Monday, September 26, 2011

The Simmons' house these days...

Well, who knew that I would become so consumed with this pregnancy and blogging would go out the window?! Since the last blog post, which happened to be in July...yes, it now September, many things have happened in the Simmons' house. We added a new metal roof with overhangs that will one day have a porch underneath them...can't wait! Pretty much the entire house is done and now we get to enjoy it. We recently realized that all of the remodeling was for Cooper to have his own house and for us to just be able to stay there too. Seriously, I cannot believe how much a baby needs or what I think he needs! Every room has his stuff in it, but here's the great thing...it's complete, for the most part and very livable. We are still doing things here and there, but just having a house to make a home right before Cooper gets here has been unbelievable. On the list of things still to do are finishing the bathroom (it's functional, but needs finishing touches), adding the open shelves in the kitchen above our cabinets (these shelves are from a man who cuts/sells cedar planks...found him at Canton. We bought a small piece last month from him and used it for our bar that separates the kitchen and living room. Clay sanded the raw wood down and used polyurthane to finish it off nicely. It turned out so great that we decided to do our open shelves from the same wood...love it!), putting up siding, and last, but not least, adding finishing touches of furniture...aka dining room chairs and a recliner for the living room.
Here is a picture of the piece of wood that is already done...

Notice the baby jumper-roo in the background?...like I said, Cooper has stuff in every room of the house lol!

As mentioned before, I still need dining room chairs because I purchased the table without the chairs since they were out of stock at the time...sad day! And yes, I have no seating whatsoever, except for my couch, so this whole chair thing needs to be fixed pronto! Here is a picture of the table *mimus the chairs* from a party we had at the house a couple of weekends ago.

I love the idea that I am adding pictures and blogging about furniture and decorations for the house. We (me especially!) have been waiting so long to be able to be at this point! We definitely have been enjoying our time in our home and can't wait to bring Cooper into our world. I guess we actually made our deadline except for the few finishing touches. Now we are counting down the days until our family of two becomes a family of three...Simmons, party of three! Love it and makes my heart smile!
More to come...




Monday, July 25, 2011

Where did July go?!

My, my, this month has been super busy and have obviously flown by! I came into work today and realized, my goodness, it is already the last week in July. It probably went by so fast because we have been working like little busy bees on the house...oh, and did I mention we squeezed in a mini-vacation to Port Aransas, too?! This trip was a much needed vacation and I think Clay would agree with me that we both came back more relaxed and stress free. Here are a few of the pictures from the beach vacation...






And yes, I found this sand dollar! I have never found one that wasn't in pieces so this was the highlight of the day on the beach.

As far as the house goes, this past weekend Clay finished so many small things that add up to greatness! I couldn't be more happy with what he finished this weekend. The bathroom is complete, except for the walls...we are still trying to decide what we want to do in there. The stove is hooked up and ready to be cooked on...I can finally bake again! We are now officially ready to move back into the house. We don't have our bedroom suite yet, but plan on sleeping on a mattress in the floor for a week or so until we get it. I feel like a newlywed again...ya know? when you move into your first house together and the cable isn't hooked up yet and you are sleeping on a pallet in the floor for a few days? These are the best times in marriage! I'm sure Clay and I will look back on these days and love and cherish every minute of them. At least I hope so, because right now, we are ready to pull each other's hair out! Remodeling is such a hard process to go through, but such a rewarding one all at the same time. The good Lord has blessed us in so many ways and we are thankful for these things everyday!

Another exciting house update is the fact that Clay let me move some furniture into the house this weekend! We moved my couch out of storage and even put down a rug in the living room. Here's a picture of our stuff in the newly remodeled living room...not sure if this is where it will end up, but regardless...




Also, in remodeling news, today was the first day that the roofers were at our house. They are busy ripping out shingles and doing the dirty work as I type. The estimated time of completion is either late this week or early next week. I can't wait for it to be done...I have been the only one in the state of Texas who has been secretly hoping for no rain. I know, I feel bad even as I type it! At least by this time next week I can join the rain dancers and pray for rain. I'm not sure if I mentioned what exactly they are doing to our roof. We are getting a metal roof put on, which will do wonders to the outside of the house! Also, they are adding overhangs on the east, west and south sides of the house which will be over a wrap-around porch someday. I can't wait to get home today and take pictures of the progress so far.

More to come from the not-so-newlyweds...


Sunday, July 10, 2011

Finishing Touches {Base Boards}

This weekend was very productive when it comes to the house remodel. Of course, our floors were completed last week and we needed to finish them off with base boards, which we did this weekend. They look great! We also installed the bathroom vanity and bought the base of our kitchen cabinets...waiting to install them next week. My mom and dad were also so gracious enough to give us their "old" dishwasher and stove...I say "old" because the appliances are only about a year old. They bought new appliances last year, but then decided to buy a new home that came with new appliances, therefore, leaving us with some good stuff to put in our home. Clay is in the process of installing the new water heater, but the plumbing is complete for the entire house now, which has been a huge project for him! This picture is of the base boards in the corner of the living room, but more pictures will be posted as we finish the kitchen and bathroom...

More to come from the not-so-newlyweds...


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Great Week {Floors}...

This past week the floors were completed in the house, except for a minor adjustment of the carpet in the bedroom. We did not realize how thick and plush the carpet we picked out would actually be, which isn't a bad thing, unless you want to be able to open the back door in the bedroom...yes, the carpet is so thick in the bedroom that we cannot open our back door! Who knew?! So, we are having H&R come out once again to fix this little dilemma we have found ourselves in. The fix...we are putting an entryway around the door opening that will be done in either vinyl or laminate. This should allow enough room for the door to be opened, hopefully! On a better note, the floors are in and they look amazing! I just cannot believe how much this house has changed right before our eyes. We have put in so many hours...well, Clay moreso than I, into this house...not to mention blood, sweat and tears! We have stressed and fretted over so many different things about the house and it feels great to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. As soon as I saw the carpet in the bedroom, I threw off my shoes and layed on it for a good 15 minutes! This made Clay happy...what's the saying? "Happy wife, happy life"...needless to say, this was an exciting completed project.


Along with the floors, Clay and Mike finished installing the toilet and laundry room door. The bathroom vanity will be in today and I can't wait to see it! As soon as the bathroom is complete, we can move back in.
In fact, I'm hoping that it will be as soon as this weekend! My best friend, Emily, is coming into town and I would love for her to help me decorate and arrange furniture, which is one of the many things she does best! So I'm crossing my fingers that everything gets done by then...

Here are a few pictures of the floors, which have not been cleaned by the way...what's the point, right?! I will wait until all construction is complete to actually clean my house again. =)
This picture was taken from the front door and even though there is a refrigerator in the middle of the room, this is the living room.
 This a the view from the living room into the kitchen...with the two happy workers!
 This is the hallway closet...
 This is the bathroom, opposite the closet...
 And this is the bedroom from the hallway...

This is the laundry room door that I LOVE...
Next, we will be putting in base boards and completing the bathroom. Then, we can move back in!
More to come from the "not-so-newlyweds"...


Monday, June 27, 2011

Big Weekend {House Update}

Ok, so this weekend was huge for us and our future home. We finished painting trim, doors, etc (except for the bathroom door and laudry room door)! At the last minute, we decided to do a bathroom demolition and so it threw us for a loop when we needed to finish all of the painting before the flooring arrives TOMORROW! I love saying that...the floors will be in by Wednesday and I could NOT be happier. So far, the bathroom is the last room that needs attention besides flooring, but who cares...we are almost done! I bought the laundry room door Saturday, which I love! Mike is installing the bifold door that is louvered today and I am thinking it will look great in the house. I can't wait to see it =) Here are a few pictures of some of the progress that was made this weekend...
This is what our front yard looked like for pretty much the entire weekend...we looked like white trash. We even had a girl pull up to the house asking for directions to Dallas (man, was she WAY off track) and yes, this is what the yard looked like. Not to mention, I was in the redneck pool, 6 months prego in a bikini! I'm sure she thought real highly of us =-)


This is the bathroom that all of the above mess came out of...ready for flooring tomorrow!

These are a few of the pictures around the house that show the paint and trim on the windows...notice that I have a caulking gun in hand and am actually helping! Not the best I have ever looked, but hey, I had to prove that I am actually contributing in all of our house projects.



Ps. I have to apologize for the crummy pictures! I had to take them with my cell phone, becasue I forgot my regular camera at my parent's house...shocker!

I can't wait to post pictures of the floor later on this week!!

More to come from the "not-so-newlyweds"...





Monday, June 20, 2011

House Update {Paint}

I am a happy little wife today because our house was completely painted this weekend. Thanks to Clay, Mike and Harwell, we now have textured/painted ceilings and walls! Our ceilings are a flat white color and our walls are "cream rich" in color. I am still debating on whether or not to paint an accent wall in either the bedroom or living room, but I figure I can do that later if I choose to. Here are some pictures of the house...painted!!
This is in the kitchen...in half view...
This is looking from the kitchen into the living room...

This is the view from the front door in the living room...

And this is just a close up because it is kind of hard to see the contrast in paint colors in these pictures...


Now, all we need to do is put up trim and base boards! Well, I shouldn't say that's ALL we need to do, but this will complete the wall project. This next week we should be able to install flooring, which is exciting because after flooring...we move back in!!

More to come from "The Not-So Newlyweds"...

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

"Blessed Little Nest" debut...

I have started a new blog that relates to pregnancy and our growing family that's called, "Blessed Little Nest"! I will continue to post on "Newlywed Diaries" about our ongoing house projects, but wanted to split my updates up between house and baby. So here ya go...

TheSimmonsBlessedNest.blogspot.com

Enjoy and watch us grow!

Monday, June 13, 2011

House Update {Tape, Bedding, Texture & Paint}

Today is the day that I have been looking forward to ever since we started home improvement projects over a year ago! This weekend we moved out of our home and moved in with the parentals, because our house has been totally turned upside down. We moved most of the furniture out of the house, taped off all of the windows and prepared for the taping and texturing to begin. Our brother-in-law was gracious enough to help us out and do all of the work this week. Here are some of the pictures that were taken yesterday before we left the house for awhile...


These are the pictures of the kitchen...all that was left was the refrigerator and the kitchen cabinets, which will be gutted after painting.

Here are the pictures of the living room...


and here is the hallway from the living room...


and here is the bedroom with everything covered...


The next thing to do after painting is floors. We have picked out what we want, but it won't be installed until after the walls are finished. The inside isn't the only thing we have been working on...we are close to getting our siding and roof completed soon, too!

Cooper update:
I went for my 24 week appointment today and it went great! Dr. Rister asked if Cooper was pretty active and, of course, my answer was...YES! This crazy boy is a little gymnast =) Anyways, he said I measure perfectly, which made me feel good because I don't always feel "perfect" ( more like bloated and fat) I have gained a total of 12 lbs so far...sigh!

We purchased Cooper's nursery furniture this weekend at Babies R Us and I even talked myself into registering...haha! It was so much fun! I can't wait to start putting things in his room. The next post will include pictures of our house after the walls are painted...so exciting!!

More to come from the "parents-to-be"...





Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Cooper Man {Our 20 week appointment}

Yesterday, my mom, Samantha, Shelia, and Mike got to go with me to the doctor for my 20 week ultrasound. Yes, it seems like a lot of people, but I can't help if everyone loves little Cooper man already lol! Actually, when we were walking to the ultrasound room, I joked about how many people I brought and they said that that was nowhere near the record of 11 guests...so I don't feel so bad! I also joked with them and said if they thought this was bad, they should wait and see what the delivery room will be like..just kidding!

Anyways, the appointment went great! Everything is where it needs to be and Cooper is a growing boy. By the way, Clay thought it was going to be hilarious if this appointment would have proved that Cooper is, in fact, an Emma...I think it might have something to do with the fact that I got my way and found out early so I could start buying things! Cooper is still a Cooper, though, no doubt about that. The ultrasound tech was fascinated with how much he was moving around. I expected this because I can feel him all day and all night. He will probably be just like his daddy and not be able to sit still...I will probably remind him of this a few times in his life, haha. "You are JUST like your daddy!!"

During the ultrasound, we could see Cooper stretch, yawn and even roll over. He rolled over at the end of the ultrasound, as if saying, "That's ENOUGH!" He is already around 10 in long! Overall, the appointment was wonderful and I enjoyed getting to see my little man again! Here is the ultrasound picture from yesterday...


Funny Happenings...{Broken Kitchen Table}

Well, everyone knows that there is never a dull moment at the Simmons' house. I cannot even imagine what our house will be like with a newborn present...Crazyville, I'm sure! We wouldn't have it any other way. We always joke and say that God must think we are pretty strong because he hands us some doozies sometimes. What happened Sunday night was by no means a doozie, but it definitely kept us laughing all night! I rarely get the chance to cook for Clay lately, because of his new job requirements. When last Sunday rolled around, I couldn't wait to cook for him and for us to have a nice meal at the table again. We were sitting at the table enjoying the meal we had cooked together and received a nice little surprise. Clay had just finished eating his meal and started on the salad last. Right whenever he took his first bite of salad, his side of the table snapped in half! The empty plate he had just eaten off of went straight to the floor and it left both of us looking at each other. He continued to eat his salad as if nothing had happened! We laughed for hours about this and both said at the same time, "that's about right"! We still can't figure out how the table snapped in half, but I guess we will be moving the new table in soon. Here are a few pictures of the table (after we finished eating and I cleaned the floor)...



House Progress...

Last weekend was wonderful! I actually spent the entire Saturday at home helping Clay with the house...which he was mighty impressed with! What's that saying..."Happy wife, happy life", well what is the saying for husbands? Anyways, we accomplished alot and the house is really starting to take shape! We put in another window and a door that will go out onto the porch in the nursery. I don't have pictures of the finished product, but I do have a picture of what I came home to last Thursday night. Clay got home from work out of town on Thursday and just felt like diving right into working on the house. Since I work until 8 pm on most Thursdays, he had to act quickly to have everything cleaned up before I got home. He moved all of the furniture to the center of the room and ripped out all of the wood paneling still left in the nursery (our bedroom). Here is the result of that...

Since we finished the window and door this past weekend, all this room needs now is sheet rock! Yippee!
By the way, here is a picture of what I saw on the back porch when I pulled up to the house on Thursday night...Clay is so lucky he cleaned up in time =)





On Sunday, my very talented Uncle Rick came over to paint our front door. The color we chose is Sun dried tomato and I am sooo happy with the way it turned out!


Clay jokes around and says that all he needed to do to the house was add a red door and I would have been happy! He's not too far from the truth, I love red doors! 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

"Heaven is for Real" {My thoughts about this book}

First of all, I am a believer and follower of Christ and know that someday I will see this glorious place. I downloaded this book to my Kindle yesterday in hopes that I would find time to read it soon. Since I was a little under the weather today, I decided that I would rest and start this book that I have heard so much about. I first heard about it on KLOVE, my favorite radio station. The host talked about the descriptive stories that the book told through the eyes of a little boy.

I could not put this book down until I finished it! I starting reading this morning and just now finished...I do have to say, I think this is the first time I have ever started and finished a book within a day's time. The book gave me a lot to think about and, at times, brought tears to my eyes. I think everyone would enjoy this book and the story it tells.

I was touched by one part of this book that told of Colton, the little boy, telling his mommy that he met his other sister in heaven. After questioning her son and herself, she realized she had never told her 4 year-old of her miscarriage due to this topic being inappropriate for a boy of his age. She questioned him and prodded for more information when the boy told her that the girl came to him in heaven and said that she was his sister. She told him that she had died in his mommy's tummy and that God had adopted her. Colton confirmed to his parents that she didn't have a name because they had not named her yet. His parents said this was true because when the miscarriage happened, it was too early to know the gender of the baby. The girl also told Colton that she couldn't wait for their parents to get to heaven!

I stopped several times when reading this particular chapter and thought about mine and Clay's personal story of losing a baby. After my miscarriage, I felt a tremendous pain of guilt and grief that was so hard to express to anyone at the time. God helped me make peace with this loss and we (Clay & I) felt comforted that one day we will meet our child in heaven. Since our latest pregnancy, I have pushed back all of these feelings and found joy in welcoming our baby in October. After reading this book, all of the emotions came back. I smiled when I read the part about God adopting the little girl. I'm sure about the fact that God has adopted our baby and I can't wait to see what he/she looks like someday.

My faith is strong and I have a relationship with the Lord. This story touched me in numerous ways and that's why I thought it was perfect for this blog.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Making Memories {Baby News and Easter}

Last week was one of the most exciting weeks for The Simmons' family. We found out we are having a BOY and could not be more excited!! We decided on Cooper for his first name, but are still looking for the perfect middle name.

I had the option to get an ultrasound where I work and definitely jumped on the opportunity to do so. Clay was off of work last Thursday, so I thought this would be perfect for him to come up for the ultrasound. The day didn't go as planned...the ultrasound department was very busy, Clay couldn't make it into town and the ultrasound tech only had a 30 minute gap to work me in. So, needless to say, I had the ultrasound done without Clay there. I was a little sad at first, but I cheered up pretty fast! Since Clay wasn't there, the tech said she would put the pictures in an envelope with a note that said "It's a Boy" or "It's a Girl" for Clay and I to open together later that night. Let me remind you that I thought this was an excellent idea and thought it would add a special and unique touch to this pregnancy. As soon as she went to put everything in the envelope...I broke down and I begged her to tell me! She asked what the names were and I told her "Emma" for a girl and "Cooper" for a boy. She said, "Well, then you have a Cooper"!! This is a picture of Cooper's profile (I'm leaving the picture out that shows his little turtle, you can take my word for it)
Cooper is about 5 in. long and appears to be maturing perfectly! My next appointment is May 17th for my 20 week checkup. 

Easter was a wonderful time that was spent with family and remembering His ressurection. Since I found out that we are having a "Cooper", I thought this was an awesome time to share our news with the family. Cooper may not be here yet, but he was definitely a part of this Easter. I dyed eggs that had his name on them and Gma Shelia gave him his first baby chick and baby duck. Here is a picture of the eggs that we dyed and of course, Coop's special egg =)






Friday, March 25, 2011

Baby Simmons Update...

Our 12 week appointment was this morning and it went great! I do have to say, I was pretty nervous going into the office because of my history with this particular appointment. Dr. Rister calmed my nerves a little and went straight into checking for the heartbeat. Before he applied the doppler to my tummy he said, "Now, if we don't hear a heartbeat right away don't PANIC. Sometimes it takes a little while to find it." As soon as he put the instrument on my tummy, all of us heard the most wonderful sound! We heard a strong heartbeat and what we think was the baby moving. This was the most awesome sound I think my ears have EVER heard and that sound came with such a weight that was lifted off my shoulders and heart.

Shelia and Miss Ava were with me today at the appointment, because Clay started his new job with Brazos Electric and hated to ask off so soon. Shelia and I both cried tears of joy after the appointment! It was so great to have her there supporting me.

Here is an amazing story and aswered prayer that Shelia shared with me as we sat in the room after hearing the heartbeat...

Shelia told me that the night before she prayed for us and the baby, like she does every night, but this time she asked for the heartbeat to be heard immediately. And it happened just that way! God is listening...

Our next appointment is on April 15th and we should have a new picture then.

More to come from the "not so" Newlyweds/soon-to-be parents...

Friday, March 18, 2011

Baby News...My Eggo is Preggo!

  Well, I can't contain the exciting news any longer...Clay and I are expecting Baby Simmons in October! We have had a roller coaster ride since last September with losing our first baby, but the Lord sure does have a way of making things GREAT!! We know that this is God's plan for us. We also understand that no matter what happens, it ALWAYS happens for a reason. We have made peace with the loss of our first baby and I truly believe we will meet it someday.
    With that being said, we cannot be more excited about this pregnancy! I am finally feeling great and over the whole nausea mess...hopefully it doesn't show its ugly face again! This pregnancy just feels different from my first and I'm hoping that's a good thing. My first appointment was amazing and we have the baby's first photo with mommy!
More to come from the "not so Newlyweds"...and soon to be parents!...

Monday, March 14, 2011

Update {Front Door}

The Simmons' family finally has a front door that doesn't have broken glass in it! This past weekend Clay knocked the entire north wall of the house down to fix and rebuild a new front door...


It seems like older houses don't have front doors that are centered with the front of the house so we wanted to change that. We picked out a door last weekend and it was installed on Saturday by Mike and Clay. Here's the door we picked...
And here is what I came home to on Friday night, sigh...
And here are some other pictures of the progress...



The finishing touches still need to be done, but the guys worked so hard this past weekend and did an amazing job in such a short amount of time! Since all of the sheetrock is up now, the next project is PAINTING!
More to come from the "not so Newlyweds"...