Home Tour: First Floor

Today I want to introduce you to our first floor. The first floor is were we spend most of our time when we are not outside. This level has the playroom (aka dining room but we converted it to the playroom/ my study), the living room, kitchen with breakfast nook, laundry room (off the kitchen) and a half bath. 

View from the front door. To the left is the bathroom (behind the front door) and then the kitchen. On the right is the playroom, then comes a storage closet and then the living room.

Looking toward the front door. 

Playroom and my work space:

Next up is the living room with a gas fireplace and the staircase leading up to the second floor:

Across from the living room is the kitchen area with access to the patio:

The kitchen is smaller than the one in the old house (less cupboards and counter space) but it works great. The door leads to the garage and next to it is another door leading in to the laundry room. 

So, this is the first floor. Not too grand but spacious enough for us. We feel very comfortable here and that is what it is all about.

A Perfect Weekend

Our perfect weekend started off with a great Friday. The kids and I went again to the strawberry farm but this time we met some other mommies (from my MOPS group) and their children there.

After introducing everyone, we went ahead and started picking. This time I brought a spray bottle filled with water with me so that I can rinse off the freshly picked berries in the field. Amelia and Elliot loved eating those strawberries. Both together probably ate more than a pint (don't worry, eating is allowed while picking).

Afterwards we all went to a nearby park (a bit out in nowhere if you are not visiting the farm) and enjoyed our picnic lunch under the covered pavilions before the kids ran off playing with their new friends on the beautiful playground (every new park/ playground we discover is nicer than the one before). This old mill stood at the entrance of the park.

On Saturday, we had planned something special for the whole family. We started the day off by window shopping in a nearby town and enjoying a Starbucks treat. Then we headed over to a local farmer's market to check out the flowers, fresh produce, breads and more. It was very busy at the market but we did buy a few things (including the most delicious donuts I ever ate) and even met a couple of very nice people. Afterwards we had a typical American lunch consisting of hamburger steak burgers, fries and soda at a new restaurant called Char Grill. I hardly ever eat a burger but this one smelled and looked delicious and tasted awesome.

But the highlight of the day was taking the kids to see "Cinderella" at the Community School of Davidson.

The entire cast consisted of children and teenager and the show was geared toward children. The children in the audience were asked to participate and while Elliot slept thru most of it, Amelia enjoyed her first theater production a lot. 30 minutes prior to the show they had some free pre-show activities for the kids, where they could meet the cast and play some games.

The kids were seated on the floor, right in front of the stage and were included in the play by participating on stage or answering questions. Amelia had the opportunity to dance at the ball and help fit the glass slipper on one of the stepsisters' feet.

It was a great play and a perfect start to expose my children to the arts. I grew up seeing lots of children theater productions and loved it, still do. I hope to instill that same love for the arts in my children.

We finished off that exciting day by getting wet and dirty in the backyard. This kid is such a tomb boy and often acts like an animal. I probably shouldn't have let him lick the water (that run off from watering my flowers) off the patio but he was having too much fun doing it. And he looked darn cute too.

And this little girl loves the dirt too even though she was still dressed in her favorite princess dress.

And then it was Sunday: Mother's Day. I woke up to kisses and cards from my children and Amelia probably said "Happy Mother's Day" fifteen times to me that day. 

We didn't have any plans for Mother's Day except for going to church (where I received a couple of flowers for the backyard) and then relaxing at home. We ate homemade strawberry rhubarb cake and my loving husband cooked us some delicious meat on the BBQ. 

I enjoyed a beautiful day being surrounded by the loves of my life and I feel blessed to call myself Amelia's and Elliot's mommy. It was a perfect family weekend of excitement and relaxation. 

Mother's Day 2015

This has been my fourth Mother's Day and it may just has been the best one yet. No, not because of gifts or flowers (we decided not to spend any money on those things this year) but because of the two perfect gifts God entrusted to me and my husband.

I'm so blessed to be Amelia's and Elliot's mom and I wouldn't want to trade it in the world. Even though some days can be long, tiring and just plain exhausting, but the good days far outweigh that. I can hardly remember life before you both...I bet I smelled so clean, and always had freshly shaved legs, painted toe nails, and cute outfits on instead of yoga pants. My food was always hot and wasn't being stolen by tiny hands. Restroom runs had been quiet and peaceful but nowadays when I go to the restroom someone is always following me...as a mother the word privacy doesn't exist. There are fingerprints all over the windows and the freshly cleaned floors are dirty within minutes. My clothes seem to be a magnet for spit-up, grime, or poop and  I feel that I spend too much time wiping butts and snooty noses. Sleeping in on the weekends was rejuvenating but now my wake-up call is often before the sunrises and I have to answer tough questions such as "Why?" 100 times a day. Ahhh yes, life before becoming a mom must have been so incredibly boring...and restful....and definitely monotonous.  Thus, I'm thankful for being their mom today and every day and I wouldn't want to raise them with anyone else than my loving husband.

"You are my I love you"

I am your parent you are my child
I am your quiet place, you are my wild
I am your calm face, you are my giggle
I am your wait, you are my wiggle
I am your audience, you are my clown
I am your London Bridge, you are my falling down
I am your Carrot Sticks, you are my licorice
I am your dandelion, you are my first wish
I am your water wings, you are my deep
I am your open arms, you are my running leap
I am your way home, you are my new path
I am your dry towel, you are my wet bath
I am your dinner you are my chocolate cake
I am your bedtime, you are my wide awake
I am your finish line, you are my race
I am your praying hands, you are my saving grace
I am your favourite book, you are my new lines
I am your nightlight, you are my sunshine
I am your lullaby, you are my peek-a-boo
I am your kiss goodnight, you are my I love you

 Author: Maryann K Cusimano

But no Mother's Day would be complete without thinking of and thanking my mom: I love you! Thank you for continually always being there for me and always loving me regardless of anything. You are always just a phone call away (despite 5000 miles distance and 6 hours of time change) and I look forward to our (almost) daily chats about every random thing under the sun. You are the best mommy I could ever have wanted. I am so thankful today and every day for a mother who has always loved fiercely, been the life of the party and has been so selfless. You are the finest example of motherhood and I'm so thankful that you talk me through the hard days and rejoice with me on the great days. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Spring is blossoming in NC

Lately, we have been a bit absent from the computer, blog and phone as we are enjoying our time as a family of four together. Moreover, for the past week the weather here has been beautiful so we are spending lots of time outdoors. From going for a morning run, to playground adventures, outdoor lunches and farm excursions, we have done it all. Spring is here and we are loving it: sunny over daytime and cool enough at night to open the windows. And the best about spring is that it's strawberry season...mmmh.

So last Friday for opening day, we went to Patterson Farm and picked our own strawberries. It was a little chilly that day but that didn't keep us away from enjoying the fruits of our labor (punt intended). The strawberry fields are huge and the kids didn't know where to start picking. So I did mostly the picking and they enjoyed eating the berries right there and then.

The farm also has a petting zoo, which is only open to the public on weekends, but we were still able to see the farm animals thru the fence. Especially Elliot enjoyed making all kinds of animal noises and was happy to see when the pony came up close to check him out. Luckily we will go back this week as my MOPS group will meet at the farm for strawberry picking and a picnic afterwards. 

I also took Amelia to an arts and craft event at the library and she made a ladybug hat and a Mother's day card. It was fun, just mother and daughter, and we both enjoyed some quality time together. Elliot and Amelia love exploring new playgrounds around town and lucky for them, two of them are in walking distance from our house.

What do you do when it is warm and sunny outside? You have lunch on the patio (Derrick and I actually enjoyed the past few days our lunch on the patio while the kids napped and it was just beautiful...warm, quiet and we enjoyed a peaceful adult conversation :) and Popsicle on the steps in the afternoon.

As you can see we are having lots of fun and truly enjoy being together and making the most of our time here in beautiful North Carolina. The change of seasons, the change of scenery and a new home doing us good and we can't wait what other adventures await us this month and all summer long. 

Here is one last picture for today: my two babies on their way to church on Sunday. I just love them!

Home Tour: Front and Backyard

One month ago we moved in to our new home and we are finally all unpacked and settled in. I will give you all a little tour of our house, starting off with the front and backyard. The front of our two-story, 3 bedroom house:

Within the first week of living here, I made sure the front yard looks spring ready so I planted some flowers and spread some mulch. Since the dirt here is red clay, it is very hard to tilt or plant anything, but not impossible. It just takes a while longer, more sweat and muscles and extra soil on top of it. But in the end, I'm quite satisfied with the results.

The back of our house:

The house has a spacious (0.3 acres) backyard and a nice-sized patio as well as a fireplace. It's the perfect place to run around, play, relax and enjoy some hot dogs and S'mores at night. 

For the past few days, I have been working on my vegetable garden. After the heavy rains last weekend the soil/ red clay was loose enough that I was able to weed, tilt, resoil and plant my garden.

While I was working hard, Amelia was supervising and Elliot enjoyed watching us. I can't wait to harvest some tomatoes, eggplant, strawberries, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots and lettuce this summer. 

Even though our backyard ends at the fence, we do have a backdoor to reach the nature preserve that sits behind us. There is a little path that leads to a cute bridge leading over a stream and then to a lake. It is quite romantic and perfect for a little adventure walk. 

We are enjoying our house and even more so the backyard, especially when the temperature is in the high 60s and it is neither too cold nor too hot to be outside. I can promise you, during the next few months you will see lots more pictures of us having fun in our backyard on this blog. So stay tuned :)