Chasing Butterflies: Dump Cake, Part One

I figured it was time to update the ol' blog. It has been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything and I didn't want you to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth or anything...

Unfortunately, that means you get the dump cake version of our last few weeks. Just like a dump cake, it will look highly random and perhaps slightly questionable, but the end result is super sweet! So grab a cup of coffee and have some dump cake:

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Frederick Style

It is no secret that, while I love my home tremendously, I do object to several of the "cookie cutter home" standard features (basic faucets, ugly standard light fixtures, ceiling fans, etc.) However, those are things that we can replace and update when we have time (and MONEY!). So I promise that I did not sabotage my plain, standard, cookie-cutter home installed kitchen faucet so that WGH would replace it. Honest! After all, who enjoys getting a surprise shower while washing dishes? Trust me, I would not stoop so low. Nevertheless, I am so excited that I now have a more aesthetically pleasing faucet in my kitchen (and WGH picked it out himself). Have mentioned lately that I do have the World's Greatest Husband?! Don't even think about arguing with me on it. I'm sure your husbands are great, but definitely NOT the world's greatest!

But I digress...I was so excited about my new faucet that I decided to have a photo shoot with my new faucet. She was a willing participant!

Isn't she beautiful?!

Dust and Mold and Grass, Oh My!

My poor baby boy has so much trouble with his allergies! When we took him to the allergy doctor (click here for his drama-laden exchange with the doctor), the dreaded allergy test was prescribed. Here are a few of the pics from the oh-so-sad visit:

Overall, the visit went well. The nurse who performed the test is the mom of a former student (from my super special Class of 2004) and they allowed Wes to bring his favorite DVD to watch while we waited. The pokes you see in the photo above were administered in 3 sections of 8, so he only felt the 24 total pokes 3 times. Then he got to wait it out for 20 minutes while watching The Backyardigans.

Mommy got to follow in Wesley's footsteps the following week with my own allergy test. I was kidding myself when I thought my test would be like Wesley's. No such luck. I had over 50 pokes administered to the inner forearm! And that was only stage one! The second stage included over 30 needle injections to my upper arms. Can you say OUCH (if I were the swearing type, I might of let a few slip, but I'm not, so I didn't)! God is good though. The nurses in the office are Christians and had our local Contemporary Christian station on the radio, so I was able to focus my thoughts on things a little more reassuring!

The result?

Mold: Wes (1 mold) Mom (all molds)

Dust: Wes and Mom (all dust)

Grass: Mom (all grass)

Cat: Wes and Mom (again, Mom has it worse!)

Dog: Wes and Mom (no family pet in the future for us--Sorry Jilly!)

The final conclusion?

Rip out the carpet

Buy air purifiers for mine and Wesley's bedrooms

Totally encase our mattress, box springs, and pillows with allergy barrier coverings.

Wash in hot water every week any washable items and wipe down any non-washable items (beyond typical dusting).

The lesson learned?

Yes, I am in fact "sick of housework"

Do not wash curtains in hot water after you have installed the curtain hardware. Same applies to bedskirts. Good thing I needed to replace those anyway...

3 Going on 13!

Jilly got a haircut last week. She loves going to the salon because our awesome stylist straightens her hair. For the rest of the day Jilly flips her hair and runs her fingers through it. Mommy and Daddy, however, were not so thrilled after this last visit:

Doesn't she look way too old for a three-year-old?! Flash forwards to "But Mom, everyone else is doing it!" innundate my thoughts! I thought WGH would have a heart attack. This really made me regret the lament I posted a while back.