McCord's Maple Comes Home! (& oh the fun with playdoh)

When McCord was born - almost 2 years ago, Bo had a great idea to plant a tree in his honor. 


The day we planted McCord's Maple at our old house.  He was just 2 weeks old.

I still remember when Bo and I went to pick out McCord's maple at the nursery.  It was one of my first times away from McCord while he slept at home under his grandmother's watch.  Bo and I really deliberated which tree would best represent our son (seems so funny now!) but we were so serious about this decision.  Then when Mc was 2 weeks old, the tree was planted at our old house on Surrey Lane.  We took Mc's picture in front of the tree each month for his first year of life to monitor his growth (and the tree). 

And then we decided we needed a bigger house.

Mc at 12 months next to his Maple.  This was the last photo we took of Mc in front of his tree before moving and leaving the tree behind. 

You can imagine how anxious I was when we sold our house in the heat of summer - I wanted to make sure the buyers would allow us to come back to get the tree in the winter when its survival rate during transplantation would be much higher.  And I am so glad to say that day has arrived. 

19-month-old Mc and his Maple - reunited.

Welcome to your new home, Maple.  We hope to be here for many years so we can enjoy your new leaves budding out in the spring and your brillant fall foliage each year.  And you'll have another tree to keep you company soon when we plant another one in May to honor Baby #2.

And - in other random news, we made this playdoh recipe today and it was so easy, I may never buy store-bought playdoh again.

This is the kind of picture you get when your toddler wants you to take a picture of him playing with the playdoh while also watching to see how the picture turns out - all at the same time. 

Oh, the fun!

Goodbye Surrey Lane

Our first house. 

You've been a place of escape for 6 great years. You sheltered, shielded and gave us a place to grow our family.  We will remember you fondly. 

We met your new owners today at closing and they are perfect in every way.  I know that you will be loved under their care.  We'll give you some time to get acquainted with them.  It may be too painful for us to drive by the neighborhood because we'll miss you, but know that we are your distant admirers.  And we'll be back in the fall to visit when we pick up McCord's Maple. 

So long, old friend.

Best House Ever

Today when Monkey and I were thrifting at the Habitat ReStore (aka: procrastinating packing), I found this great Richard Scarry book and had to splurge the $.50 since we'll be moving into our new house next weekend!  Thought Mc needed a new (used) book to celebrate the good news!

If you read the last post about our house hunting experience, we decided to go with Option 2 - the 1940s fixer-upper that was up for auction.  We love the age of the house and the neighborhood, but let's be honest - it needs a ton of work.  We're excited to make it what we want. 

Here's a picture I took tonight as we drove by the house for the hundredth time!

This time we were excited to see this sign in the front yard.

Here's how it all went down:

After viewing the house several times, we called our contractor (whom we trust immensely) who did some renovations for us on Surrey Lane.  He reviewed the inspection the owner had completed and reported on what needed to be fixed.  We knew the house was a fixer-upper, but wanted to make sure that it had good bones and was worth the investment.  With his report, we decided to go ahead and place a pre-auction bid knowing that both bathrooms would need to be renovated right away.  The house also lacks attic storage and a fence, so building a garage and working on the yard are both on the to-do list.  We know we'll also eventually renovate the kitchen.  Taking all of this into consideration, we placed a super-low bid (offer) on the house - not sure if anyone else was planning on placing a bid.  We'd been told that if satisfied with a bid, the owner would cancel the auction all together, and the house would go under contract instead.  Part of our offer included the request to rent the house from the owner while we are waiting on the closing of our present house - we have to move out of Surrey Lane before June 30th, so we need to find a place to live and store our possessions stat.  After a weekend of negotiating, we are so excited to say that we are under contract!  The owner has been a dream to work with - already having the house professionally cleaned and having an extra key made for us to access the house as soon as this week.  We plan to start taking boxes over daily and move in officially next Saturday.  We can't wait!



Don't forget to pack the baby!

Here's my proud husband after cleaning out the pantry - this was an amazing undertaking.  I think the pantry fought back, but in the end, my husband was the champ!



Here are a couple of sneak peek photos of the "bones."

Standing in the foyer looking upstairs into the laundry room

Downstairs bath - this will be the first bath to be renovated

Master BR - notice that you have to be super short to get into the closets.  Just kidding, there's a regular size closet in the MB, but the small nooks will be fun hideouts for Mc.

Upstairs bath - notice moisture damage on ceiling - one of many things to change in here.

Also, this is off the subject, but are any of you on Pinterest?  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, drop everything you're doing and check it out right now.  Here's a board I started a few weeks ago to stockpile design inspiration.  The rest of my boards are located here.  As you can see, Pinterest is my new favorite thing.  I think you'll like it too. 

Stay tuned in the coming months as we document our progress on the renovations. For sure, this will be a
slow work in progress.

McCord is 11 months old!

Dear McCord,

Today you are 11 months old, and your Daddy and I are madly in love with you. 

We are so amazed at how much you've learned this month.  You've amended your crawling style using your left knee to support your weight and you kick the other leg out to the side to push and guide - it's sort of like your rudder.  We think you made this adjustment to protect one of your knees from the hardwood floor.  It's a little awkward, but it works for you and I adore your ingenuity! 

You're pretty good at pulling up now, and you practice this new skill when I'm unloading the dishwasher and folding clothes from the dryer.  When you hear me open up the dishwasher or dryer, you come scooting my way (quickly with that rudder of yours!) to practice your new trick. 

Here are some things you've done recently that we don't want to forget:

• You reach out from the stroller to hold your Daddy's hand when we walk around the block
• I'll never forget one time when you were nursing, you stopped, looked up at me, and leaned in to kiss me on the lips, then went back to eating.  Melt my heart!
• When I brush your hair at night, you like to take the brush from me and brush my hair.
• You've also learned how to pick up two things with one hand!  It was quite a revelation for you when you discovered this and Aiya and I enjoyed watching that light go off in your head.  Now you do it all the time. 

This month we went to feed the ducks...



...and learned that those geese are quite bossy!  We were completely outnumbered - I had to hold you the whole time because I was afraid they were going to run away with you!

• You are on the go!  Your favorite thing right now is to explore all the corners of our house.  You know how to open a cracked door, and it's not unusual to find you contentedly sitting on the floor of the pantry playing with all kinds of items Daddy and I didn't even know we had.  Same goes for my closet!
• You've also discovered all of the door stops in the house and you love to pull the white cap off of each one!
• Most recently, you and Daddy devised a little game with your paci.  He pretends like he's going to put it in his mouth and you take it out of yours and try to fit it in his mouth.  This makes Daddy roar with laughter!  You are quite a funny little fellow.

This is an especially sentimental month for us - this 11th month of your life - because it's the last month we'll be living on Surrey Lane.  The day we brought you home from the hospital, I cried when we turned onto Surrey Lane, because I just knew that we would have so many wonderful memories in this place.  We couldn't wait to get you home.  I still remember walking you through each room and telling you all about the house and how we used each room.  I was so proud to show you your nursery - by far my favorite room in the house - because we assembled it especially for you.  We are so thankful for you and for the ways that you've enriched our life here and forever. 

Here you are standing next to your maple on your 11 month birthday.  My how you and the maple have grown!

McCord, Monkey, Baby, we love you like crazy.

Surrey Lane is Under Contract

Last Friday was a good day and a bad day all rolled into one.

At 9 a.m. we received a very respectable offer on our house with a clean contract and a quick closing (before June 30th!).  It was more than we could ever hope for after being on the market for almost 5 months.  We quickly made an appointment with our agent to revisit the property that motivated us to put our house on the market in the first place.  We had a contingency offer on it through March, but unfortunately our house didn't sell in time and the contract expired without renewal. 


House For Sale

Then I drove past the house to "check it out" again, I was so sad to find a contractor's truck in the driveway.  He told me that the house went under contract two days ago!  We just couldn't believe it!  It was swooped up by another buyer in this unfortunate market.  What are the odds?!! 

I immediately called Bo to tell him not to e-mail our counter offer to the buyer's agent just yet because at the moment, we didn't have a house to move into.  He hurriedly said, "I'm glad you called when you did....my finger is on the send button!" 

Must Sell.  Lost job. Can't pay mortgage.  Wife left.  Took dog.  House a gem.  Except for asbestos.  Best offer.

We asked for an extension to our response to the buyer which left us with 24 hours to decide if we were going to
a) decline the offer on Surrey Lane so we could continue to live at home while we search for another house, or
b) counter the buyer's offer and find another house asap so we would have a place to live after our quick closing, or
c) counter the buyer's offer and rent for a while while we take our time searching for another place to live.

Option C would require us to pack up twice and not only find our dream home, but a temporary home as well to live in for an unspecified amount of time.  Sounds undesirable, right?  That's what we thought too.  But to us, it seemed like the right thing and the best choice for our family.

We spent a good portion of Saturday looking at houses.  I plan to blog about our experience and some of the houses we see house hunting, as well as what I learn from packing up 6 years of living in less than 30 days, so stay tuned.   Exciting stuff around the corner.

Today (Sunday) we got an e-mail from the buyer's agent saying that the buyers accepted our counter-offer.  We packed up the baby and headed to Bo's office to print out the contract, sign, and fax back to the agent.  (Thank you Jennifer for being our witness!).  Poor McCord, he's along for this entire house-selling/renting/buying adventure whether he likes it or not.  Here's a picture I took of him today hanging out in Bo's office at the bank while we finalized the contract.  Thank goodness he's easily entertained!

We are so thankful...
1- To be Under Contract (let's hope all goes well with the inspection!)
2-To be finished with showings.  When we first listed our house, McCord was 6 months old and had just learned how to sit up on his own.  Now he's crawling and getting. into. everything!  It's a much more challenging job to prepare our house for a showing with an almost 11 month old as opposed to a 6 month old. 
3-To find someone who loves our house and wants to live here.  But let's be honest here, Bo and I will probably both cry when we hand the keys over to the buyers. 

Are you still reading this?  Maybe you're wondering about McCord's maple....I have to admit as soon as we got the offer, I called the nursery right away to discuss the likelihood of it surviving transplantation during the summer (about 50%).  And of course now that we've decided to rent, we don't have a yard to plant it in regardless.  So, we've requested that the buyers allow us to remove the tree in the fall (restoring the yard of course) so we can move it to our new house.  They agreed.  They must be nice people.  I can't wait to meet them and welcome them to Surrey Lane. 

Waiting on Daddy

Recovering a Lamp and Master BR Update

Over the weekend, we had a great family reunion in Hodges at my grandmother's old farmhouse - lots of food, fellowship, and fishing.  My mom cleaned out a few items and laid them out for dibs, and I inherated this great lamp - but as you can see, it needed some TLC.  It looks like it has milk glass on the trunk, but unfortunately it was accompanied by a brassy-like base that was cracked. 

I sprayed the base with spray paint - I read somewhere that they make an "oil rubbed bronze" spray paint, but I couldn't find it at Wal-Mart.  Instead I used a black spray for metal - which adhered well, but I'm still on the hunt for oil rubbed bronze.  If anyone knows where to find it, let me know!

Next I recovered the old shade following this great tutorial from Janell at Isabella and Max Rooms.   Everything that Janell does is superb and her tutorials are really easy to follow.  Here's the finished lamp...

This inspired me to freshen up our Master Bedroom.  Here's the before:

So I changed out the bedding and used the leftover fabric to make a panel for the window and a pillow for the bed.  Making this panel was a leap of faith, because I just started sewing and hoped that it would look okay in the end. 

With about 2 yards of fabric, all I did was hem all four ends, adding a space up top for the rod, and then I took large safety pins to pinch up the sides.  I didn't want to make the shade a custom fit for this window because, in the event that our house sells, (!)  I know I'll want to reuse this fabric in another location.  This is a temporary fix for sprucing up our bedroom!



And here's the after - complete with Rocky snoozing in the sunbeam:

Did I mention that my son is now taking 2 naps a day?!!!

Valentine's Bunco

I love my bunco girls.

Our group has been together for about 5 years now, and I venture to say that each of us looks forward to our monthly girls' night out for good food, good fun, and friendship.  In the past 5 years, we've been through so much - members have gotten married, bought houses, accepted new jobs, been through infertility, adoption, and had lots of babies.  For 5 years now bunco has given us an excuse to celebrate together, laugh together, and sometimes to cry together. 

Thursday night we all gathered on Surrey Lane for Valentine's Bunco.  And I loved every second.  How good it is to be surrounded by friends! 

Bo made his signature cheese dip which was a HUGE hit!  By popular request, here's his recipe.  I'm signing off and turning the computer over to him so the recipe will come straight from the chef!

Bo's Crock Pot Sausage Cheese Dip
-One regular size block of velveeta
-One can Rotel (choose from mild, regular, or hot)
-One can black beans
-cooked ground sausage

Combine ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for at least 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve with your choice of chips...tostitos "scoops" are an excellent choice, but any type of tostitos are good, too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sledders on Surrey Lane

A Surrey Lane tradition - when it snows, all the kids come out to play!  We will surely miss this good family fun.  The next owners of our house are in for a treat!

ps - The photographer who did McCord's newborn photo shoot is having a contest on her blog to vote for the best photo.  Obviously we're a little partial.  If you'd like to vote for (ahem!) PHOTO #12, then click here.  And of course, you'll have our undying gratitude!

Surrey Lane is For Sale

After lots of thought, Bo and I have decided to put our house on the market.  We realize that this is a terrible time to sell, so we are listing it on a wing and a prayer with the hopes that the perfect buyer will walk through the door.  We could use your help, fellow blog readers (all 5 of you...counting my mom and dad!).  The house is listed in the Piedmont MLS and Charlotte MLS by CRS Realty.   Borrowing a phrase from my favorite person, Antoine Dodson, be sure to "tell yo kids, tell yo wife!" We've placed a contingency offer on another house with a little more square footage and a larger lot.  We love Surrey Lane and have put a lot of love into this previously neglected property.  We hope that the next owner will love it as much as we do.  As for McCord's maple, well, I've already contacted Rollinghills Nursery, and they've agreed to move it to our new house, so it will come with us.

7 reasons you’ll fall for 2007 Surrey Lane

1 - Completely renovated, colonial-style home with new granite kitchen, bathrooms, appliances, roof, fence, HVAC, & deck 2 - Half-acre lot surrounded by hardwoods, dogwoods and azaleas 3 - Great schools - York Road Elementary, Rawlinson Road Middle, Northwestern High School 4 - This home feels brand new in a desirable well-established neighborhood 5 - Nearby creek makes neighborhood home to owls, deer, rabbits and songbirds 6 - Screened porch, spacious deck, and vast backyard are perfect for outdoor entertaining 7 - Safe and friendly neighborhood

McCord is 6 Months Old!

Dear McCord,

Your Daddy and I are amazed at how quickly 6 months has flown by.  It seems like yesterday that we planted your maple, and now both of you have seen a half a year on Surrey Lane. 

This has been a huge month of discovery for you and it is so fun to watch you learn new things every day. 

• You sprouted your two bottom teeth!  You've been working on these for about 3 months now and they strarted to break the surface the day after Christmas when you were one week shy of your 6 month birthday.
• You're sitting up on your own but still need a little bit of help to make sure you don't wobble over.
• For a couple of days in a row, I noticed that you'd smash your face into mine, coming at me with a wide-open drooly mouth - and finally, I figured out that you were trying to kiss me, but you just couldn't figure out how to pucker up your lips!!!  Sometimes, you'll give a drooly open mouth kiss, sometimes you'll stick out your tongue - either way, your Daddy and I can't get enough!



A "McCord Kiss" looks something like this coming straight for your lips



You've mastered rolling over and can move half-way across the room in the blink of an eye rolling like a log

• You love to grab things with your hand - anything that's in front of you, like my nose and your daddy's chin
• You've taken a keen interest in Rocky, Hank, and Jackson, and love to hold your hand out and feel their fur
• We've been working on eating rice cereal, and like a true Redmond, you enjoy mealtime!
• While you've always enjoyed music, this month we've really noticed you noticing music - especially when we sing your Kindermusic songs around the house.  Your favorite song is "Hello, hello!  Let's sing together!" followed by your Daddy singing the Beatles' "Norweigan Wood."  You have quite eclectic taste for a 6 month old!
• Your Daddy and I enjoy watching your personality emerge.  In your younger months, you were quite the social butterfly, talking and smiling at everyone, and now we've started to see an endearing, shyer side of McCord.  You were invited to a Christmas party with lots of other babies, and we noticed that you were really reserved for the first 45 minutes or so until you'd warmed up to everyone.  Eventually, you began smiling, laughing, and doing your signature happy squeal, but not until you had gotten used to everyone. 
• Here you are pictured with your two favorite things: Daddy and Marley.  Marley is a great friend - he's always there for naptime and he lets you suck on his ears with no complaint! 

• Here a couple of pictures I snapped of you at your 6 month check-up.  This was the first time we were in the penguin room, and you look like you just took a plunge with them and are all wrapped up in your warm blanket.  At your appointment, you weighed 16 lbs. 2 oz (25th percentile) and measured in at 26 1/2 inches (95th percentile).  No wonder all your pants are short on you!  It's time to pack up the 3 - 6 month clothes and dive into the 6 - 9 month old hand-me-downs from cousin Bayer!

And finally, one of your biggest accomplishments this month is that you have learned how to put your paci in your mouth all by yourself.  I'll never forget, I was laying in the bed and I heard you bumping around in your crib - I looked at the video monitor, and in complete darkness, you managed to feel around your crib for your paci, locate it, and put it in your mouth! 

Happy 6 month birthday McCord!  We love you and treasure each day we have to watch you grow and develop.