Long Weekend

We enjoyed a four day weekend this week since Jeremy has to work next weekend.  It was lovely.  Here are a few of the highlights.  First of all, we had a day to trip to Charlotte planned to go browse the Ikea store.  Maybe not Jeremy's idea of a rockin good time but I was excited.  We dropped Abigail off with her Teta (Jeremy's mom) and took off.  Ikea had a special event going on so it was pretty crowded.  If we go again, I would pick a day that would be less crowded OR know that I was going to buy a bunch of stuff so I could take advantage of the good deals offered during the event.  We were pretty hungry by the time we arrived so we got some food as soon as we could (not as quickly as we would have liked since the dining room was full to capacity and closed for a little while).  Once we had some blood sugar in us, it was much more fun to wander the showrooms.  Like I said, not exactly Jeremy's idea of a rockin good time but I started asking him questions about the kinds of things/styles he would eventually like to see in our "someday" home and that engaged him and got us dreaming.  Turns out our styles don't have a lot of overlap so our someday house is going to involve some compromise.  For example, Jeremy dreams of a man cave complete with dark, leather furniture and a wall of bookcases.  I don't dislike that idea but I'm much more into contemporary lines and bright colors.  A problem if we ever have to share a space for his man cave/ my craft room!

Here Jeremy admires a secretary desk and poses in front of a wall of bookshelves like he would enjoy in "his" room.

        

I liked this sideboard table although I'd be tempted to paint it red or lime green or some other punchy color.

I saw a bunch of fun things for Abby like some felt food for her play kitchen that we're working on.  Some cool toy storage ideas.  This crazy cute, child-sized chair.  I actually liked their Poang style, child-sized chair more but a kid was sitting in it and it would probably be weird for me to snap a picture of him and post it on my blog.  It freaks parents out.

We considered this fun blackboard/whiteboard easel for only $15.  Maybe another time...

We did find this great bookshelf for only $25.  We bought it to replace the ugly, walmart, black hole bookshelf that has been sitting temporarily in the dining room collecting piles on piles of magazines, cookbooks, and craft supplies.   This one is a bit smaller and fits better in the corner.  Also it is WAY cuter and I am committed to keeping it organized with some baskets or something to wrangle Abby's and my craft-time stuff.  

     

I haven't been to Ikea since I was kid (dragging behind my parents) so it was cool going through with my own house in mind but it was also a bit overwhelming since I didn't have a list of specific things I was looking for and the place is HUGE.  On the lower level there is a big warehouse-y section where you pick up your disassembled, boxed furniture.  Jeremy makes a great pack mule (er, I mean studly stallion that carries things for me).

When we were planning our Charlotte date we started considering whether we should try to stay overnight in Charlotte since we probably won't get another chance for a get-away for some time since little man is due in just a few months and we don't expect to be able to go anywhere for a while after that.  We talked about getting a cheap motel for the night but then I remembered that I actually have some friends from Panama days that own a bed and breakfast about halfway between Charlotte and Columbia so I contacted them about staying at their place.  They were our neighbors for a while in Panama and I used to play with their daughter when we were 8 or 9.  They were so generous to invite us to stay with them for FREE!!! It was amazing.  The house was lovely, breakfast was awesome and we had a marvelous time.  I should mention that the room we were in had a double-wide, jetted tub.  You better believe we took advantage of that!  You can check out their website at Harmony House B&B.

      

Breakfast was very nice with banana berry splits, spiral omelettes, asparagus, and pecan rolls.

    

After breakfast Jeremy and I just enjoyed each other's company and conversation  while we sat on the wrap-around porch and listened to the fountains.  We talked about ways to keep our marriage a priority as we embark on the adventure of adding another child to the mix and we prayed for a long time for our family as a whole and for specific things for our children.  The most important thing we prayed for was that both of our children will have hearts that are tender toward God and that they will embrace Him as their Lord (preferably in their childhood/youth to save them lots of heartache).  We prayed for their spirits and character and for wisdom for us as parents.  We prayed for all our other close family members.  OH!  We also finally agreed on a name for little June-bug.  Woohoo!  It was a great date!  We headed home refreshed and rejuvenated to collect our little one.  

On Monday we worked on a number of projects around the house.  We sanded Abby's toddler bed and got a coat of paint on it.  We did some work on her play kitchen.  Jeremy and Abby put together my new Ikea shelf.  Abby was a big "help" and kept announcing it "ALL DONE!!" after each screw went in.   It was nice just being together and working on some things for the house.  

Tuesday was much the same.  Plus, I cut Jeremy's hair for the first time.  It turned out pretty well seeing as I've never cut hair before!  He said he'd pay for the cut, so I guess that's pretty good.  Now we're all gutsing down for seven straight days of Jeremy working, one day off and another six days of work.  Good thing our batteries are charged!