My Oh Meyer

Happy 1st Birthday Luke!

2011-10-20T08:41:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago we got to celebrate little man's 1st Birthday! Unfortunately he wasn't feeling the greatest but his party must have been the cure because boy did he have a blast. As always, he had no problem soaking up all the attention and he was quite the entertainer!

Happy Birthday Little Monster!

All the cakes were made by his wonderful Aunt Haley, of course!

Riding on his new wheels from Mia & Gpa!

Luke's goofy Uncle Nathan, Uncle Kyle & cousin Landon

He didn't get quite as crazy with his cake as we thought he would. He was much more interested in the grass as you can see below...

His Mom & Dad's ball was quite the hit! Pretty sure it was his favorite gift as you can see by his facial expressions!

All of the guests received quite the "Party Favor"! If you didn't catch it....scroll back up and read it again! It took my Dad & Nathan a while too...

So...as you can tell, Luke's 1st birthday was definitely a memorable one!

We are all thrilled to Welcome Baby Bryan #2 to the world on June 2, 2012!

Aunt Haley is definitely hoping this little one comes on time so they can share a birthday!
Congrats Colin, Tori, & Big Brother Luke!

Happy 2nd Anniversary to us!

2011-10-17T08:34:00.000-05:00

Today marks 2 years since our 'Big Day' and boy does it seem like that was forever ago! A lot has happened in these past 2 years. We have learned a lot about each other as well as about ourselves. We have driven each other nuts and we have had lots of laughs. I never could have imagined loving my husband more than I did on the day we got married but I am quickly learning it only gets better. This past year has been full of celebrating and LOTS of hard work but life is good!

Year 2 with the Meyers!

Nathan Celebrated his 23rd Birthday!

We celebrated our first and last Christmas at our first home in Brenham!

We ventured down to Thibodeaux, LA for a friend of Nathan's wedding. It was an interesting place ;)

Our sweet niece, Mallory turned 2!

We purchased our first home! It was a ton of work but we had such a great time doing it together! Definite marriage builder...

We attending lots of weddings this year!

And we were both in quite a few weddings as well!

We welcomed our precious nephew, Jaxon to the world!

I started Paige Meyer Photography---only by the support & encouragement of my wonderful husband! (We have a lot of fun with it too--as you can see from the photo above!)

I gained an AWESOME photo assistant! We have so much fun shooting my sessions together. I couldn't do it without him!

We welcomed our sweet nephew, Parker Young Meyer in July!

We got to help sweet Mallory & her parents move into their new house!

We celebrated my Dad's 50th birthday!

Luke & I celebrated our birthday a few weeks ago! 23 was not near as exciting as him turning 1!

We have been beyond blessed in year 2 and look forward to seeing what God has in store for us in the next year. Surely it can't be too bad since it's starting off with a trip to Australia! We shall see!

The Big Reveal

2011-10-10T18:24:00.003-05:00

I'm well aware that I kept you all up to speed on the house progress until...well, the end. It was not to intentionally keep you all in the dark, I just simply have a problem. I'm a perfectionist. I didn't (and still don't) want to show you pictures until it felt a little more homey and 'finished'. I have started to come to the realization that in home renovating, nothing is ever finished or exactly how you want it. It will still take time to fill all our seemingly bare walls. I don't want to just throw things up for the sake of something having something on the walls. I want to be intentional...something about newly sheet-rocked walls sends a wave of anxiety over me every time we put a hole in it. (This might have something to do with my reckless, non-detail oriented husband who seems to always drill 3 holes when I ask for 1 one...like I said, anxiety!)

Some of you have made it very clear that the suspense is killing you, so for that reason, I finally took some photos. The photos had much more to do with getting to put my fall decor out & that I just cleaned house but that's beside the point!

So, without further adieu.... here it is!

Exterior 1/2 Bath

Office/Studio

Let us know what you think!

And on a final note, I am so excited about this awesome find from The Brown Shed this weekend! Needs a bit of cleaning but it's going to be an awesome addition to my office & a fun prop for Paige Meyer Photography!

Happy 50th Dad!

2011-10-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago we celebrated Dad's 50 years of life! The party was wonderful and it was so special to have so many of the people there that have played a role in his life or that he has impacted with his. He is such a blessing to all who know him and I hope we he was able to catch a small glimpse of how much we love and appreciate him!

As you can see from these last photos, he thoroughly enjoyed the gift opening! Such a mess!

I know, it's been forever...

2011-09-14T12:16:00.000-05:00

Opposed to popular belief we haven't disappeared... or stopped working on the house for that matter. Actually it's been quite the opposite. We have been doing quite a bit at the house, working, and well...life has just been a little hectic!

Here is what we have been up to:

These are not overly recent pictures but it at least gives you an idea of what we are up to! I promise I will post interior pictures of the house eventually. Maybe after a visit to Warrenton for Antique Week things won't feel as bare ;)

We have been doing lots of showering for babies and brides, and going to lots of weddings!

Got to spend an evening doing this sweet couple's engagement session! Bridals are coming up quickly and the big day will be here before you know it!

Loved taking this sweet baby girl's newborns! Isn't she the sweetest thing!?!?


Last weekend we got to go help Nathans brother's family as they moved to a new house. It was lots of work but of course we found some time for playing too as you can see :) I wish I had some pictures of my sweet nephew, Parker, that you met in my last post. Unfortunately, I was too busy holding him and loving on the sweet little man, therefore no pictures...sorry! Hopefully next time!

Other than that, life is just pretty boring...haha not! It's about to get even crazier so I am not making any guarantees for this blog. I have lots of sessions coming up this fall so you can keep up with them at Paige Meyer Photography. This weekend jumpstarts all the wedding festivities for Haley & Kyle's wedding. We will also be celebrating Tori's Birthday. Next weekend brings Dad's 50th birthday bash and shortly after Luke's 1st birthday bash will follow. This fall very well might be a whirlwind but it will just make our vacation to Australia for Thanksgiving that much sweeter!

Baby Parker

2011-07-27T20:02:00.000-05:00

I know I have been completely MIA lately but as you can see, there have been lots of exciting things going on!

Our sweet nephew, Parker Young Meyer arrived June 22, 2011 at 8:39 a.m. He weighed 7 lb. 15 oz and was 20" long. He is such a sweetie and as you will see in the photos his big sister, Mallory loves him!

The closest thing to a pet...

2011-06-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know I am not a huge animal lover and I'm pretty sure they don't like me either. This was a affirmed recently when I heard the famous pet owner line "They have never done that before." after my neighbors dog leaped over the wall in between our houses while I was spray painting and bit my foot. Yeah... Anyways, there are very few that people's pets that I don't mind while others I quietly tolerate so people don't have the major "You don't like animals!" freak out. Whatever...either way I could live without all the slobber and licking on me. Its gross.

In recent months I have decided that I do enjoy a pet of a certain kind. Birds...the babies though. Not the mean Mommas who want to peck your head off for even looking at their babies.

A little while back I happened upon these 2 nests on the front and back porch of our house.

Being the dork I am, I anxiously awaited the time for them to hatch!

And they did slowly, one at a time!

I know this looks gross and ugly and it was but at the same time it was really fun to watch.

These were the growing 3 on the back porch...they pooped a lot and destroyed my wreath but oh well. What can you do?

I'm pretty sure this last one was the runt of the bunch because it came a day or so later...

This is when I started to become really worried about my non-animal loving self. You see that little fuzzy thing in the front of the out of focus photo above? Well that was the runt. It had gotten it's little feet stuck in all the twigs.... So, I watched it carefully all day long and gave the Momma plenty of time to go rescue it. But she didn't. What a terrible mother. So I grabbed some twigs and carefully wedged it out while being careful not to touch it or anything. And they all lived happily ever after! I feel like more of a dork after writing that all out...shoot.

And shortly after they were gone...tear.

So, I have decided for now I am going to stick with birds. You don't have to feed them and if you don't mind a little poop on the porch then they are great source of free entertainment. Problem solved...I can now be a "sort of" animal ~~lover~~ liker. Oh and even better they are one in a matter of weeks and then you get to start watching the fun all over again.

Am I the only one that likes watching baby birds or do I need to own up to my nerdy ways?

House Update: Final Details

2011-06-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

We are getting really close to being finished with the house!
(Yes, you read that correctly...)

There is only a bit more touch up painting and a few other odds and ends but after that we will be good to go! Crazy, isn't it?!?

Now, on to some big accomplishments lately....

We now have a toilet!!!! Woohoo!! No more dirty Jackson Street Park potties without locks on the door!!

We started painting the outside of the house---no more ugly siding!! I was out of town on Saturday & my Mom filled in as the slave driver and was adamant that we would have a painted house before we moved in. She's a mess but I appreciate her keeping the boys in line for me!!

This I why I love the $3 samples from Lowe's...some things turn out SOOOO much different than they look on the card! We went with the middle one! The other 2 were too bright & dried way too dark.

I wasn't totally pleased with the rough texture that the floors had so I decided another light sand with the palm sander would do the trick and it did! I think I will be much more pleased with the result now.

Final coat will go on tonight!

The garage is still in a fairly unfinished/ugly state but the house is looking gorgeous!!
I love the exterior paint color and we even put the shutters on last night! It is all really starting to come together which is making me extremely excited and anxious to get moved in!

Moving starts this weekend!! Woohoo!

(Yes, I am aware that I used a ridiculous amount of exclamation points in this post but at times I thought we would never make it to this point...so I am just a bit excited!)

The Ugly Truth: Moving Edition

2011-06-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my friend Natalie started a series called "The Ugly Truth" to help call attention to long overdue projects in hopes of turning confessions into motivation.

To keep her company in her shame about her Christmas decorations that were (or are they still, Natalie?!) up in June, I'm going to share the current state of our bedroom in the midst of getting things ready to move....

The couch has now become my new dresser. My old dresser is getting a facelift at the moment...

Yep, those are all the dust bunnies that were under my other dresser when I moved it out yesterday...

There are clothes everywhere!

This dresser will soon get a makeover as well!

I promise we are not lacking in the motivation department so this "Ugly Truth will be taken care of soon! And hopefully this makes you feel better Natalie!

A Welcome Distraction

2011-06-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

Little man & his parents came to town last weekend for Haley's 25th Birthday & to celebrate their 4th Anniversary. Colin & Tori headed to a B&B for the weekend & we all got to have some quality time with Little Man!

(I haven't been able to see him since Easter so it was crazy to see how much he has grown and how much more mobile he is since he was here last.)

He loved the swimming pool...maybe by next year G-Pa will build us a real one!

Come on Aunt Haley...just one, please?!?

I better hurry before Mia comes back!!

And we had about all the fun he could stand for one weekend! Think he was pooped?!? Im pretty sure Mia & G-Pa were too! hehe

House Update: Paint & Light Fixtures

2011-06-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

Ok...we are all going to have to revert back to kindergarten and use our imaginations here.

Things are not finished by any means and I hate to show this part because we are so close to the end & I would rather you see it completed...

There are still lots of little details left to finish up so for now, just imagine the possibilities!

Living Room is complete for the most part

Kitchen is painted for the most part & fixtures are hung!

This is the baby's room....KIDDING!! WE ARE NOT PREGNANT!! It is just more fun for all of us to keep saying this to Nathan because it drives him crazy ;)

Master Bedroom

The bathroom will be the same color as the Master. The floors came out really well---unfortunately the pictures makes them look a little different than they really are. I guess you will have to come see them for yourself!

My favorite little man & his parents are coming to town this weekend so I'm not sure how much progress I will be making ;)

On the To Do List this Week:

Install/Caulk/Paint Baseboards
Finish lots of trim paint
Finish painting the bathroom, hallway, & closets
Install the kitchen counter tops!!!
AND hopefully setting some plumbing fixtures...a toilet would be nice to have.

House Update: Floors Part II

2011-06-02T10:28:00.000-05:00

First of all I want to say Happy 25th Birthday to my sister, Haley!
AND
Happy Anniversary to my sister, Tori, who is celebrating 4 years with her husband, Colin!

(Thanks for marrying Colin and making cute babies!)

We have made quite a bit of progress since my last post. Lots of painting, electrical, floor refinishing, and finish work has taken place! We were incredibly grateful for the day off on Monday so that we could get some extra work done. We are even more grateful for the help of my parents, sister, & brother-in-law to be, who gave up their weekend and helped us make tremendous progress.

There is still lots to be done but here is some of the progress from last week.

We have air conditioning!! It's having a hard time catching up because we are in and out so much but it's still better than the Texas heat!!

Before Living Room After

Master - Before

Before Master Bedroom After

Guest Bedroom After

Before Man Cave After

This is the kitchen floors with the leveler on it before we put the flooring down. Next post I will hopefully have some after photos from the flooring Nathan installed last night.

I was a little unsure of what to expect when the flooring was complete but I was actually pleasantly surprised how well they turned out. Fortunately, all of our hard work paid off this time! I might have sat down and cried if not...just saying.

Check back for a post in the next few days---I will be posting some photos with light fixtures & paint on the walls!

House Update: Floors

2011-05-26T20:04:00.000-05:00

Progress is still taking place and this week has really helped us see some light at the end of the tunnel!

Our focus last weekend was on refinishing the original hardwood floors. Let me emphasize the word original because I am pretty sure the floors are the only thing we haven't had to replace completely.

This isn't our first go around with a refinishing floors. We also redid my father-in-laws floors last October which was a good learning experience for us. Thanks for being the guinea pig Kenneth!

At Kenneth's we used a belt sander and had a few small issues with it so Nathan was convinced this time that a vibrator sander would do the trick, even though it might take more time. Needless to say, after about an hour of using the vibrator sander, we headed back to Home Depot (don't tell my good friends at Lowe's...they would be so disappointed!) to rent the belt sander as well because we were hardly making a dent!

Here is what we started with...

The old linoleum left the kitchen floor in pretty bad shape.

Living Room before & during sanding process...

These would be the disgusting bathroom floors...

Left: Small Bedroom Before Right: Hallway going in to "master"

Master: Before Sanding Master: After Sanding

After 2 sander rentals and lots of pricey sandpaper, we decided it wasn't worth our time or energy to try to salvage the kitchen, bathroom or hallway. I know there are lots of remedies for getting that junk up but we are really just sick of sanding and it would cost us just as much or more to rent the sanders again. So, now we are on to an alternative solution that is inexpensive because....well, the funds are about tapped out! Suggestions or recommendations are welcome if anyone has any.

I am anxious to share the after photos with you! The last 2 nights we put the varnish on and I think the rest of the floors are going to turn out surprisingly well!

And if they don't...it's nothing a few rugs and lots of furniture can't hide, right?!

Oh an did I mention that they hooked the A/C up yesterday---Praise Jesus!!

Because in case you haven't noticed, it's getting hot...like really hot!!

Goals for the long weekend:

Hang all the Light Fixtures
Start Painting the Walls!!
Touch up trim & doors
Come up with a flooring solution in the bathroom, hallway & kitchen
Finish painting the kitchen cabinets

House Update: Cabinets & Drywall

2011-05-16T21:49:00.000-05:00

I am well aware that I say, "I know it has been a while" on every post I do lately...

We are working as fast as we can if that counts for anything?!?

These pictures were taken a little over a week ago. I would have taken more this weekend but I highly doubt you would be able to notice a difference since I spent 12 hours straight on Saturday caulking, sanding, and wiping down trim to prep for paint.

They aren't very noticeable changes so my Mom & I had to keep reminding ourselves that prep work pays off when the paint goes on. Sometimes you just have to give yourself pep talks to get you through the not so fun stuff...or dessert works just fine too :)

Cabinets are now installed, sanded, caulked, and ready for me to prime!

Crown moulding is up, walls are textured, primed, and windows are trimmed out.

If it makes anyone feel better, I did finally take all the stickers off this door this weekend too!

The bathroom is now framed up in the garage.

Bathroom is now textured, primed, bathtub is installed, and boards in the floor have been replaced.

Hooking up all the plumbing for the shower was/is the ultimate marriage tester...

We survived (so far) but I'm not sure we enjoyed it and Nathan swears we will hire someone next time.

Concrete is poured and stained in laundry room. Unfortunately there was no attempt to keep the floor clean while they textured, taped & floated. Hopefully it all comes up with no problems!


All the finish work is done of the gable. It looks much cleaner and finished now than it did before. And for those of you that the symmetry of the front windows is bothering, it bugs me too. But I wasn't willing to give up the space inside on that wall and to be quite honest I didn't notice it until it was too late. Nothing a little landscaping can't fix! Anyone know a good landscaper?!? ;)

Plans for the coming week(s):

We sprayed all the ceilings tonight so we can at least say something is finished being painted!
Tomorrow we are planning to spray all the trim with oil-based primer...not too thrilled about that.
Going to Ikea on Thursday to get the butcher block counter tops!
Refinishing the wood floors is on the agenda for this weekend.
Then, I can start painting walls & installing fixtures!

It's all starting to come together---praise Jesus!!

I told Nathan we were finally getting the fun part.

His response, "Yeah, the end!!"

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

Couldn't move past Mother's day without ackowledging my wonderful mother!
We had a fun fiesta on the back patio at our house to show Mom & Memie how much with love them!

Mom loved her garden markers! Although, Nathan was bitter that I didn't let him make them himself!
They wouldn't have turned out that cute...

Dad being Dad...

Delicious Orange Mousse Tart with Blackberries from The Muffin Top!

Nathan picked us some fresh carrots from the garden....
The sad part is, those "huge" carrots have been growing since last fall.

And...I'm going to nerd out on this but I have been watching these baby birds for a while now on the back porch and I am loving it! For someone who is not a big animal person, it amazes me how excited I get about these 3 baby birds.
The momma bird was not happy that we were intruding into her territory for our lunch but it was fun to watch!

I may nerd out some more and do a post on the 5 baby birds that hatched on the front porch this week too!

Someday, I hope to be half the woman that my wonderful Mom is!

What a Godly example she is to all who know her. I am so blessed!

{Paige Meyer Photography}

2011-05-09T14:16:00.000-05:00

In high school, I really enjoyed Art with Mr. Parker which encouraged me to major in Graphic Design in college. I wasn't sure where exactly that would take me...Web Design, Photography, Graphic Design...who knows?! The possibilities were endless. Unfortunately, on the first day of school, I sat through a computer programming class and was lost in the whole "HTML/computer lingo" and immediately ran from the classroom to change my major to Business Administration.

I am kicking myself for that now...it sure would have helped with all my "I know there is an better/easier way to do this" questions!

Instead, I have taught myself to do web design...

I have been completely and utterly frustrated at multiple points in the blogging world with html...

And now, I have been learning Photoshop/Lightroom with the help of of Youtube videos, photography blog stalking, trial & error, and my wonderfully gracious and patient photographer friends, Natalie & Robyn, who I have been asking TONS of questions.

Yeah, now that I just put that on paper I am really wanting to kick myself...

So, without further adieu, I have decided to take on the challenge of doing portrait photography on the side. You know..since we have nothing better to do! It's not like we are renovating a house of anything ;)

Check out Paige Meyer Photography Blog or better yet, give me a call to book a session!

Renovation Update {Sheetrock}

2011-05-04T10:13:00.000-05:00

I'm proud to announce that we have made a significant amount of progress lately!

Goals Accomplished:

Roofing is complete
Sheetrock has all been hung
Everything is taped, floated, & textured
Concrete floor has been poured/stained in the Laundry Room
Insulation is installed in Ceilings of Garage/Man Cave/ Laundry Room
We sprayed primer throughout the ENTIRE HOUSE!!!

You don't even know how excited we are that painting is starting!!

It finally feels like the end is in sight and that we are making real progress!

I should have a lot more pictures coming soon!

Goals for this weekend:

Finish Priming Garage Interior
Pick out Paint Colors
Install Kitchen Cabinets
Install beadboard in Kitchen & Bathroom
Replace damaged floor in bathroom & closet
Start sanding/refinishing wood floors
Finish exterior caulking

Easter Weekend

2011-05-03T13:44:00.001-05:00

Easter may have been a 1 1/2 weeks ago but better late than never, right?!?

Natalie put the pressure on when she said I would have pictures up so I had to follow through!

Enjoy---there were so many fun moments to capture with so many sweet little ones running around.

Luke's first Easter Egg hunt....he kind of got the gist of it. Maybe next year he will figure out how to open them...

Not sure Arabelle knew what to think about her new tattoos from Haley!

I think the Robinson Clan was glad Owen survived his day playing with Nathan!

How sweet is she?!?


I think he enjoyed the party while it lasted.... I know I said I would post pictures of "The Proposal" but The Muffin Top finally had something blog-worthy to talk about so go read about it for yourself! Leave her some love while you are there so she will keep posting!

Macy {Just for Fun}

2011-04-29T14:18:00.000-05:00

I have been anxious to share these!

I have been telling Macy for a while that I wanted to do a session. Just so happens, she needed to practice her hair and Haley needed to practice her makeup for prom!

I actually don't know if I can take much credit for all of these because Macy did such an amazing job!

Talk about G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!

This is the typical look I get from her...

Doesn't she have the most beautiful blue eyes?!?

And this would be the real Macy...

Thanks again Macy! You are awesome!

I would love to hear some feedback so let me know what you think.

That's what Aunts are for!

2011-04-28T13:27:00.000-05:00

Let's just say this post will probably not make Little Man's Mommy & Daddy happy but will probably give

all the rest of us a good laugh!

So this is what happened...

Luke was hanging out with all the girls (as usual) while we got ready for the Easter party.

Aunt Haley was cutting apart tattoos for the kids when we suddenly got this idea...

Doesn't he look excited to get his first tat!?!

And what other than a butterfly tramp stamp could have been more perfect??

That's what Aunts are for!!

I know you are all thinking we are terrible and well...you are probably right!

But it was fun and Luke thought it was hilarious!

I will have more pictures from Easter coming soon...I just had to share these for now!

Renovation Update: Roof, Gable, Sheetrock

2011-04-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful weekend with family & friends!

(Photos coming soon...)

As you will see, we have had a quite a bit of progress within the last week or so.

The gable is now complete.

Reroofing began on Friday and should be completed tomorrow.

Almost all the sheetrock is hung and hopefully I will meet with the guy this week about taping and floating so we can keep progressing!

View from Living Room to Kitchen

Lots of progess in the garage as well.

Next step will be to get to the concrete redone in the laundry room.

There is still lots left to do but I have been encouraged by all the progress we have had lately!

Goals this week:

Finish Reroofing
Complete Patchwork on Garage Roof
Finish hanging sheetrock
Tape & Float (this is ambitious but who knows?)

Congrats Haley & Kyle!

2011-04-23T22:12:00.000-05:00

My sister got engaged today & we all could not be happier for she & Kyle!

More details a pictures to follow!

Easter is Coming

2011-04-20T22:24:00.000-05:00

...Which means little man is coming to town tomorrow & I could not be more excited! If you know me, you know I LOVE holidays and this will actually be the first one that I will get to spend with this sweet little one & his Mommy & Daddy! It's going to be a great!

Kelsey Starr {Senior Portraits}

2011-04-18T21:04:00.015-05:00

Thanks to my wonderful friend Robyn, the kinks are out and I now know how to make my photos bigger with out distorting them.

And thanks a lot Blogger for never letting me know that you updated everything and that my life could be SO much easier...or maybe you did and I ignored it!

Kelsey Starr {Senior Portraits} Sneak Peek

2011-04-18T13:37:00.006-05:00

Under Construction

2011-04-17T22:52:00.003-05:00

Please excuse the current state of our blog.

We are in the process of redoing some things around here!

Check back for a house update soon though...

We made lots of progress this weekend!

A Long Overdue House Progress Update

2011-04-12T20:50:00.015-05:00

I'm not really sure what week we are at anymore.

We have kind of gotten lost in the madness and are trying to work whenever we can at this point. So, here is the progression over the past few weeks.

For those of you who don't know him, this is our friend JB. I have to give him photo credit for a few of the pics on my post today. Between picking up trash, busting drywall scraps with a hammer, and taking pictures, he stayed fairly entertained for a 4th grader this past Sunday while we all worked!

We installed all the insulation.

Above: Living Room Below: Guest Bedroom

On Saturday, I installed the insulation in the Garage/Man Cave/Laundry Room Areas.Wouldn't recommend installing insulation when it's as stinkin' hot as it was on Saturday!
On the other hand I did get a good thigh workout---like the "it hurts to sit on the toilet kind"!

Had some wonderful help with all the exterior caulking!
My Mom knows caulking was her calling in life ;)

And had some even more wonderful help doing the grunt work & heavy lifting while installing drywall! I think Haley's boyfriend may want to reconsider being a part of our family...we work A LOT!

Drywall almost complete in Guest Bedroom. On Monday we installed all the new windows & exterior trim on the garage. Makes a huge difference! And today we started the demo and reconstruction of the Gable! This may get put on hold for a bit though because things are hectic at the office and I think we are going to have to give the carpenters back until things settle a little bit. I told Nathan this evening that I'm pretty sure people drive by and wonder what the heck is wrong with us. As soon as you think we are making progress, we decide it's time to rip something else apart!! Hopefully we will get all the sheet rock installed by the next time I post. We will see!

Round Top 2011

2011-04-08T21:17:00.011-05:00

As always, all the Glasco girls (and Luke) trekked out to Round Top to see what we couldn't live without.

My husband was appreciative that I didn't find much...

But then again, it's hard to think about what to buy when you know you are moving into a smaller house!

Here is some of the inspiration we found!
Industrial Light fixtures were all the rage this year---Loving them! This handsome man stole the show --- all the ladies loved him! He did great at his first Round Top Show!!

Then again, he slept most of the time...

I also made the trip out with my sister-in-law, Kim and 2 year old niece, Mallory. Unfortunately, my camera didn't make the trip but it was a good thing because I don't think we could have carried or fit another thing into the car! I will have some pictures of Mallory to share soon, they just aren't edited quite yet!

Oh, and the house is still progressing---just haven't had a chance to post. I will hopefully have another update up after this weekend!!

Have a great weekend!

We Have Baby News...

2011-03-30T08:47:00.006-05:00

...About The Crosby's!!!
Randomly on Saturday night Sarah calls me and wants me to come over right then to take pictures of her niece. My first thought..."Wow, I can't believe she really wants me to drop everything to come over and take a picture right now". Fortunately, I understood the random request and was thrilled when I got there and realized someone was having a baby!!

Being the dummy I am, I didn't quite get it.
I originally assumed Brian & Amanda were expecting again but when the sign said cousin and I almost acted disappointed.

Reason being this:

Last week Sarah posted a teaser here and made me think she was pregnant (which she really was come to find out) when it was really Abel's brother & his wife
I knew they weren't planning to start trying until the Fall (Surprise!!! You get an actual BABY in the Fall Sarah!! Woo hoo!!!)

Anyways, once the stupid wore off and I snapped out of my photography zone, I realized it was actually Sarah & Abel who were expecting!!

Isn't Emma too cute?!?

Sarah & I have been friends for as long as I can remember and if there is one thing every knows about her is that she loves kids and has always looked forward to having her own...and lots of them! Now its her turn and I couldn't be more excited for she & Abel!
Maybe next time someone surprises me I wont be such an idiot... I doubt it though.
Just ask my husband--when he proposed I kept asking, "Are you serious? Is this a joke?"
Yep, I do stupid things at important times...

Im sorry... I know that was kind of a cruel tease at the beginning of this post.

It's not us quite yet---we have a house to finish and a trip to Australia to go on!!

Week 4: Great Ending to a Challenging Week

2011-03-26T22:39:00.008-05:00

After my last post, you probably sensed how overwhelmed we were last week.

Fortunately, God is good and has a much better plan than we do!
More on that in a moment...for now check out the progression over the last 4 weeks.

Top Left: 4 Weeks Ago

Top Right: 1 Week Ago

Bottom Left: 4 days Ago

Bottom Right: Saturday

In addition, my wonderful husband put all the exterior trim around the windows last night but I have yet to see or take pictures of it.

What a difference a week's time can make!
Windows and siding are installed.

Now on to how God worked this week...
I am going to be pretty open about our budget and finances right now simply because I want to show how awesome God's provision is when you are in His will.
Also note that we are 22 & 23 therefore not exactly loaded...

Last week the cost of unexpected renovation expenses hit us and Nathan & I got to the place where we could choose to stress or to leave it to God and trust that he would take care of us. Typically this is difficult for me because I am a planner to a fault and tend to stress easily. For some reason I felt such a peace and really didn't worry about it.

Nathan & I were planning to go ahead with doing the roof but after all the rebracing, windows & siding, the funds weren't quite where we were hoping...especially since we still needed to pay the electrician and A/C guys(which is a hefty chunk of our budget). On Thursday, we came to the conclusion that we would have to postpone the roof until our tax return drafted into our bank account. On Friday around lunch I had gotten onto our online bank account to check and see if any money magically appeared which I frequently do...surely I am not the only one who does this?!?

I really almost started crying like a baby (but I didn't...no worries) because as I looked at one of our accounts I noticed it was significantly over what it should be. Sure enough, our tax refund had drafted into our bank account the very next day! Not only did it reaffirm the fact that God is ALWAYS faithful to take care of us, it also reminded me of how his timing is ALWAYS perfect.

On top of all that, Nathan left town for the weekend totally overwhelmed with all the work that needed to still be done. Thanks to the help of my Dad & Haley's boyfriend, Kyle, he no longer had to worry about the disaster left behind. My Dad and Kyle spent the entire day on Saturday cleaning up all the asbestos siding, ripping out shrubs, cleaning the inside of the house, and disposing of lots of scrap material.

Ok, I know I have gone on forever and I probably should have put a disclaimer at the beginning but I felt like I needed to testify about how good God has been to us through all of this!

One step forward...Two steps back

2011-03-24T23:08:00.007-05:00

Week 4

This week has been by far one of the most challenging thus far in the renovation process.
It has been a bit stressful, overwhelming and costly enough to make my husband say he felt sick at his stomach over the unexpected surprises we encountered.

It all started on Sunday when we made the decision to replace the windows due to the pleading of our electrician & A/C guys.

So, this is how we started the week...

On Monday we loaded up our cars with windows for installation on the following day.
On Tuesday evening, we get to the house to work and see this...

I know, it looks like no big deal from the pictures but when you feel like you are making progress and you see a semi-put together house go downhill it's overwhelming.
I thought demolition was over a few weeks ago!!

As I walked into the house I saw holes everywhere and for some reason I got slightly overwhelmed for the first time. I walked around for a while and then looked at Nathan and begged him to let us go home...dramatic, I know but it was too much!
So we left & drove around looking at houses and dreamed about the next house we are going to BUILD...not renovate!
While they framed out the windows Nathan had them pull off all the broken asbestos siding so we could replace it.

The siding from the garage is what we planned to piece together to replace it with. Unfortunately, we overlooked the fact that the stuff on the garage had a slightly different shape/pattern than the house...

If you have never worked with this kind of siding you don't realize how tedious it is to take off and put back on. It shatters when you drop it, nail it, etc. The only way I can think to describe it is to compare it to trying to hammer a nail into a terracotta pot... Sounds fun huh?!?

So after a lot of thought, we decided it would be easier and better aesthetically in the long-run if we just replaced it all. This is where Nathan & I began to wonder why the heck we didn't just burn it to the ground and start over!

We have now replaced/fixed literally everything you can possibly replace: plumbing, rebraced the entire house, electrical, re-leveled, siding, windows, and the list will go on.
So basically we bought a lot...awesome! haha

That would be the sun shining on through...as if it was a newly constructed home.

So, this pretty much depicts our week...a mess.

Fortunately, my husband still has a sense of humor even after he ripped half of his shirt off on a handle that was sticking out!

Despite all the difficulties this week has brought we do still like each and other don't regret doing this at all! Many have encouraged us not to quit but no worries, this isn't phasing us.
We are already planning the next project :)

Check back later this weekend to find out how the week ended up. We actually had some really encouraging things that God ended up doing that I can't wait to share!
Oh and hopefully I will have some finds to share from Round Top as well...

Week 3 Progress Report

2011-03-18T13:45:00.005-05:00

I feel like a dork with how excited I get with each stage of progress.
But it is really exciting to see actual progress after so much demolition!

I'm pretty sure this is an indication of how ridiculous and excited I will be as a Mom about every little thing.
Heck, I already am that way with my nieces and nephews... hence the gazillion pictures.
Nathan always tells me the constant flashes from my camera are going to give Luke epilepsy.

Anyways, back to the progression of the house.
As you can see, Triangle Air ran all the duct work and installed the unit for our A/C.

Plumbing is finished for the most part.
I think there are a few little things left to do.
Abel tried to tell me things to relay to Nathan but all the plumbing talk made my brain go to mush and I found myself just nodding in agreement to seem like I knew what the heck he was talking about.
P.s...I didn't, not even a little bit!

This would be the disaster in the yard...

For some strange reason my husband kept saying this was "Beautiful, just beautiful!"
Probably because he did it...
I have started singing him the song from Beauty & the Beast about Gustan and how no one can do anything like him. :)
Hopefully you are picking up on the sarcasm...

Plumbing is ready for the washer & dryer!

The monkey decal finally saw its last day...
Someone took it off---I don't understand why they would think I would have wanted to get rid of it!

We installed the ladder for the attic.

Pretty sure he is tired of me taking his picture.

At the completetion of week 3, we have made quite a bit of progress. Honestly, it seems like it has been going on forever. Someone needs to remind us not to do a renovation during peak season at work next time around. It can be pretty exhausting working all day and then spending every night at the house until about 9 or 10.

I have been able to tell Nathan is worn out because every morning when he wakes up he says how exhausted he is and that he is going to sleep in this weekend. If you know Nathan, you know he is NEVER tired and we definitely don't ever get to sleep in!! Needless to say, we are taking the weekend off. We went to a surprise 30th Birthday for our friend Jeremy last night in Houston, slept in this morning and are going to a hockey game tonight with Haley & Kyle.

Plans for week 4:

Finish up small plumbing details (whatever that means...)
Prep for insulation
Possibly Install Insulation
Make a trip out to Round Top for Anitque Week :)
Prep for window replacement

Renovation Update: Plumbing & Electrical

2011-03-13T21:41:00.004-05:00

This week we made quite a bit of progress...most of which will probably be difficult to see but I will still post a few pictures.

Below you will see that we finished raising the ceilings in the kitchen.

I am so glad we decided to do this. It makes it feel so much bigger!

The bathroom & a few walls are now reframed in the garage due to some rotting/termite damage.

We framed everything for the pull-down ladder to the attic & put down the attic floor.

Our electrician started pulling wire for all the electrical as you can see from all the yellow wire.

And, thanks to my sister's boyfriend Kyle, all the outlets are now installed as well.

(Hay & I were appreciative because Nathan was going to make us do it...)

Plumbing started on Saturday thanks to Abel, Kyle & Nathan.

It was comical to watch them all crawl under the house!

And my favorite addition to the house this week!!

As you can see Haley and I weren't much help...

With Luke in town, it was hard to want to work & honestly, I wasn't overly helpful...

All the Glasco girls did enjoy taking him on a walk at the park right next to the house though!

Plans for this week:
Finish Plumbing

Install Central Heat/Air

Finish Electrical

Start installing Insulation

A lot Can Happen in One Week...

2011-03-06T22:31:00.008-06:00

As you will see, a lot has happened since we started demolition last Friday night.
With the help of our wonderful family and lots of hard work,

we are already seeing so much progress!

Here we go:

We worked a lot on structure this week. The house was lacking severely...

We added a lot of support beams and had to do some work to get the roof level because it was bowing in several places.

One exciting aspect of this was that it gave us the ability to change the roof line which already makes the living room feel HUGE...OK, maybe not huge, but definitely bigger!

Tomorrow they will work on raising the ceilings in the kitchen as well!

(You will also notice above that the awkward island is gone)

We were really excited to find salvageable wood floors throughout the entire house.

(We originally thought we would need to choose an alternative flooring in the kitchen and bathroom)

The bathroom is now completely gutted.

Tub and ugly floor tiles are gone.

The garage demolition went down on Saturday.

Oh and all those vines on the floor and that we originally showed you here...

Yeah...unbeknownst to all of us, it was poison ivy.

Awesome, huh?!

I just hope my poor Dad isn't going to be covered in it considering he went to town trying to rip it out.

Surprisingly this demolition felt cleaner than the house because there was none of that nasty insulation.

(Still didn't make the cat urine smell & rat poop any more pleasant though...)

We will also need to redo some of the support in the garage.

We found quite a bit of rotted wood.

This would be the 1-2" thick concrete floor in the future laundry that was cracked and poorly done from the get-go...

...So my wonderful husband & Dad broke it all apart.

I'm pretty it whipped them both!

Plans for Week 2:

Electrical installation starts Monday (We set all the outlets last week)
Bracing continues in kitchen & garage
Gable on front porch should start at some point
Plumbing starts Friday when our wonderful friends, The Crosby's come to help!
I think this sweet little man is coming to see me too!! And his Mommy of course who I think I am driving crazy with all my begging to see him! It's hard not to see them when they grow so fast.

Demolition: Part 2

2011-03-01T13:42:00.007-06:00

Demolition is over for the most part.
(except for in the Garage, which I am dreading...pretty sure it will require lots of gagging and head to toe hazmat suits)

We are still in the process of cleaning.
I say still, because this parts seems to keep dragging on and as soon as I think I am done, someone swings a hammer and knocks down more disgusting insulation and foul smelling sheetrock.

Is it strange to feel sicked out in your own house?
Because I do...every time I leave I can't wait to shower off the nasty animal urine smell.

I know I sound a bit dramatic but go stand in the garage for more than 5 seconds.
You will understand...

We had this filled up in less than 24 hours...
Luckily our wonderful friends at Budget Rolloffs got us taken care & have another one headed our way!

I felt like I should have been shoveling horse poop or something...this has to be some form of cruel and unusual punishment!
It was at least a foot thick throughout the entire house.
I was slightly overwhelmed and maybe even a bit unpleasant on Saturday morning while cleaning this all up---just ask my husband, he will tell you ;)

The counter top & cabinets Nathan is standing on are now gone too.

I haven't gotten new pictures because the last 2 nights we have worked with only 1 light since we ripped all the old electrical out already.

Progress Report:

House is now level.
Roof has been delayed. (my Dad's isn't sharing the carpenter very well... ;)
Interior bracing/support beam work should start tomorrow. (if my Dad decides he is ready to share...)
Electrical Work should begin next week.
Plumbing is scheduled for next weekend.

Demolition: Day 1

2011-02-25T21:29:00.007-06:00

Just wanted to give you a quick rundown of how our evening of demo went...

We found this fancy wallpaper underneath!

Love Haley's "this is sick" face!

Yes, my brilliant husband busted through that with his head...he has a knot on his forehead to prove it.

Looking from Guest Room to Bathroom

Guest Bedroom

Nathan & Kyle knocking down the ceilings

And our evening ended here considering we were all choking, coughing and couldn't breath.

Please excuse my unedited, rough photos and post.

I think I may have inhaled a bit too much this evening and it is time for bed.

We have a long day of cleanup ahead of us tomorrow.

Goodnight!

We are Homeowners!

2011-02-23T16:01:00.003-06:00

It's official---we finally closed on the house!
Let the work begin and let the volunteers arrive...ahem, I mean workers.

We are now at 59 days until we have to legally be residing in the house.
If you think that's no big deal I would encourage you to go refresh your memory of what we just bought here.

Progress Report:
Utilities are turned on.
Budget Rolloff will be there tomorrow.
Releveling of the house will begin @ noon tomorrow.
Meyer's Roofing service will begin after work on Friday.

Here we go!
Wish us luck...or bring us dinner ;)

A Very Happy Valentine's Indeed!

2011-02-21T13:39:00.004-06:00

What is this you ask?

Well folks, the wonderful lens featured above is the Valentine's gift that my amazing husband got for me!

(I guess he took a little hint from the constant prodding of my sisters and Mom)

Yes, he is a wonderful---mainly for putting up with me & all the women in my family!

I can't wait to start practicing with it! Let me know if you would like to be my guinea pig to practice on---I'm always looking for willing subjects to shoot!

Ok, I am done with all my gushy bragging on my husband and I will get to the point.

We are closing on the house tomorrow.
Hopefully.
At 9:30 a.m.
If they don't push it back again like the last 5 times.
But they won't give us the keys until Wednesday.
Because they are screwy and this process has taken FOREVER.
So hopefully.
I won't hold my breath though.
But I will keep you posted.

A Happy Valentine's, maybe?!?

2011-02-09T11:22:00.009-06:00

My husband hates Valentine's Day with a passion.

I'm pretty sure he feels like it is a setup for every man to get in trouble year after year...

His thought is, "If I'm going to be nice to you why does it have to be on a specific day?!"

I love the man but he has never been one for sentimental things... He's a man's man that grew up with lots of man's men so needless to say I have learned to excuse it and honestly, I find his dislike for it it all quite comical!

I mean the first year we were dating he gave me chocolates and the movie "Just Friends". Should I have taken a hint??

When we were dating he joking told me he "was planning to set the bar really low so that when he did something sweet I would think he was the most wonderful thing ever."
....And it worked!

Unfortunately, I was not too bright and have spoiled him from day one!

Last year we tried the "don't do anything for me because we are poor college students bit" while we were both secretly worried that the other would do something. As always, I cheated and bought him something and in turn got nothing because I had come up with the stupid idea to do nothing when in all reality I think I simply wanted him to acknowledge that it was Valentine's.

After this saga I now understand why men think we are crazy and can never understand us!

This year for Valentine's I told him not to do anything for me again...
Immediately he put his guard up and wanted to know what kind of sick game I was playing as he began having flashbacks to last year.

I have been telling him the best gift he could give me are the keys to our new house!

If all goes as planned we really might get to close on Monday!

And if he really wants to buy me something I told him I wanted this new lens for my camera...

Happy 2nd Birthday Mallory!

2011-01-30T15:40:00.005-06:00

Last Sunday we celebrated my niece, Mallory's 2nd birthday!

Here are a few of the pictures from her "Tea for Two...Two for Tea" party.

You think she is excited about being 2?!?

The menu includes this adorable teapot cake, cupcakes, pumpkin bread, fruit and some delicious chicken salad sandwiches!

She was such a ham while eating her cupcake...definitely put on a show!

She enjoyed it much better than last year when she had an ear infection and was completely uninterested in having her party...

Modeling her new swimsuit!

She loved her new dressup clothes!

Meyer Men...minus Neal

Look at the mischief in those eyes---I think she's going to be a handful for her parents (and her new baby brother or sister)!!

Yes, that means I get to be an Aunt again in July!! Woo hoo!

New House

2011-01-21T14:24:00.010-06:00

We may have officially lost our minds this time

maybe we are finally getting smarter.

Who knows?!?

You can be the judge of that over the next year while we renovate this gem...

Yep, you guessed it---we bought the beauty pictured above.

And if you think the outside is nice wait until you see the inside...

(Please pick up on the sarcasm---we are well aware that this house is terribly ugly)

I mean really, how could you resist the monkey on the front door!

Living Room

Looking from Kitchen to Living Room

Kitchen

Classy, huh?!?

Now we move on to the hallway.

Water heater closet

And on to the bathroom...

Don't you just want to come take a shower at our house?!?

Master Bedroom

Poorly sheetrocked and painted navy from the ceilings to the floor...

Guest bedroom AKA previous little girl's art project

Garage

Shop/Garage

Future Laundry Room...use your imagination!

Future bathroom...

The vines add character....right??

Man Cave, Office, Storage, etc.

Nice size back yard

Oh and I forgot to mention, we have to move in

60 days from closing!!

No big deal right?!?

We welcome all help....ahem, I mean free help!

Porch Addition

2011-01-12T15:13:00.006-06:00

I have been feeling pretty 'blah' about blogging lately but oh well...

I will go ahead and post about our back porch addition as promised a while back.

Here is the best before picture I could find. No...we don't normally have that much of a mess in our back yard---we were heavily trimming the pecan trees so millions of little trees wouldn't pop back up in our flower beds come spring!

They probably will anyways...
Framed up
Slow progress...
Nathan acting like he was working...
After lots of caulk, fresh paint and tedious porch railing painting it is finally finished!
I enjoyed it much better when it was decorated for Christmas!!Unfortunately this dreary, cold weather has given me no decorating inspiration so it looks pretty sad right now...

In the midst of the last project, I got motivated to finish a project that was long overdue.
Painting the front door.
(It wasn't quite this bad but it wasn't pretty---this is after some sanding & lots of paint peeling)
What do you think about the new color?
Well, that's all for now...maybe I will post something more exciting in the next few days!

Oh and to end on a high note...
He just melts my heart!! Isn't he precious?!?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T14:23:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Meyer's!! Considering Christmas is tomorrow, I figured I better post these!

Better late than NEVER!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

The BIG Reveal!!

2010-11-29T14:16:00.008-06:00

I was reminded today of my promise to post some after photo's of Kenneth's house

SO...here they are!!

(oh and try to overlook some of the small details such as empty picture frames, the crooked photo on the wall, and remotes on the couches---I was lucky to get any decent photos with the number of men in that house during Thanksgiving)

Before

After!!!

Before

After!!

(We still plan to replace that ugly door as well...so ignore it please)

Before

After!!!

We got all the furniture from Ashley Furniture for a great deal! Some of the accessories were a little random and the rug would not have been my first choice but beggars can't be choosers, right?!?

I was beyond anxious a few weeks ago when my father-in-law finally called me and was beside himself with excitement about the new furniture his kids had surprised him with!!

Let us know what you think!

Check it...

2010-11-11T08:45:00.003-06:00

I frequent Emily A. Clark's blog and yesterday's post gave me a good laugh so I thought I would share. She let her husband do a guest post in celebration of their 10th wedding anniversary!

I sure hope Nathan learns these lessons in less than 10 years!!

Go check it out here!

And enjoy a few pictures of the little man...

All these women were tormenting me!!
Such a sweetheart --- can't help but love him!
As you can see we thoroughly enjoyed their 6 day visit last week!
It was sad to see he & his Mommy go.
If only his stubborn parents would move to Brenham and then we could hang out all the time!!

Sabinal Makeover: Floor Edition

2010-11-01T14:49:00.007-05:00

Well, this past weekend marked 1 year since we started the Sabinal makeover process here so it was only fitting for us to have another Halloween work weekend!

This was the scary weekend we had in front of us...

Talk about some work...not what we expected to find underneath.

It took lots of staple pulling and vacuuming but we finally got it prepped.

Took us a bit to get the hang of the sander...they told us to go slow but in the process we ruined lots of those pricey sanding pads because of some faulty advice.

Nathan & his Dad had to grind off burned parts on the pads to try reuse them...

Note to self---don't go slow...EVER!!

Fortunately we got the hang of it here...oh wait maybe because I'm doing it!

Kidding...my wonderful husband was a pro!

Sad day in the Meyer household...the day we took Kenneth's couch(bed) away.

.... or not so sad if you are a part of this family!!

Didn't even have to put a chainsaw to it...although that would have been much more fun!

And they are officially gone FOREVER...

Along with a lot of other items that have occupied the garage for far too many years.

This would be Nathan thoroughly enjoying the garage clean out.

This is my treasure from the garage AKA our new dining room table!

Thanks Kenneth!

I promise I will bring you a new one in a few weeks.

This is our completely prepped floor before the finish.

This shows the difference after we started the clear coat.

I know this post may seem like a complete tease because I showed you the whole process and no final product but sorry...

It won't do the rooms justice until there is furniture!

So, I guess we will have to wait to see the big reveal after Thanksgiving

AND let me just tell you

I am so excited for you to see it!

Weekend in Wimberley

2010-10-28T13:19:00.006-05:00

A few weekends ago we headed to Wimberley for our 1st Anniversary.

This trip was so unplanned and last minute but it was great because we just went and did whatever we wanted!

This is the B & B we stayed in and it was absolutely wonderful!
We didn't have very high expectations because we booked so last minute but we were pleasantly surprised!

The outdoor space was the best part! There was seating everywhere on the patio & along the creek.

As you can see, I got a good nap in along the creek while Nathan read a book!

Wimberley was not lacking in interesting people to watch.
We were thoroughly entertained by the locals…
I could post some videos we got of some locals as well but I won't even go there...
We visited an Olive Tree Farm/Vineyard...not all it was cracked up to be but we still had fun!

And we visited a Bonsai Exhibit which was completely random but actually fairly interesting and informative. Learned we didn't really know what a Bonsai technically was...

I'm pretty sure Nathan is ready to start growing his own soon....we shall see!

Nathan running from me while I try to take pictures...what's new!
Photos to come soon from another work weekend in Sabinal!!

Also, go check out my friend Robyn's blog to see the precious photos of her little one who showed up at our door trick or treating last night.

Absolutely precious!!!

You will probably get a good kick out of Robyn's costume as well!

We made it through the 1st year!

2010-10-19T21:01:00.006-05:00

Sunday we celebrated our 1st anniversary!

We had a great time working in the yard, reliving our wedding day by eating lunch at Royer's, and eating cupcakes from my wonderful sister!

I can't believe it has already been a whole year but when I started looking at pictures I realized so much has happened!

Here's a little recap:

1 year ago we were here!

Our quick Honeymoon to Gruene for the weekend!

Our extended Honeymoon cruise to the Bahamas & Florida Keys

In the Bahamas at Atlantis

Celebrating our first Christmas together!

Colorado Ski Trip to Visit my Family

Nathan ran his 1st 1/2 Marathon in Galveston --- it was so cold but he did great!

Especially since he only trained for 2 weeks!

We enjoyed spending as much time as we could with our sweet niece Mallory!

We moved from our first home in Belton when finishing school...

...to Brenham where we started our 1st jobs!

We almost bought our first fixer upper!

Fortunately God clearly told us both no before it was too late!

This experience taught us a lot about each other & our marriage ;)

We took a group of kids from Church to Youth Camp at Highland Lakes

Took a family trip to Sea World!

Enjoyed Lake Travis in Austin with family!

Nathan had never been baptized before so he took that step with our wonderful church family!

We graduated together from Mary Hardin-Baylor in August

Our first nephew Luke Gardner Bryan was born!!

We have another nephew Jaxon on the way in November as well!

What a blessed first year we had together. It was not always easy but I will say that we love each other even more now than we did the day we got married.

I am pretty sure today we took it to a whole new level considering we both came down with a stomach bug last night and predominantly spent most of our night on the bathroom floor.

Talk about in sickness and in health...

As we laid in bed all day today together being miserable we joking decided that the

"Honeymoon is officially over!"

Happy Birthday to US!!

2010-10-07T21:24:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I celebrated the best birthday anyone could possibly ask for!

Luke Gardner Bryan was finally born!

9 lb. 4oz. 20"

I feel so blessed that he came on my birthday!

After countless miles walked, 11 days of overdue misery & 38 hours of labor Baby Luke finally made his grand entrance. Tori was so tough and was seriously such a trooper!

I could not be more proud of my sister!

Still so surreal seeing her hold a baby!

What a beautiful family!!
I just want to kiss those chunky little cheeks!
How much cuter can he get!?!
Just can't get enough!
So much love for this little man already!

In the midst of all the excitement my husband was such a sweetheart! I told him I wanted money to go shopping and this is what he gave me! If you look closely you will see that the bills are twenty's & two's hence my 22nd birthday!

Isn't he wonderful?!?

What an amazing birthday!! More than I ever could have hoped for!!

Cannot wait for our big birthday party next year!!

Still Waiting...

2010-10-05T12:07:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are wondering---we are STILL waiting on Luke!!

Last night Tori went to the hospital to be induced but after steady contractions they had to wait it out for a little while with hopes that would stop so they could do an alternative option before the petocin. After about 2 hours she was still having steady contractions...much like the ones she has been having for the last week so they could not administer the alternative to the petocin.

So...late last night they made the call to start a slow petocin drip. At that point Dad, Haley & I decided we would head to their house (a few blocks from the hospital) to get some sleep. Of course Mom wasn't going to leave..we all know that!

As of this morning they had increased her petocin 4 times but she had still not progressed as much as they would have thought. They are now thinking that Luke may come as late as sometime this evening or even early tomorrow morning.

For now we continue to wait. Please keep praying for Tori & Luke. She is getting very discouraged and tired as the contractions continue to get more intense. She has been a real trooper though---I just know this will grow her love for Luke even more WHEN HE FINALLY GETS OUT OF HER!!

As much as I don't wish tomorrow on Tori, Aunt Paige wouldn't mind sharing her birthday with Luke!! We shall see!

Interesting Friday so far....

2010-09-24T11:29:00.005-05:00

This morning we celebrated Dad's birthday at the office & this is what they gave him!

Boy was he excited!

It has been funny to see how excited he actually is! He now has "he & Luke's tractor" sitting outside his office so that if anyone comes in they will ask about it and he can tell them about his grandson!

How cute is that?!?

He also has it set in his mind that Luke is coming on his birthday Sunday!

Look at the Glasco & Co. sticker on the back!!

Now this is the disgusting sight that I saw when I went...or should I say tried to go in the back door of our house!

Sick!!! I don't care what size it is...BIG or SMALL it is still disgusting!!

Fortunately Nathan shut the door all the way...he has a habit of leaving it slightly cracked because it doesn't shut easily.
I swear if that thing would have been inside my house I would have
FREAKED OUT!

I sent this picture to Tori in hopes that this might scare Luke right out of her...
I haven't heard back from her---should I be worried?!? ;)

Friday has started out fairly interesting so hopefully
Luke will end it with a little..OK A LOT of excitement!!

Luke...you can come any time now!

2010-09-16T17:16:00.014-05:00

Before Luke decides to make his big entrance I wanted to share these maternity photos that I took a while back. It was such an honor to do for Tori & Colin and we had so much fun doing it!

We got some nice pictures of Haley too but she would kill me if I posted them...

"The turtle is out of it's shell!"

Pretty Mommy-to-Be!

One of many looks to come...

Mia & G-Pa couldn't be happier!

Feel free to make your entrance now Luke!

I know your Mom would greatly appreciate it!

Projects...they are just what we do!

2010-09-15T21:26:00.005-05:00

Well, we have gone a whole week without a project so we decided to start a new one!

We decided to cover the back porch so every time it rains...

we don't get dumped on,

so my wonderful husband will quit putting his muddy shoes inside on my clean floors,

and more than anything

so we can enjoy our deck!!

Before
I promise our yard is not always this trashed.

This was from a while back when Nathan went crazy cutting down limbs
...and this is the only picture I have of the deck.

In progress...

If Baby Luke doesn't come this weekend hopefully I can get it all painted...
not making any promises though because if that boy comes
I am out of here and headed to Temple!

The little man should be here anytime now...
I think he is going to take his sweet time to drive his Mia crazy!

Congrats Kelsey & Kyle!

2010-09-13T13:30:00.002-05:00

One of my good friends, Kelsey Krebs got engaged this weekend!

Of course I am a little bitter because she kept me in suspense for FOREVER before I finally got some details on the proposal...BUT it was well worth the wait and I couldn't be more excited for these 2 die hard Aggie fans.

Look at that gorgeous ring---nice job Kyle!

Congrats to the future Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Toomey!

Let the planning begin!!

Somewhere between Before & After...

2010-09-08T22:02:00.011-05:00

As you know Nathan & I have taken on the challenge of remodeling his Dad's house in Sabinal. Along with new paint, floors, furniture & my "girly dust collectors" (as Kenneth calls them) comes some interesting experiences...

The absence of women in the this all boy household makes things quite interesting when you are trying to remodel and I'm pretty sure my father-in-law had no idea what was coming when I came into this family. Let's just say I like to shake things up...

More on that later...check some of the pics below.

See what a difference trim & new paint make!

We also hung a new light fixture & wall decor.

Next trip we are planning to rip up the carpet & seal the completely untouched wood floors underneath!

So excited to see how it turns out!

Below is an almost after...think wood floors & different couches.

Got the vision yet?!?

We will also change the current lovely light fixture to the one below.

These couches are going to have to go...for sure!

Now below is the room we did on the last visit---the Dining Room. Then again you wouldn't know that considering there is no table for dining...only a clothes rack for his clothes.

Needless to say, I told Kenneth to enjoy his last few weeks with his clothes in the dining room before I go out with the clothing rack and in with the dining room table!!

I think he thought I was kidding...I'm not!

While the boys went dove hunting, Kenneth & I started the cleaning process. After a truckload full of junk to the burn pile, multiple trash bags and boxes for Goodwill, the cabinets & drawers are organized & clean.

I know this means nothing to any of you but if you have seen it, you would appreciate Kenneth & I's efforts.

After putting drawer liners in the cabinet & drawers, Kenneth responds by saying

"who would have ever thought of putting paper in your drawers!"

Gotta love him!

It is now official---my father-in-law has

no earthly idea what to do with me!!

Another Renovation

2010-09-02T20:24:00.005-05:00

This weekend we are headed back to Sabinal to redo 2 more rooms in his Dad's House. We are planning to conquer the Living Room & Hallway this time. Here are the before pictures...

Living Room

Hallway - Before
Hallway Ceiling

We have our work cut out for us this weekend so check back to see the end result!

House Update

2010-08-30T12:39:00.004-05:00

For those of you that were curious about the status of our new home buying adventure...here is your update!

A few weeks ago we had it in our mind that we were going to buy this house...

Yes, I am well aware that you probably think we are absolutely out of our minds and that we had no idea what we were getting into... And to be quite honest both are probably true!

We knew it would be a complete redo but with the age and quirkiness of the house, we didn't realize that it would require

...changing the pitch of the roof

... installing new duct work/AC

...replacing all the pipes for plumbing

...gutting both bathrooms

...gutting the kitchen

...the list goes ON and ON!!

Check out this classy bathroom...the shower is even cuter with 3 steps that go down into the retro blue tiled shower!

So after finding out it would take at least $50,000-60,000 of renovations we decided it wasn't quite as good of an investment as we had hoped. Fortunately after about 2 weeks of roller coaster emotion and utter confusion the Lord made it abundantly clear to both of us that this was not the direction that we needed to go in.

It was fun to dream though! We would have loved to turn this into....

THIS Gorgeous Kitchen/Dining Room!

You can keep calling us crazy but we saw the potential AND a challenge...fortunately it can be someone else's cash paying for it and it isn't our headache!

After all that we went through, we don't regret any of it. We learned a LOT about our marriage, WAITING on the Lord, (which is not easy with my "planner OCD" personality) seeking his guidance, and most importantly --- understanding that when he says no, he has a much bigger and better plan than we could ever image.

And don't you worry, we are dreaming way bigger and better these days!!

To be quite honest I am extremely relieved that it didn't work out. It would have taken a full body suit with a gas mask in order for me to have wanted to touch anything in there!! So for now we will remain content where we are and continue to count our blessings! Don't think that is it for us though...we have some other ideas in the works!

(NO, it's not babies)!

Finally...House Pictures

2010-08-16T20:24:00.005-05:00

I know it has taken me a while to get these pictures up but things were pretty hectic when we first got here and more than anything, I never had a clean enough house to want to take pictures. Fortunately a few weeks ago we had some friends come visit so I was forced to get most of those final details finished that I had been procrastinating! I am mainly doing this post for you Lisa...since you have been asking ever since we moved back from Belton. Anyways, here it is. Hopefully we will have some exciting news to share later this week as well!!

Front Patio

Living Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Another Kitchen Shot

Guest bedroom (We haven't had any guests though so someone should come visit us!!)

Front Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Back Bathroom

Check back to see what's new with us later this week!!

End of one chapter, on to the next!

2010-08-09T21:11:00.004-05:00

As you can see from the picture above, we are finally both completely finished with school FOREVER! For those of you that are thinking we will go to grad school...YEAH RIGHT! We are lucky we made it through the first 4 (or 3 for me) years considering how much Nathan hates school work!

We both graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and I think the best thing we got out of college was...well, each other!!

We celebrated after graduation at Dead Fish Grill on Lake Belton.

In every spare moment we continue to anxiously await Luke's arrival! I am so ready to meet that little man! This past weekend I got the honor of doing my beautiful sister's maternity pictures. She is such a pretty mommy-to-be so it made it easy & so much fun! Here are a few unedited ones to enjoy while I work on getting them all edited. (Any photographers out there know of a good free editing program?? I am using Picnik but am open for suggestions)

Gorgeous!

My favorite one of the day!

Cute Blogs!!

2010-07-20T13:51:00.010-05:00

On my lunch break a few days ago, I got on a roll and kept finding blog after blog that was absolutely adorable! Because I am a generous person I will share some of the cute ideas with you...I thought about being selfish and keeping them all to myself. Then again, maybe I should so that when I steal some of these ideas you will think they are my own & that I am super clever ;) Just a thought...

I just started following the imprintables blog and they have such incredible ideas and features. Scissors Paper Cake comes up with so many over-the-top-adorable parties!

A lot of these are Baby Shower and Kids Birthday Party ideas but what else do you look at when you are already married and wedding blogs are a thing of the past and you have 2 NEPHEWS on the way!! I also have a stinkin' adorable niece so why wouldn't I be looking at this kind of stuff. ...as long as it's not for a kid of my own. Not any time soon---so don't even ask!

How cute would these be for a little boy's birthday??

I love this Outdoor Garden Party Concept!

Love these favors!

Hopefully these will be coming soon to the Muffin Top --- they look yummy!

How adorable is this little girl's first birthday!?

The thing I love about this idea is that it could go for a girl or a boy's birthday! I think Luke might want a 1st Birthday Party like this!

I don't know about you but I am ready to have a party now! Good thing we are throwing Tori a Baby Shower on Saturday at Natalie's house. Pictures will be up soon!!

It's just not the same anymore...

2010-07-20T12:26:00.006-05:00

I know I haven't posted in forever but things have been pretty hectic. This past weekend Tori had her first Baby Shower in Salado which was a lot of fun. It's making it a lot more real & little Luke will be here before we know it! Here are a few pics from the shower.

Pretty Mom-to-Be!!

Lots of delicious treats! The Key lime pie tarts were the best!

When we headed to Salado, I begged Mom to let us drive by the old Belton House. As you will be able to see from the pictures it doesn't look quite the same as when we were there. It doesn't look bad but it's sad...just doesn't have the same character! I know it's not our house anymore but it was still my first house and I loved it...oh well, what can you do!

Before

And after...

Baby Luke!

2010-06-01T22:30:00.004-05:00

As you can see, my nephew FINALLY has a name--- Luke Gardner Bryan. How cute is this picture?!? My sister & Colin texted this to all of us girls while we were at Ladies Bible Study tonight. Let me just say that my Mom (with her bum knee) was running around showing EVERYONE the pictures because she was so excited! I just wish he could be here already! I told my sister yesterday that I am mad that we moved back to Brenham when we did. I was so close to my little man, now we are 1 1/2 hours away.

A few weeks ago we headed to San Antonio for Nathan's cousin Steven & Nicole's wedding. Of course we used this as an excuse to have all the fun we could and told all the family to come up so we could take our nephew to Sea World ;) I tried to beg my sister-in-law to bring my niece but she just never lets me see her!! (I'm completely kidding Kim, I totally understand that it is hard to keep a 1 year old entertained during weddings and college graduations!)

Surprisingly enough Mom was the daring one who decided to ride the roller coaster. Let me just preface this by saying that she NEVER road roller coasters with us when we were younger, Dad always had to. I think something in her made her feel like she had to prove to Nathan that she was fun and that she could do it!!

As you can see, this was the end result. They both felt sick but surprisingly Dad was way worse. Normally he was always such a good trooper...not sure what has happened over the years!

We thoroughly enjoyed poking & prodding in order to get Baby Luke to move for us. He did a few times but I think more than anything we kept Tori squirming because we kept poking her bladder ;) It's only because we love you!

This last picture is to prove to her that she does look visibly pregnant. She wasn't too sure but Mom & I captured this angle and thought this would be good proof of that growing long-legged boy inside of her!!

We are still alive...barely!

2010-05-17T20:23:00.004-05:00

The past few weeks have been a complete whirlwind so between unpacking, weddings, graduations, & work I have not had much time to blog. I would attempt to try to mention everything but I don't even know if I could remember it all if I tried!

We are now officially moved out of our house and living in Brenham. It was kind of a sad day to part with our house but we were definitely ready to have all of our stuff in one place. I think Nathan was also tired of my random meals as I attempted to completely wipe out the fridge...

I am also now completely finished with school at UMHB!! Woohoo!! Nathan still has 2 summer classes to take online but after that we will graduate together at the end of July. It was kind of ironic a few weeks ago considering we were at Nathan's brother, Neal's graduation on the same day that I could have walked. It is such a relief to be able to eliminate homework from our schedules...it has made Nathan a much nicer person! Not for long though...online classes start June 7. Conveniently the same day we leave to take the students at church to youth camp...if anyone would like to volunteer to take Spanish or New Testament for a week let me know!!!

On top of youth camp, we have also taken on the responsibility of helping with the youth at church. Although it can be a little stressful getting everything planned and organized with a full time job and activities every night of the week, we could not be more excited to serve. I am so excited to see what God has in store!!

Nathan started 2 weeks ago & I started last week at our new jobs at Glasco & Co. I am working in the office doing who knows what & Nathan is the new landscape superintendent. Things are going great so far and it such a blessing to be back around family. Some of you may be wondering if we have killed each other at work yet...no worries, we don't hardly see each other!!

This past weekend my friend Sarah became Mrs. Abel Crosby! Abel & Sarah could not have been more excited for this day to finally come...Abel was practically running for the door to leave for their honeymoon! Oh, and for once I didn't make a complete fool of myself during my wedding speech...I have a tendency of putting my foot in my mouth!! I wrote it all down this time and tried not to deviate!!

And to end things, look at my Smoking Hot Mom!! She will be embarassed of that comment... Happy belated Mother's Day! Somehow that got thrown in to the mix of these crazy past few weeks! You are wonderful!!

It's a BOY!!!

2010-04-20T21:54:00.005-05:00

Today we went in to find out if Tori & Colin were having a boy or a girl. Going into it, we all called that it would be a boy---except for Dad who showed up in his pink shirt in support of yet ANOTHER girl! Well, for once in his life he was wrong---after LOTS of girls, there is finally a BOY!

I think God has a sense of humor in that way! When Nathan's brother Patrick & his wife Kim got pregnant we all joked that it would be a little girl to shake things up in their all male family. It turns out that we were right---God gave us the most adorable niece Mallory who is precious!! Now of course, our all girl family is being shaken up by this little boy that is coming into our lives. And lets be honest, we have NO idea what to do with little boys!!! Needless to say, this should be quite the experience for all of us.

I am pretty sure that the photo above indicates the gender...

For those of you that know my mother well (aka Mia to her new grandson), I am sure you will not at all be surprised to find out that her and G-Paw went on a crazy shopping spree at Target after the ultrasound and bought tons of goodies for their new grandson. Of course when we told Mom that she was going a little crazy and that Tori was not going to have anything left to register for she quickly told us to be quiet because "Mia can do whatever she wants!". Obviously we are not off to a good start....Let the spending begin!!! (I will say it was not all Mia. G-Paw was throwing just as many things into the basket!! He was very into it and had a strong opinion about what we could and couldn't buy for his grandson!)

Mia, Aunt Hay, & G-Paw (in his pink shirt!!)

It was so neat seeing my NEPHEW!!

Love these --- Pretty Mom-to-Be!

A Day in the "Country"

2010-04-10T23:12:00.004-05:00

Twice a year the "Glasco girls" make their way out to Round Top to see what kind of treasures we can find! Fortunately since Nathan & I are in the process of moving I didn't buy anything but I never mind going for a little inspiration. Hope you enjoy some of our finds!

This is my dream piece for my dream kitchen one day...Loved it!

Yeah, those will definitely fit you!

She can add this to her collection of random body parts in the apartment...

Over the years we have found it quite humorous to see the "city" people come out for a day in the "country". You can easily point them out because it is almost like Halloween for them. You literally see it all... I mean seriously, who wears 4" wedges through a pasture full of cow manure and hay??

Don't judge us...this is always great entertainment. I am sure you will enjoy it as well!! hehe

And the winner is...

Happy Birthday Memie!

2010-04-10T23:04:00.002-05:00

Amongst everything else last weekend, we also celebrated my wonderful Memie's 76th birthday! She is such a sassy mess but we love her to death! I thought I would share the fun cake we made for her---nothing like the Muffin Top but I tried...

Love you Memie!!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-01T13:25:00.003-05:00

First of all, I hope everyone has Happy Easter! Ours will be fairly small this year. Mom has high hopes for next year though--- she is already planning the Easter egg hunt for the new grand baby. I mean, every kid hunts for Easter eggs at 6 months, right?!?

On a different note, Wednesday marked my final day of work at Barge Properties in Temple! I could not be more grateful to them for the way they worked with my "college student" schedule and were more than will to let me off for the summer for my internship and for any time needed for our wedding. As sad as it is to move on...I'm soooo ready!!!

I needed one less thing on my calendar since life has been super hectic. Today I spent the day cleaning the bed & breakfast with Mom & helping Haley with her catering because they are both gimps... Mom has been having problems since her knee surgery in December---I'm sure it has nothing to do with her being on her hands & knees scrubbing toilets or digging in flower beds. Not Mom...she always listens when people tell her to sit still---NOT!!! Haley is the newest patient this week after having shoulder surgery to remove the plate from the wreck last year. Needless to say I was nervous as all get out to help this perfectionist with her cakes! Everything turned out really well though. Luckily she can use one arm this year unlike last year when they were both broken!

After this weekend we will be moving forward in full force to start packing up the house. This is an extremely daunting task that I am not looking forward to. Of course my WONDERFUL husband keeps reminding me that if I didn't have so much "crap" we wouldn't have this problem. Whatever...he will appreciate all that "crap" one day! Anyways, between finishing up the last 3 1/2 weeks of school and packing I have a feeling it will pretty much consume my life. Feel free to come on over if you would like to volunteer your services ;) Only 28 more days!!!!

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter!!