Home Makeover

By request, we have a Home Update... :)

While many of our boxes are now unpacked and organized, some are still full and tucked away in our "creepy-but-full-of-potential" loft. We are waiting to put everything in its rightful place until all rooms are finished. YIKES! could be awhile! Things might be taking a tad longer than anticipated...as things always do with remodeling. The baby room below is just the beginning!! After tearing down the paneling (a reckless act that began the day of our closing back in February because of our excitement), we discovered two layers of very old (probably lead-based) paint on top of two layers of even older wallpaper. That, coupled with a sagging ceiling, made the decision to strip down the entire room to concrete blocks and 2x4 planks. Pictured below is Kacey and Dad ripping the last bit of yucky dry wall out. Way to go men!

On Tuesday, Kacey cleared out all of the rubble and finished ripping the last remining dry wall pieces that were trying to hang on. It already looks much improved...you can even see the floor!

Currently, the rest of the house is thankfully not in such desperate condition because we will work on one room at a time (after the roof and electrical wiring are fixed!). Despite the work ahead, the endless paneling, and mis-matched cabinets, we have loved our new home from the minute we stepped inside. It stays much cleaner now that I can stay home and we don't have Arkansas dust coming in by the troves on our dogs. It is cozy and a perfect fit. It will be fun to share with a little one too :) If you have not seen any pictures yet, here are a few to give you an idea of our little "cottage". If it looks inviting, feel free to call and set up a get-away date! We would love to host a small vacation for you!

Here is our house!

Here is the side view of the fence Kacey finished. It also goes about the same distance back into the woods and then all the way across to the neighbors fence. Our dogs (and Jonas the black one on the left) enjoying the yard...kind of. We are discovering just how spoiled they really are, especially Bear (the big black on in the middle). Last week he caught a squirrel in the woods, which is amazing considering his lack of athleticism and interest in anything but wrestling Mighty, being pet, and food. Kacey and I decided it must have either been very sick and slow or slipped and fell out of the tree right into Bear's grips. Either way, he caught it and in the process, got a huge gash on his lower lip...the squirrel must have fought back pretty hard. With that said, he had to stay inside for about 3 days while the wound healed so that he wouldn't re-open it. Well, apparently he got used to the being inside. Now, if he knows I'm home, he periodically sits on the porch and gives me his most desperate cry hoping I will hear how miserable he is out in his almost one-acre backyard, complete with a friend and woods. Pitiful.

Here is the living room, which is currently acting like another storage room.

This is the kitchen, which will be the next remodeling project after the baby room is complete. This is where I spend a good bit of my day making three meals and doing lots of dishes!
The laundry room (which is housing 2 washers, 2 dryers, and our fridge).
The second living room which is also doubling as the guest quarters. In the three weeks we have been here it has already housed 4 visitors...all teachers on there way to their summer plans. We stacked 2 mattresses on top of each other (one is skinnier that the other) to create a make-shift couch! We sold ours in Marianna so we are improvising while on the prowl for some real living room furniture.
Our quaint bathroom, which is right next to our bedroom. WONDERFUL! Especially since my bladder now wakes me up several times during the night. Now everytime I get out of bed, I whisper a quite thanks for not having to walk all the way across the house and crawl over 2 dog gates and 3 dogs in the dark to get to the toilet (as I did in Marianna).
Here is our little bedroom.
Here is one section of our loft, which will eventually become a cozy hide-away library/craft and sewing room/workout space.

Hope you enjoyed the tour! We'll keep you posted with the progress :)

Baby Update

Baby Carr seems to being doing wonderfully. I can feel the little one move a lot and you can even see the movement when it kicks or rolls across my belly! I am starting to look more pregnant and have had a few random people comment or ask a question about the baby. The maternity clothes are starting to fit very well too. Still can't run, but I'm walking just about everyday and that has been good. Here's what my bump looks like so far!

Chris and Kristyn stopped by on their way to the East Coast for a rest and to drop off Jonas (their dog that we will be babysitting for a few weeks). They also brought us some baby running shoes!! How exciting and adorable!

Below is a picture of Verna, my office roomate from the AHEC, at the surprise shower they threw me on my last day. Thanks again everyone for your generosity! I miss you!

Here are some of my buddies from the AHEC... the second from the left (Katy) is also pregnant!

Hello Knoxville!

We arrived in Knoxville for good on Tuesday, June 8th. It was exciting to finally set up in our first home! Already we love our neighbors, Mr. Steve and Mrs. Debbie. THey are two of the sweetest people in the world and take great care of us. Even our dogs approve :). The first few days were consumed with unpacking and dropping of Kacey's resume at local vet offices. ANd wouldn't you know, after about four hours of job hunting, Kacey got a job offer! He started his new job at Crossroads Animal Hospital Monday, June 14th...also the day of my first doctor's appointment in Knoxville. Kacey's first day went well and so did the doctors visit. Looks like Baby Carr is doing well!

Well, the first project to tackle with the new house was the backyard fence.. a big job for our large, one-acre yard (thank you Lord for that blessing!). Never to fear, though, Kacey jumped right in and worked relentlessly to get it done.

The start of it...

Kacey pounding the poles (he pounded over 50 all together!!)

Kacey had to take the chain saw to some of the trees and brush in the woods. Those vines and branches were pretty stubborn....even after repeated warnings from Kacey that he was the tug-of-war champion in middle school :)

Kacey connecting the fence.

Mr. Steve helping Kacey with the fence stretcher (which strongly resembles somekind of torture device, but it is actually a lifesaver).

Farewell Marianna...

One of the last sunsets in Marianna....BEAUTIFUL!

It was a sad day leaving our home for the past two years. We finished out our time there with a stay at Mr. & Mrs. Phelps, a swim party at Bear Creek, a surprise Baby Shower at Delta AHEC, and lots of goodbyes. Bittersweet, of course. A part of our heart will always be lingering in the Arkansas Delta and our thoughts will continually float back to students, co-workers, and friends who made our life beautiful :) And we will occasionally lovingly think of the fifteen mice, the thousands of weevils, the missing bathroom, and 40 degree winter temperatures in our lovely Delta home! We will miss the runs through the cotton fields with our dogs and the trips to Bear Creek. We will miss Kacey's students checking us out at Food Giant. We will miss the Trojan football, basketball, and volleyball. We will miss the wonderful people and programs at the AHEC. We will miss so much!...But we were definitely ready to bid goodbye to the monsterous, mosquitos!

Kacey's junior students and a few other teachers met us out at Bear Creek (a local state park) for a swim party! It was a great group of students and we had lots of fun swimming and making smores.

A group of the guys...

This is a group of the girls...they were the mischief makers with water balloons and other sneaky water attacks.

A group shot of the students that stayed at the lake even after we left... They stayed for the 3 hours we were there and were still in the water when we took off. Probably 70% had never even been to Bear Creek! I guess they were making up for lost time. Kacey is peeking through the back row. Look for the only white face :)

This is a beautiful, sweet girl (Anesia) that was in Kacey's class and was a regular participant in my parenting class.