felt guilty for not truly "accepting" the pregnancy.. that the miscarriage was my punishment. I don't know what I would have done without Cory being so supportive - showing me that no one was at fault for what happened, and that God has a plan for everything and everyone. I am so thankful that I married a man who allows himself to feel pain and emotion, but is also strong for our family. It gets me through the days when I still break down over what happened months ago.

  As we start to look toward moving forward with our family planning, I have to look back on our struggles. Although not everyone may always agree with our timing or planning (people are never going to say "wow..what a PERFECT idea!") only Cory and I know what we've been through and how it's affected us physically, emotionally, and mentally. Only we can decide what is best for our family, and only we know the ins and outs of our relationship with each other. I feel so very thankful to have Cory in my life as the head of our household. It brings me joy to no end to be making plans for our future with him :)

deep thoughts

I am really thankful.

Thankful that my husband doesn't have to work late and willingly helps me around the house.

...that he tells me I'm beautiful every day (even though I know sometimes he doesn't have his contacts in).

...that I have a precious little girl who wants me to sing to her and play with her hair every night before bed.

...that I have a nice home to raise my family in (painting every room twice is just part of "homemaking"!)

...that I have a friend who I can talk to outside of Facebook. 

This is what's on my mind lately.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about!

  "Touchdown Jesus" is gone. Everyone keeps talking about how sad it is...and that they hope they build another one to replace it...
  
If Jesus were here on earth, do you REALLY think He'd like to see a 60ft statue of Himself?
  
On the insurance claim, will the church site it as an "act of God"?

Thankful

  More often than not, I am asking Cory to do some kind of project on the house. Usually it involves re-doing something that looked perfectly fine in the first place. Nonetheless, I am starting to feel like I am becoming one of those people that think "nothing is ever good enough." I find myself complaining about our home purchase being one that I regret - wishing we would have bought a house with a lower purchase price, or bought one for more that needed less work.
  Then - I get a photo text from my Mother-in-Law, who has recently moved to a trailer in Florida. Suddenly my 1533 square feet seem like a castle. I have a room in my house that never gets used. I have real wood trim around my doors and windows. My halfway-done house is really not so bad. It's actually fantastic. We worked very, very hard to be able to purchase our first home, and I should be more proud of that instead of not being satisfied with the inside! I admit, I am a true perfectionist and decorating/designing is my hobby (so what do you expect?). Things will get done around this house, even if it takes the full 5 years that we originally planned to stay here (who knows? we could end up lifers!). I really feel thankful to have what I have. I never thought we'd own a home right now, definitely not in this end of town, absolutely not of this size, and 100% not in Arcanum. My husband must really love me. Ha!

UPDATES!

  I've decided - I'm going to put more work into this blog and less into Facebook! Coming soon will be a NEW layout (it bugs me to no end how hard it is to read what I type on here) and tutorials for many things, plus stuff about the fam. I recently deleted my family blog because I couldn't manage two blogs at once! I'm hoping to actually get a good blog going and maybe get some followers! Look for major changes in the near future!

Laundry List

We have so many projects to do around the house.
Yesterday, we painted the guest bathroom. It has ugly pinkish-beige tiles in it. I was trying to make the tiles appear more beige.. and I was wrong, wrong, wrong! I needed to make the tiles look pink! (to my taste, anyways). So, the bathroom got painted a neat grey-green. Almost sage-y.
We missed a few spots, so we'll be back to the store for another gallon or so.. but I say make it two so we can paint our bedroom the same color.
So what if I have an issue with living with color? Maybe I just haven't found the right colors to "live with" yet :)

The roof needs done. Unfortunately, that will take a home equity loan which cannot be taken out until the one year anniversary of our loan (per loan rules). So, that will probably get done next year.

Our top priorities now: replace the patio door and replace the carpet in the front room.
I'm definitely picturing a dark, grey-brown frieze under my toes in the near future.

The Kitchen Connection

  You see that "table-scape" down there in the previous post? Yeah, that's gone already. For now, it has been replaced by a bird cage that I knowingly copycatted off of Laci Sando. I have a few neat ideas for this bird cage and adding a few things to it to make it a cutesy spring centerpiece for the table.
  I'm dying to do work to my kitchen. I would love for it to be finished. (I am aware that nothing is ever "finished"). I've decided for sure to paint my cabinets, which are practically primer-white at the moment. I'm torn between two shades of taupe. I never knew taupe could be such a touchy color to paint with. You don't want too pink, to green, too yellow, too grey.. you get the picture. We bought a new light last evening for our kitchen also, which I am extremely anxious to put up. It should give off twice as much light as our old Ikea track light! (Don't worry, the track light is getting put in the laundry room... nothing can be left unused!) I'll try to post a few photos in my next post. Remember, this blog is a work in process! I even have to remind myself of that :)

My first!

Think, "Spring"!

My favorite color this spring is robin's egg blue. Is there any other color that even sounds more spring-y?
I would love to try to incorporate a little bit of this color into each and every room of my home.

So far, I've put a little "table-scape" together.

Melamine cookie jar in 'Vintage Teal' - Target
Lantern - Ikea

I'm not even sure these pieces will stay on the table. I've got a few ideas of arranging them along my kitchen counters and bringing in some teal, green, blue and yellow accents (hanging mugs, tea towels and whatnots) to  welcome spring!