I Got a Big Girl Bed!

Well, there is a reason why I haven't posted in a few days.....I've been working like crazy since the slow boat from China arrived with my new bedroom furniture. Cody and I have officially moved to a big girl/big boy bed....a KING size bed, that is. In our many years of marriage together, Cody and I have never owned anything larger than a queen size bed. We've had many luxurious opportunities to snooze in a king, and each time we make a mental note to upgrade. Let's take a look at my bedroom re-do.

First, I'd like to show you our bedroom before the makeover:

It's a fine room, in my opinion. It's shabby. It's chic. It's very girly, according to Cody. But the bed is just too small. Each night when I go to sleep, my foot inevitably gets touched by Cody's foot. If you know me at all, you know that I would rather have my eyelashes removed with an Epilady than to have someone else's foot touch mine. Especially in bed. Especially when the foot belongs to my husband.

Now let's take a look at our new sleeping headquarters:

I must admit that I really, really love how it all turned out. Usually, I'm not very decisive and spend a lot of time buying and returning things. This process was a little nerve racking because I had the pillows custom made as my "inspiration piece" before any of the other bedding was chosen. But after I put everything together, I was jumping up and down and giving myself hi-fives. I'm such a dork. I really love it!

Just so you have a point of reference, I'd like for you to know that my custom pillows cost more than this:

What's that, you say? You don't know what the yellow thing is? You don't have one of these? Well, by all means go out and get one. It's the latest fad....everyone will want one after they see mine. It's a parking ticket. A $300 parking ticket. Gasp! What in the world did I do to deserve such royal treatment by the Waco ISD police? I parked in handicap parking ($275 fine) in a school zone (add an extra $25). Yep, just call me Einstein. I seriously thought that since school was out for the summer that the handicap parking spot didn't apply. I know, it's a dumb thought. But guess what? It's a wonderful $300 reminder of my stupidity. It won't happen again. (And please do not berate me for using handicap parking. I usually never do this unless I assume something stupid like "school is out for the summer so handicap parking must not be in effect.")

Alright....moving on. I made a four-hour round trip and did this yesterday:

I dropped off my oldest daughter for a week-long stay at Frontier Camp. No, no....there were no tears since this was her third year to attend summer camp. Just lots of whooping and hollering and a Dave Ramsey "Freedom" yell. Just kidding. I'm really missing her already, but today I woke up and had completely lost my voice, and it would have been nice to have had Kellie-Laine's help. The blessing is that Cody is actually home this week, too, so I used his voice instead. I also used a lot of snapping, clapping, whistling, snorting, and stomping in a futile attempt to get people's attention. I know the neighbors think I'm using illegal drugs.

On a serious note, I think the next time I feel led to give up something for the Lord, I might give up talking/speaking for a day or so. Today has been a real trial for me....no cell phones, no conversation with my husband or kids, etc. But the strange thing is that I have really enjoyed and savored the moments I've spent with my girls. I think it's because all I can do is watch them and listen to them. Imagine that.....more watching and more listening = more moments of joy with my kids. ( Maybe the monks are on to something!) Not being able to talk forced me to interact more with my kids through eye contact and non-verbal gestures like nodding, touching, hugging, holding hands, etc. I really felt like I was discovering my sweet girls all over again and soaking up each moment. You should try it. Only perhaps on a voluntary basis.

Finally, just a follow up from my plug for SJP's new line, Bitten. My friend, Nickster, told me that Waco is getting it's own Steve and Barry's shop....so we'll have access to all of SJP's fashion do's!

Have a great July the 4th!