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My Office/Guest Bedroom We are staging this as a bedroom/spare bedroom even though we have a spare room in the basement. That one can't be listed as a bedroom b/c it does not have an egress window so we are hoping to get people in the door and then they can see that either room could be a spare room or the one in the basement could be a bedroom for an older child possibly. We borrowed the futon from a friend (Thanks Brooke!) and I bought the pillows at Target today. LOVE the one in the middle!!!!! I might even try to do a painting to match it...WITH ALL MY SPARE TIME!!!! HAHAHAHAHA! If you saw this room before (and no I didn't take pics), you'd be amazed. We took a treadmill out of the closet you can't see, moved out an armoire type cabinet, a dollhouse bookshelf, LOTS of toys, moved the coats, reorganized the big closet, moved the desk and redecorated, took down one of the IKEA shelves. I'm really happy with how it looks. :)

S.T.A.G.I.N.G.

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Staging techniques focus on improving a property's appeal by transforming it into a welcoming, attractive product that anyone might want.
....Thank you Wikipedia...

Well, I'll start by saying I am sooooooooo beyond exhaustion. I think more exhausted than having a newborn baby!!!!! ha!

We were hoping to get our house on the market at the end of this week - and we're almost there...but still have a few things to do. Here's what's on our To Do list...
1. Finish painting front porch (wood areas that were chipped from winter!)
2. Paint basement floor and back step area with spackled paint. Hopefully just touch up what is already there.
3. Finish cleaning out 'Trav's Room in the basement.' We need to move a few work tables he had in there for computers OUT and move some clothes in, etc. to make it look more like a guest bedroom/office as well as move a dresser in.
4. Take items to donate! YAY! Here's to hoping it benefits our tax return next year. We have LOTS!!!! Several years worth of items that I originally saved for a yard sale but haven't had time to have one and now we want it out!
5. Buy a few odds and ends...throw pillows for futon we borrowed from friend Brooke, etc.
6. Finish organizing basement and GARAGE (don't wanna even go there!)
7. Set up "work out room" in garage room.
8. Buy new water heater. Ours is conveniently leaking now.
9. Buy mulch for backyard and flowers for front porch...hope it gets and STAYS nice soon!
10. put on new toilet seat
11. Fix cabinet door that needs new screws
12. Finish preapproval process with the lady at the bank!
....I think that is it!...there could be a few more things though. LOL

Here's what we've done so far. Cleaned out all closets, rooms, cabinets, drawers, SERIOUSLY just about every.single.one. (I'm glad I started that a few months ago), moved treadmill out of house and into garage, Travis went to pick up futon, I washed the cover to it, painted front porch, cleaned off front porch (swept, vacuumed, etc.), cleaned up back yard (Trav filled about 5 heavy duty garbage bags full of leaves, debris, etc.), dusted just about every area I could think of, vacuumed up cobwebs including in basement, wiped down washer and dryer, cleaned out utility sink in basement, redecorated several areas around the house including rearranging a few items, took down a shelf, filled holes, painted the holes, touched up paint in several other areas including medicine cabinet in bathroom, ledge to banister upstairs, misc. areas of the walls/ceiling, back door, thoroughly cleaned basement, stairs to basement, swept/shopvacced the basement (more to do there, too!), cleaned the toilet in the basement, filled LOTS of tubs with items for storage, took all Xmas/Fall stuff to garage, went through all of Ava's clothes to get too small things put away, and get out all of the 24 month/2T items I've bought at garage sales, LAUNDRY, day to day items such as dishes, vacuuming, cleaning kitchen floor, etc. TRYING to keep up anyway, PURGED A LOT!!! Up/down/outside/up/down/outside...that has been the routine!

I think I could probably go on but you get the drift. We took Ava to the sitter 2 days, and my mom was here for about a day and a half to help with her while we worked and we took one day off to take Ava to the Shedd Aquarium. Our goal is now April 1. I think we can do it! Wish us luck with the whole process!

Apparently we don't take the STAGING idea too lightly!??

I'm Back...for now!

I'm FINALLY posting another WIWW post! =)

I'm linked up with Lindsey at the Pleated Poppy here!






This was a little while ago...not sure that I ever posted it!


Above:


Green ruffled tank: Bergners I think


Skinny jeans: Gap


Cardigan: Forever 21


Scarf: Maurices - several years ago...


Boots: Naughty Monkey









Scarf, bracelet and earrings: Charming Charlies - LOVE that store!


Cardigan: ?? TJ MAXX maybe


Long sleeved Tee- Old Navy





Ring: boutique in St. Charles, MO


I was so disappointed the jewel fell out after only wearing it a few times so I super glued it in. It works and I get a lot of compliments on it. Just don't look too close - you can see a little super glue! ha!

My Grandma made this button bracelet. I LOVE IT!!!!!!! It is so unique and funky and of course she added in a lot of GREEN for me!! =)

Above:

Navy blue button down shirt and corral flower belt: New York and Co. I wore the same earrings from Charming Charlies (as in above pic with green scarf). My ring came from Cabo San Lucas. =)

We went to a wedding at the end of Feb. for our friends Dave and Brooke. I LOVED my dress from Maurices. Shoes: TJ MAXX. Tights (borrowed from a friend): Express

Chatter Box

Ava has been cracking us up lately (well, when doesn't she???)

Here are her latest "FaVoRiTE" phrases:

• It's ok, Baby
• Come on...(when she wants us to go somewhere with her)
• Where are you?? (it comes out pretty clear but not perfectly)
• Owwwwwwwwwww....(she is very dramatic!)
• Kiss it...(when she gets hurt)
• Are you alright? (if Trav or I get hurt)
• Come here (it sounds more like "come-mere")
• No...(yep to just about everything!)
• She does say "Yeah..." too. It's funny to ask her a question and have her answer yes or no. Wow! She is getting so big!
• She also says "huh-uh..."
• Bow Wow Wow (from Kindermusik)
• See ya
• Love you ("luz you")
• Morning!
• Oh Goooooodnesssss!
• Darn it!
• Yesterday she started saying "I know........" so when we'd say something to her she'd say, "I know." I can't even think of an example and it doesn't always make sense but it's hilarious!

The other day she hurt herself and she said, "Hurt...Hand..." It was so cute. She still repeats just about everything you say. It is fun to listen to her when she is playing

Her eyes are so sensitive to bright lights in the morning and the sun in the car, especially. We got her some shades and she is doing pretty well at keeping them on. She will say "Bright!" and so I've been trying to tell her to keep them on so it's not so bright. Apparently the sitter took her on a walk in the stroller to pick her daughter up from school and Ava kept the glasses on the whole time. Here she is chillin' in the car.

She still loves her blankie!!!!!!!!

Random

Just taking a few moments to reflect...

I haven't had much time to blog lately. Even though I didn't have class this week due to Spring Break, I have been more busy writing my midterm paper. FUN FUN! I am done with the extended response (5-6 pages) but still have the 2-3 page one to work on. Hopefully it's not too bad. The week after next is Spring Break for my school, but we will literally be spending the WHOLE week, I'm sure, getting our house ready to sell. We still have lots of organizing to do of the random crap that ends up in our basement! LOL! So we can actually showcase that the basement can be used as a big storage area and not a big cluttered area! Our goal is to hopefully use the room in the garage as a 'work out room' and then use the extra space in the garage as more storage. Just having it organized is the goal. As for the house, there are only a few little things we need to do...touch up paint, clean high and low, etc. but I am sure it will take the whole week. My mom is coming to watch Ava a few days, and she could go to the sitter as I am pretty sure we have to pay her anyway. I will have class and homework to do as well.

I've also been sick and tired but I still have a hard time going to bed at a decent time. By the time we get Ava to bed and I try to get things picked up and things ready for the next day (lunch packed, clothes picked out, etc.) I'd like to watch AT LEAST ONE SHOW! Then it's 10pm already. So sometimes I stay up and watch another show just b/c I want to be able to veg. You'd think I'd go to bed, but NO! I want to be awake to enjoy it, I guess. LOL!

At this point, my class is kicking my butt with all the reading, homework, etc. It isn't the actual going to class that is hard...but I'm hoping I can get through it. I guess I'm in no hurry considering it took me over 10 years to go back in the first place. I just know I have to keep truckin on or I might never go back again. I am debating about taking a summer class, but hopefully I can take at least one. Then in the fall if I take one, I'll get my first pay raise (as little as it will be!)...I'll take it! But I like to have summer to enjoy time with Ava so that makes it hard. I think most are not for the whole summer, so it should be fine. The only other thing that might conflict is the Wisconsin Dells girls (family) trip we take each summer...So, keep the positive thoughts my way so I can keep it up! I am still trying to decide if I want to keep Reading or switch to Sp. Ed. With the cuts they are talking about in our district for special ed, I'd hate to get my masters in something that I couldnt use just in case I would ever want to. At this point, I love teaching art and will keep doing that, I'm pretty sure!!!

On another note, Miss Ava is keeping us busy. We LOVE Kindermusik every Wed. She sings the songs at home and loves listening to the at home CD. She will even break out in "Bow, wow, wow..." (Whose dog art thou...), and it is soo cute! She also attemps, "Walk along, walk along, walk along Rover." She also sings "inkle inkle tar..." One day in the car it took me a few minutes to figure out what she was saying! Then it dawned on me..."Twinkle, Twinkle, Star." So cute!

She is in a phase of saying "No" to EVERYTHING! "Do you want to take a bath?" NO..."Let's do this..." NO...She has had to sit in many a time out for saying no when we ask her to come here, or something of that nature. Little stinker! :)