Harrison Home Improvement: Front Entryway

When our realtor walked us through our new house last year, I loved most everything about it...everything but the front entryway. It's always seemed uninviting and just plain ugly to me.

Boring. Yuck. Yawn.

So, we decided to spruce it up a bit. Justin kicked things off by installing a new glass storm door. I love being able to open my front door now and let some afternoon sunlight in.

Then we thought we'd put his tile saw to good use and tile over that ugly concrete. He couldn't have done it without Garrett's help, that's for sure.

I'm so happy with the results! The slate tile adds a little color and the entryway doesn't seem so blah to me anymore.

Before/After

Whatcha think?

Grateful

I think sometimes I spend more time asking God for things I think I need rather than thanking Him for what He's already given me.

I am truly blessed. Thank you Lord!

All Because I'm a Mother

This past Friday, I dropped my son off at my daddy's so Justin and I could head to Charlotte, NC for a mini Mother's Day getaway. It was my first night away from Garrett. I knew he was is good hands, spending the night with my mama, but it still occasionally put a lump in my throat at the thought of him waking up needing me. I handled it pretty well until I saw this cute little boy in Subway on our way to Charlotte. I teared right up and cried a little as I ate my sub. Justin just laughed at me. I'm pregnant and I just couldn't help it.

Anyway, what in the world brought us to Charlotte, NC you ask? Well, back in late 2007, I was on the computer one night bored, visiting random sites and blogs. By chance I stumbled across this blog written by Ree Drummond, "The Pioneer Woman". I clicked on the link to her blog and have been doing so every single day since then. I love her. Her life is so fascinating to me. She loves to cook and blog about cooking. Recently, she took some of her favorite recipes and compiled them into a cookbook titled, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". Her blog is very popular and has a huge following which has turned her into quite the celebrity. When her cookbook was released, she appeared on several talk shows such as Good Morning America, The Bonnie Hunt Show, and The View to promote the book. As a way to reach out to her fans, she's been visiting several states on a book signing tour. This past Friday she was in Charlotte, NC. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I GOT TO MEET THE PIONEER WOMAN!!!

My precious husband drove 4 and a half hours, sacrificed some of his hotel points, and waited with me in a bookstore in Charlotte from 5:30 pm to almost 10 pm just so I could have my photo taken with Ree and get her to sign my cookbook. He's. The. Best.

The book signing started at 6 pm. There was an enormous crowd of about 500 people. Ree kicked it off by speaking to the audience and answering a few questions about her blog and her cookbook.I was a little nervous about the thought of waiting in a long line being 6 months pregnant and all but it turned out to be much more pleasant than that. As each person entered the bookstore, they organized everyone into groups of 25, giving each group a letter, starting with letter A and working down the alphabet. I was in group N. They called each group over a microphone when it was time for them to line up and get their book signed. So, even though I knew I had a nice wait ahead of me, I was at least able to grab a comfy seat along with a few books and magazines to read while I waited to be called on.

Okay, so listen. Do you see this man? His mama should have named him, Justin "Patience" Harrison. There was nothing - I mean nothing - about this trip to Charlotte for him to get excited over. I know he was bored out of his mind and would have rather been elsewhere but he never showed it...not even once. He smiled knowing he'd be spending his whole evening in that bookstore waiting around, he brought me magazines so I wouldn't lose my seat, and when my pregnant belly started growling, he gladly walked down the mall to bring me back a big pretzel and some honey mustard dipping sauce. He's a good man. The best, actually.

Around 8 pm, the pretzel had worn off and we were starving. Luckily, there were some nice restaurants in walking distance from the bookstore. With the long wait, we were able to go eat dinner and still make it back in time to get my book signed. I gave one of the girls waiting in the bookstore my cell phone number and she actually text me every so often updating me on what letter group was being called. Wasn't that nice of her?

So, after reading Ree's blog every single day for the past 2 and a half years, I sorta felt like I already knew her. I was really excited and a little nervous when I finally go my chance to meet her face to face.

She was very sweet and friendly. Justin walked with me to snap some photos and as I was getting up to leave, she told me it looked like I had some great support, motioning over to Justin.

She has no idea.

Meeting The Pioneer Woman was such a fun experience. It was so unlike me to do something like this and I'll treasure these memories always. Looking back on it now, meeting Ree was great but it wasn't the highlight of my trip. The time I got to spend with the most loving, giving, and unselfish person I know is what made this trip so unforgettable.

Thank you, Justin, for such a wonderful Mother's Day gift. You, Garrett, and Alaina are my reason for living. I love you all very much!

Sigh of Relief

As our doctor was going over the results of our baby's 19 week anatomy ultrasound, she mentioned that two small cysts were discovered on our baby's brain. Before we could panic, worry, stress, or act alarmed, she went to great lengths to calm our nerves and assure us that this wasn't uncommon at all, lots of babies have them, and most of the time they resolve on their own before the baby is even born. However, the cysts could be associated with a couple different syndromes/birth defects and because they saw them on the scan, they had to inform us. So, to get a better look at these cysts, my doctor referred us to Maternal and Fetal Medicine where they could get a clearer image on a more high tech ultrasound machine.

The first appointment was scheduled for the following week. The cysts were present but everything else measured normal and looked perfect. I spoke with one of the doctors before I left and what she reported was very comforting and reassuring.

Because the cysts were still visible, the doctor wanted me to come back for one more ultrasound a few weeks later. That appointment was scheduled for today. Before she even started the scan, the technician told me she bet the cysts weren't even there and, thankfully, she was right! The cysts resolved/disappeared and everything looked perfect. Alaina is started to pack on some body fat now weighing in at approximately 2 lbs, 5 oz. After all the painting/decorating I've been doing in her room lately, I needed a little more reassurance that this baby is indeed a "she". I asked the tech if she would mind double checking to make sure the baby was "still a girl".

Thank you Lord for a healthy report. Thank you Lord for taking those little cysts away. Thank you Lord that she is a girl and I don't have to paint over those pink walls!