Office Progress

The office is supposed to be Price's "man cave" area. An area free from my OCD organization and any decorating advice/influence. Unfortunately, he has been gone for so long, that i had to fix it up a little because I do occasionally go in there and it is also doubling as a guest room. BUT, as soon as he is stationed back in San Diego, he is more than welcome to make ANY changes he wants, so there is a good possibility that this room will only look the way it does for a short time longer. The room once had a window to the back yard, but when the addition was built, the window was boarded up, and the previous owners felt that a mirrored "mountain-view" was the second best thing...Phase 1:


The wood siding was removed and the walls were painted, I hung some curtains over the "window" and we stuck my brothers futon in there for some seating (this is also the guest bed :)) There is a sky light in the room, but besides that, no lighting. So there are several lamps. (Sorry, no phase 2 pic)...Phase 3:


The corner of the office...Phase 1:


For anyone who doesn't know Price, he is a serious reader! I once went to a book store with him and after about an hour he walked up to the counter with a stack of books almost as high as his chin (no joke)!! And i don't know if those even lasted 6 months. When my Mom moved in with us after Price was sent to the east coast, we stuck her book self in here. This is not even a fraction of the books he has collected since we've been married. Countless have been given away or thrown away and there are several boxes still in the garage!


This is Phase 2 of another corner of the office...


Another one on the pieces of furniture we scored from my mom's move (the desk) and the file cabinet was something they were going to throw away on base, so Price snatched it up and brought it home, and some art from our old apartment finished the look. Since i know this room is going to be changed anyway, it makes me happy that I was able to fix it up without spending a dime. Everything was either given to us or "recycled" from one of the past places we've lived. The only issue in this room is I don't know how to hide all those dang wires!...Phase 3:


I give it 6 months and there will be another post of pics of what the "man cave" looks like after the MAN arrives...probably just a room full of paper and books and clothes! Just kidding :)

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs,
XOXO Brogan Lee

Roommates

The arrival of baby brother #3 is quickly approaching (11 weeks or less!!), and unfortunately Ethan is getting the boot from the nursery and will be bunking with Preston. I decided to make the move sooner rather than later so there are not too many changes all at once. Here are a few pics of the transformation from "just Preston's" room to "Preston and Ethan's" room. This is the way the room's corner looked on the day we bought it...Phase 1:


Then what it looked like when Preston had the room all to himself...Phase 2:


And, now what it looks like with Ethan's bed and name added in. There is also a dresser my mom found at a local consignment store for a steal!...Phase 3:


This is the opposite corner/center of the room when we moved in...Phase 1:


And when P2 was solo, it looked like this...Phase 2:


I was really nervous that adding another bed in there would make an already small room SUPER crammed, but i don't think it made much of a difference at all! I'm still not too sure about something in there. I'm not sure if its the curtains, or the pillows...but it just seems like a little too much pattern for me. Oh, well. I'll figure it out soon...Phase 3:


Preston's little bed... Phase 2 (phase 1 does not exist apparently):


Not much has changed in this little corner. Preston still has his bed, and super hero's and his stuffed animals. I guess it's best if something stay the same :)... Phase 3:


Ethan has adjusted really well to sleeping in this room. Nap time is still taking place in the crib because I also nap at this time and get a little nervous that Ethan will decide to wake up before me and he and Preston will get into all kinds of trouble! Preston (unfortunately) has been sleeping in my room since Price has been gone, so I'm going to try to get him back into his own room next week. Hopefully, that won't throw everything to the wind. Time will tell I guess?

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs
XOXO Brogan Lee

Livingroom Progress

Like our front entry way and door? We, didn't either! The dirty teal colored door, the plastic mail catcher, the olive green tile floor, peeling wall paper and silver silk curtains HAD to go!...PHASE 1:


We removed the green flooring and replaced it with neutral tiles, refinished the walls, and repainted EVERYTHING..oh and tossed those curtain within about 5 minutes of taking the above picture... Phase 2 (and basically 3):


One of the walls was painted the same teal color as the front door and then had gold flaked mirrors taped all over it in this diamond pattern. There was also an accordion door (like you see in motor homes) separating the living room from the kitchen, royal blue shag carpet, and some type of a weird foam acoustic ceiling tile in this room. Not to mention the closet door that lead to the big box that stuck out into the kitchen that you saw in the last post... Phase 1:


Price's Uncle Robin came to our rescue in this room again. He removed the closet door and refinished the ceilings (after Price removed the tiles and moldy popcorn ceiling that was under it. We hucked the accordion door and my mom and I spent several hours with Goo Gone taking down all the mirrors. Robin and Price tiled the entire house, so no more shag in this room!... Phase 2:


We got a new TV (the Sony outlet center had a deal we just COULDN'T pass up), some pillows, lamps, and I hung a few shelves for the random nick knacks we've collected over the years...Phase 3:


I guess I don't have a "Phase 1" picture for this area of the room, but it's basically just the section i couldn't fit in the last photo. I'll call this...Phase 2 (continued):


We now have some metal art on the walls and a rug, which already needs to be replaced. I don't seem to be very good about making the boys remove shoes and keep food in the kitchen. Plus this is where most of the foot traffic in the house is. I guess a white rug was the wrong choice!?! If anyone sees a nice colored one that will hide stains and dirt AND is less than $400, PLEASE send a link my way!...Phase 3:


Again, I seem to have not taken as many "phase 1" photos as i should have because this area is missing. We'll (again) call this...Phase 2:


Some iron scroll-y candle holders were put up, we got a new lamp and some bins/baskets to hide the boys toys. The HIDING part never lasts too long. They are usually spewed all over the place :)...Phase 3:


That's about it for the living room. My mom helped me pick out an AWESOME ceiling fan for the room that looks a little like an old airplane propeller. I'm determined to have it installed one way or another by the end of October, so when it's up I'll make sure to post a few pics!

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs!
XOXO Brogan Lee

Kitchen Progress

The kitchen is probably where I spend the majority of my time in the house. When we bought the house, it was the farthest thing from me dream kitchen. This is what it looked like just a few days after we were given the keys. There were two doorways to the garage right next to eachother, a significant amount of mold on the walls, the fridge was on the right side of the kitchen, and we had a very lovely bright floral wall papercovered plaster board on all the walls. P.s. look how little Preston was! Those shorts are almost too small on Ethan now!...Phase 1:


After a few months, i couldn't take the kitchen being the way it was any longer. Price's Uncle Robin covered up one of the doorways, replaced all the moldy drywall, took down the lovely floral stuff, refinished the walls and moved the electrical to the left side of the kitchen for the fridge....Phase 2:


AGAIN, I became restless and couldn't stand the kitchen looking even like this. So i bought a small pantry, hung a shelf, re-painted the cabinets and lined them with lanolium. It felt much more put together and CLEANER! Now, I just need a wall phone where that ugle metal plate is (I tried to do the wireing for the phone myself, but clearly i'm no professional which is why it still looks like this)and to have the shaker boards put back up, and the lights to be replaced, and I think i'll be able to resist any more changes in the kitchen for a while (at least until we hit the lotto and can affotd to rip it all out and put in my dream kitchen!)...Phase 3:


Our tiny, little kitchen when we moved in. I guess there wasn't enough closet space in the house, because the previous owners built a closet from the living room right into the kitchen (thats the weird box looking think on the left). Well, that was ripped out and the fridge was put in its place...Phase 1:


Phase 2....


This is what the kitchen currently looks like...Phase 3:


Like that closet? I really don't know what those people were thinking? AND, i really don't understand the need for the peep hole area in the back of if. I guess it will forever be a mystery...Phase 1:


Phase 2...


The current look of our kitchen...Phase 3:


Things are comming a long, and our house is starting to feel more and more like a home now. I have LOTS of more "progress" post in store for you, stick around :)

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs,
XOXO Brogan Lee

Brown thumb to Green

I have ALWAYS had a brown thumb. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating. I was never even been able to keep a little bamboo plant alive when we lived in our apartments. But now that we have a house, I'm trying to learn my way around the plants and keep them green. AND by golly, I think I may be starting to figure things out!

This is the way our front yard looked when we bought it.


We didn't do anything in the front for the 1st few years other than pull weeds and sweep every now and them. There has been so much to do on the interior, that the outside of the house was just not important. But, now that things are coming together, I'd like the exterior to not look like such an eye sore. I can't wait for the bars to come off, new windows to go in, and the stucco to be put up, but for now, with the few extra dollars I have, flowers are all i can manage.

These little babies have taken a life of their own! They were just single stems of flowers all separated out, but now have grown huge and multiplied and taken up every square inch of room in the planter.

There is this really ugly cinder block and iron gate that goes around the house, but it's nice because we can keep the kids off our busy street. Besides being ugly, the iron part has big dagger like points all over it. The boys are getting big enough that they like to climb up and sit on top of the cinder block sections. I'm scared one of these days they are going to slip and impale themselves on the fence, so i bought these vining plants that are covered in big thorns to wind around the fence. I know a few people who have these in their yards, and they get really thick and stay colorful all year. I'm hoping they take and they give us a little more privacy and keep the kids off the fence.

I'm not sure what that little palm tree looking plant is, but its been the same since we moved in. One week a year, it gets these HUGE white flowers on it. Then they die and you have to wait a whole other year to see them again. I put in some snapdragons and some ground cover. The ground cover has only been in about a week but I'm hoping soon it will completely cover that little area.

I LOVE these flowers, especially the color. The purple vines in the background were already there as well as the bush that these are on. I've just been pruning them back and trying to tame them along the fence, but the flower all year which is great!

Another very large bush with pretty flowers on it that I'm trying to tame.

This is the corner of the front yard. I'd really like to get rid of all those rocks and put some grass out there, but i don't know how to get rid of all the stones and I'm nervous about how hard it would be to grow grass...maybe next year that will be my project.

There is one area of gardening that i have not made any progress in...transplanting trees. There are about 4 dead ones in the back yard and now this one. This ugly thing in the pot was left in the corner of of our yard for who knows how long. It was really pretty but the previous owners never removed it for the plastic tub it was purchased in, so the roots had grown through the plastic and into the ground. I had to dig it out and cut all the plastic off. I'll admit, it did just sit in the driveway for a while before i put it in soil, but still. I used good soil and have been using Miracle Grow once a week but i swear this thing is getting more brown! At this point I'm pretty sure it is a lost cause and I'm going to just have to get a new plant when Home Depot has a sale.Oh well. Hopefully one day I'll master the transplanting thing...

Hopefully I haven't just jinxed my newly acquired green thumb! Happy gardening!

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs,
XOXO Brogan Lee

Baby #3: 28 weeks

Seven months already?!?! I can't believe it! That means I have 28 weeks down and 12 more to go. This week is the glucose test for diabetes. I have never had an issue with it before but there's always a 1st for everything...I'll keep you all posted. Please cross you fingers for good results, because anyone who knows me, knows that giving up sugar is like asking me to cut off multiple limbs...I LOVE the stuff, it's part of who I am! I know that's really sad, but i swear, growing up in a Barrett house hold, i must have 50% high fructose corn syrup flowing through my veins.
Any who, it's been 3 weeks since I've done any traveling (that's the longest run this entire pregnancy) and after resting the entire 1st week back from my sisters wedding and suffering from one of the worst flu's EVER the second week, I was finally able to get back on track last week. I worked out every day and stayed really on top of what i ate. I'm hoping to be just as good this week (and the next 12). In the past month I have only gained 3.8 pounds, 1/2 inch around my belly and 0 inches around my hips! THANK GOD!!! I was starting to worry that if my hips kept growing at the rate they were, I'd never fit into a regular pair of jeans again!! I finally ordered some new maternity clothes. I've been trying to make due by safety pinning my normal clothes and taking little breaths! The majority of the clothes from the past pregnancies are covered in paint, and i just couldn't be uncomfortable much longer... get ready for a mini modeling show soon! :) haha

ALSO...Ethan spent his 1st night in his "big boy" bed last night. Ethan and Preston are getting moved in together to make room for #3. I was a little worried that the transition wasn't going to go very smooth, but I could not have asked for better. I simply asked him if he wanted to sleep in the big bed, he said "Yes" and walked in, climbed up, and said good night! I was laughing in amazement! He's still in there now! All, I have left to do is lose the diapers and try to pry the pacifier away from him a second time and he's good to go! I have a feeling the next two steps won't be quite so easy :(


Well everyone, I'm off to work, have a fantastic day!!

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs,
XOXO Brogan Lee

Our 5th Anniversary

To say time has flown by is an understatement! I can't believe Price and I have already been married 5 years! It doesn't seem that long ago that he and I said our "I DO's". The sad part about our anniversary is that this is the four year in a row we have been apart. Our 1st anniversary we spent the weekend at Six Flags. I had never been before and it was a blast! It was also about 108 degrees but we got there early and got onto all the rides with less than a 15 minutes wait. The 2ND year Price was deployed, the 3rd Price and his uncle were remodeling our home and it was only 2 weeks after Ethan was born so I spent a few weeks up in Fresno, and last year he had already been sent to Florida for this E.O.D. school. This year he is still in Florida finishing up his schooling. Romantic right? :( Hopefully next year we'll be back in the same place and we'll get to celebrate the right way! Despite being so far away, Price was sweet enough to send a little something to my office...

It was a really nice surprise and REALLY delicious! As much as i loved the gesture, the most wonderful thing he did yesterday was send an EXTREMELY sweet card to the house. I'm really glad it was sent to our house and not the office because it made me cry and that would just be embarrassing at work. :) I L-O-V-E getting hand written letters/cards!!

As if the chocolate covered fruit wasn't enough sugar, my company had a "Cupcake Day". A food truck cupcake company called "CORNER CUPCAKE" rolled into the office parking lot and handed out little boxes filled with 3 different kinds of sweet treats: chocolate cake with salted Carmel butter cream frosting (this is the one i had...and loved), red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, or white cake with raspberry frosting. I liked the salted Carmel frosting so much that i looked up a recipe and am going to give it a try this weekend. I'll keep you all posted on how it turns out.

Well, that was how my anniversary was spent minus my husband :( ... I feel very lucky to be married to such a wonderful man and am very grateful that my kids have such a fantastic role model. I'm looking forward to finding out what the next 5 years has in store for us!

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs,
Brogan Lee

New favorite accessory

My lovely sister Karlene gave myself and the other bridesmaids in her wedding these adorable little make up bags from Anthropology. It has totally become my new favorite accessory! I tend to carry a rather large purse with 1 million items in it from a wallet, to kids snacks to hair pins and it is always impossible to find the small things when i need them. So now i have this cute little bag which actually holds a ton!


I keep the essentials in it: my phone,camera,chap stick,cuticle clippers, clear nail polish, a few safety pins, some bobby pins and a rubber band in there. The bright color makes it easy to find and with the tight clasp at the top, nothing ever falls out.


Plus, it is so cute, i can even use it as a little clutch. If I'm just running into a store, i can throw my debt card or some cash in it and away i go! Thank you Karlene for this wonderful little bag, I LOVE IT!!

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs,
XOXO Brogan Lee

Zoo Weekend

This past weekend my best friend Nicole and her boyfriend Michael (or as I have always called him, Miguel)came to San Diego for a visit. We spend most of the weekend at the Zoo! Unfortunately I was really exhausted and come to find out was on the verge of getting the 2ND worst flu i have ever had. I feel bad that i wasn't the best host or the most fun, but I feel like we still had a pretty good time. Here are some pics from our time out and about in town enjoying the beautiful weather...

Nicole and Preston are almost the exact heights as two of the monkeys who live at the S.D. Zoo!...

This gorilla had just put on a pretty graphic mating display and then turned around all proud and sat there for pictures for about 10 minutes...it was really hilarious but i feel like the kids should have has their eyes covered!

Ethan was finally let out of his stroller after about an hour and took off at a sprint from animal to animal with us chasing him yelling "WALK, WALK". Preston really liked trying to be the "big boy" and boss Ethan around. After all, Preston had the map,, so "he KNEW where we needed to go"...Although the snakes were all he seemed to be concerned with...

Panda Bears!! This was the baby of the other one that is also at the zoo...

Nicole and Preston were trying to figure out how to get to the elephants...

They figured out where we needed to go, then we headed up two REALLY steep escalators. Preston thought he should "Surf" up to the top...

We finally made it, and from the looks of this picture, i think i found my twin! :( I'm getting so huge and I'm only 6 1/2 months along!!

Most of the elephants were in their cages getting fed but this big-tusked elephant was still out and munchin' away!...

He made us hungry so we stopped just outside of his "pen" and grabbed some grub...

Preston is starting to look so grown up :( ...

I'm waiting for Nicole to load her cameras pictures so I can steal a few of the ones I took of her and Mike. I know i got a few good ones, so I'll make sure to update soon...

We headed home after the boys (and the adults) were WAY hot and WAY tired. I got the kids in the bath, and then Mike pulled out some Nerf guns he brought for the boys and distracted them while Nicole and I made dinner. We scarfed down brie and tri-tip, fresh fruit salad, garlic bread, green beans (which Nicole actually enjoyed!! Success!!), salad and chased it all down with brownie/ice cream Sundays while watching the movie "Limitless".

After a night of practice, Preston had the Nerf gun thing down and got a bull's eye!!! He was soooo proud of himself (and so were we!)!


As always, our visit was too short and I'm already looking forward to the next time we get together! Hopefully, it will be soon and before Walling nugget #3 makes his grand entrance!

Lots of Love and Bunches of Hugs,
XOXO Brogan Lee