Thanksgiving 2011

Since I am so late in posting [and have no time for blogging] I'll keep this Thanksgiving post short and sweet. 

Brother Brrrian and parents were in Atlanta.  

We fried a turkey.

We also roasted one.
We had 30lbs of turkey for 6 people.
As usual, my dad did the carving.

I tried a new stuffing recipe with rosemary, apples and raisins.
My mom stuffed the turkey with her classic recipe.
The classic won hands down.  

Unbelievable, but the one day that Ernesto had off from lighting houses, he decided to put lights on our house.  Brrrian and his friend helped him secure the colored LED lights around the roof line.  Here they are all up on ladders.  Ernesto is wrapping that tree in all red lights, it looks awesome!

Hope you had a great one too!

Shift Change!

Time is going by so fast! It has already been two weeks since mi suegra arrived from San Diego! (Mateo's tata had to could only stay for 5 days)  I can't even begin to tell you what a huge help she has been.  She is a professional with babies...and her cooking isn't bad either!

Although she may have spoiled little Mateo, (he slept in her arms all day) I am so grateful to have had her here.  Not many women can be with their mother-in-laws for two weeks straight!  We get along great....I love her so much!  She left last night and we miss her already!

We coordinated her replacement to arrive yesterday for a seamless transition. 

My parents flew in Tuesday morning and the five of us were able to visit for the day. 

It was perfect fall weather so we walked down to the park and sat outside for lunch.

Just two more weeks or so and the calls will stop coming in for Christmas lights and we can go back to cuddling with our little guy all day and starting some family traditions. It's going to be a great year!

Two Months Old {Mateo's Monthly Photo}

See Mateo at One Month here

Let the Games Begin

It has been a crazy couple weeks months.  Obviously I haven't had much time for blogging (sorry mom!) but I promise there is more coming.  I had a birthday, Mateo is now 8 weeks old, Zafiro had a jewelry show and my sister and neice came to visit/babysit!

Besides adjusting to being a new mother, we are already busy with the Christmas lights.   I can't believe how much new business we have already this year and we haven't even hit the busiest week. (week after Thanksgiving)  It's going to be a great year!!

My life has been pretty much stress free for the last few years; I must admit I am a little bit rusty in dealing with stress.  Last week I called Ernesto [who was out installing lights] and told him "I don't think I can do this."  He said "Help is on the way, you just have a couple more days."  (Thank god, or would have had a serious breakdown....ok, truth be told...I did have a few mini-breakdowns.)

Ernesto's padres arrived from San Diego last Thursday.  Wow! What a difference to have an extra set of hands.  Mis suegras are loving their newest grandchild and I have a chance to sit down and work/take phone calls etc. We are eating the best Mexican food and speaking nothing but Spanish....little Mateo seems to love it!

My parents are coming to help when Ernesto's mom leaves, so we have the whole [busy] time covered.  I love our families.  We are so lucky!
I have never wanted to rush the Christmas season, but I seriously can't wait until mid-January when Ernesto, Mateo and I can hibernate by the fireplace in our new house and enjoy the most precious thing in life.....TIME with people you love!

Campaign Dresser Love & Craigslist Find!

If you frequent any design blogs, I am sure you are familiar with the current craze of campaign furniture.   

Campaign furniture, as implied by its name, is portable furniture that was designed for use in military campaigns. Designed to be easily transported during military operations,  Often, it was built in separate parts so as to be more mobile, and the pieces were made of durable woods like mahogany and teak. ~ Apartment Therapy

It all started with this one that I saw in Lonny

{via Lonny}

Search "campaign dresser" in Google images and a colorful array of DIY dressers pop up. I'm talkin' serious inspiration!

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{via Apartment Therapy}

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I added this furniture to my Craigs [stalking] list and low and behold, a few weeks later this dresser popped up for a mere $15!  

 

The dimensions were perfect for our bedroom.  We need drawers, and a place for our TV opposite the bed.  Done!  Problem was that the seller was an hour drive from Atlanta! UGH!  I aksed them to meet me half way for $20 and convinced my dad [who was in town visiting] to drive south with me!  Yes, yes, my mind was spinning, what color will I paint it?  I can't believe I found such a deal! 

When the seller showed up with the dresser I knew I was in trouble.  Let me put it this way, this piece looks like it had been drug through several wars and campaigns, probably dismantled several times as well.  (gashes, chips and the back corner torn off) My dad thought I was crazy, and honestly, I had serious doubts too, but I bought it anyway.  

When we pulled up to the house with the dresser in the back of the truck, Ernesto immediately said I was banned from Craigslist.  WHY would you buy this POS?  I showed him my inspiration photos and said  " I swear I can make it pretty!"  He said,  "you have 2 weeks or I'm tossing it."

Needless to say, I had better get to work!  Details of the transformation to follow! 

I am thinking orange!  What color would you paint it?

Shades of Gray: Deciding on Paint Colors

I have had this picture saved on my computer for months in hopes that we would find a house and I would be able to pick paint colors and start decorating again.

I love the color gray! This has been a trend in decor for quite a while now, and I have been dying to use it.  Since moving into our house,  I have been collecting paint swatches. 

The problem is, which gray shall I choose?  I thought I could just pick the "perfect gray", but the more I looked at swatches, the more confused I was.  I would pick one color and the second I put it next to another "gray" it would turn blue, green, or purple.  I have gone to buy the paint several times and walked out with nothing but more swatches.

I guess I didn't realize the complexity of the color gray.  

I thought the best thing to do would be to buy the little testers and see which I like best on my wall at different times with different lighting.  I ended up with these 5 on my wall:

From left to right:
Woodsmoke - Eddie Bauer
Silver Threads- Olympic
Dolphin - Martha Stewart
Chinchilla - Martha Stewart
Driftwood Gray - Martha Stewart
Natural Gray - BEHR

Guess what?  After all that,  it's still a difficult decision.  Here they are on a different wall with different light.

Oh, and just for fun, I stopped by Sherwin Williams and bought one more sample (as if 6 wasn't enough) called Magnetic Gray.  This one was recommended by a few designers in magazines and a few blogs.  I really like it and I decided I will use this in our bedroom, which does not help me in my current 1st floor paint search.

Believe it or not, Ernesto has started putting up customers' xmas lights already and will be working everyday until mid-December.  I guess there is no rush to decide on paint colors now is there?  Maybe if I live with the painted samples for a month Ill be able to make a more definitive decision.
Have any of you painted a room gray?  What was the color and are you happy with it?

One Month Old {Mateo's Monthly Photo}

The 20th of October marks Mateo's one month old birthday! Every month on the 20th I will be taking a picture of him to document his growth.  I would like to take it in the same spot every time, but have not yet decided which one to use.  I have so many.  I will have it sorted out by next month! Here are a few I like.

Mateo: Week Four

Querido Mateo, 
You are four weeks old today!!! So much has happened in that time.  So much has changed.  
All for the better. 
Your papi and I have always been a great team, but you make us even better together.  
We take turns rocking you to sleep in the middle of the night.  A few nights ago your papi let your mama sleep for 7 hours straight.  You woke up just once at 4am and he took care of you without waking me.  We enjoy our mornings when you lay in bed with us.  We cuddle with you and marvel at how cute you are, and how lucky we are to have you.   

You make us laugh.  All your little sounds and grunts and sighs are so cute. Your papi especially likes all the loud pedos (stinkers) that you make.  Like father like son. 

As a side note:
A couple weeks ago your papi said that these orange striped pants are "clown pants" and he didn't want you to wear them again.  But they matched your Halloween shirt perfectly so he made an exception and dressed you:)

While you slept, I was snapped this picture to send your tia Jenny to show her you were wearing the pants again.


And just then you smirked.  Sometimes you do that when you are sleeping.

We love that....and we love you mijo. 
mama y papi

Another Craigslist Find!

As I have mentioned before, I am a daily stalker on Craigslist.
I have a list of search options that I go through in hopes of finding a score!!

Buffet/sideboard, upholstered king headboard,  60" round dining table, "tufted" anything, vintage chairs...to name a few.

Another thing on my stalking list was nightstands.  We don't have any bedroom furniture yet and although we have a walk-in closet, I wanted drawers for our socks/underwear. 

Over the weekend I picked up this set for $75.  Yes, I know they are very dated, but I loved the square outlines right away.  They are solid wood and will be transformed when I paint them and change the hardware....can you see it?

If you can't imagine them, you will soon see.  I think I will paint them Rustoleums Gloss Smoke Gray like Jenny  [from Little Green Notebook] did here with her side table.  I plan to paint them this weekend, so I'll be sure to post a pic when they are finished!

Do you have a painting project or craigslist/thrifted overhaul you are working on??

Mateo: Week Three

Querido Mateo,
You are the sweetest thing ever! You are such a good baby.  Duerme. Come. Popo  (eat. sleep. poop) It's pretty easy to decode your cries when you only have a few needs. Your papi and I love all your little squeals and cute faces.  After three weeks of working together, we finally have the breastfeeding down (although I wish your suction was a little less) and I enjoy seeing you so content while eating.

You love that little pacifier the nurses gave you in the hospital.   I bought one that is supposed to be shaped more like a "mothers nipple" but you have no interest in it.  I was fearful that it would interfere with your learning to breastfeed, but you have proved to be a very smart baby.   Even with your papi feeding you bottles [of my breastmilk] you are happily eating from the breast.   I guess you know where that milk is coming from!

We took you with us to the doctor to show you off to all the ladies who helped us when I was pregnant.  I never got to say thank you to Dr. Lemon for doing such a great job with my c-section.  She delivered you safely and quickly.  We will be eternally grateful.  Even though your were sound asleep, she wanted to hold you for a bit.

She looked at my cut and said it was healing wonderfully.  I agree!  You can barely see it.  (It is still a tiny bit swollen, but Im told this will go away.) Your mama looks almost back to normal, but I know there is still some internal healing that needs to happen, so I will still be taking it easy.  I will continue taking you on walks though, don't worry!

Friday morning when your mama went out to give a lighting estimate, your papi called me and said that you guys had a surprise for me when I got home.  What was it?

Your umbilical cord fell off when your papi was changing your diaper.  So exciting! You can take a bath now. We saved it and will put it in your baby book for you to marvel over when you are older:)

Friday night, your tio Brrrian came from Asheville with his girlfriend Kyia.  He was very excited to meet you and even wore you around the house in the moby wrap. *by the way, all pictures were taken with my phone, so they are not great.

Sunday morning, in what I think will become a weekend tradition for us, we walked over to Grant Park for the local farmers market.  Its so cute!  There are great vendors and so many little kids are there, you are going to make lots of friends in this neighborhood Mateo.

We also walked over to Historic Oakland Cemetery.  This was the first time we had been there and I was pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous it was.   The hills and beautiful landscaping make it feel like a stroll in the park.

You slept the whole time while your papi carried you in the Ergo Carrier, you love that thing! I love how cute your papi looks carrying you too!

You are going to love your tio, he is so much fun, he'll definitely make you laugh a lot.  Here your tio Brrrian walks in the cemetery like a zombie. 

These three weeks have flown by...you consume our day and we love it!  We love YOU Mateo! 
mama y papi

{morning lounging}

{morning cuddles with papi}