Project #1

I have seen other people online who have painted their children's furniture. I've been inspired to paint my own. It was much harder than I thought. I saw a bookshelf online that was shaped and painted like a barn. AJ really liked it but I didn't think anything of it. I went to Goodwill to see if I could find a piece of furniture to paint. I found a nice bookshelf for only $15. I couldn't resist because AJ needs a bookshelf/toyshelf. So I bought it. I later went and bought paint and brushes to start my project. I decided to go with a "Barn" theme for AJ's room. So here is my first attempt at painting furniture.

Before....

After.... What do you think?? Looks like a barn to me :)

My next project is a small unfinished wooden night stand that is already in AJ's room. I decided that I will paint it to look like a cow! Hopefully I will get pictures up soon of this finished project.

Clean up

I love having a clean house. Clean floors, toys put away, dishes done, and the smell of a freshly cleaned house. Living on a military base, you never know who will stop by my house. All my friends live either next to me or across the street. I was always embarrassed because my friends would come by without warning and at the worst time. So I'm determined to keep my house clean.
Andre has been working hard on teaching AJ to pick up his toys and keep them in his room. I've gotten the boys to eat all meals at our dining room table instead of the little table in our living room. This keeps crumbs and spills out of our living room.

On a daily basis I....


*Vacuum my living room, kitchen, and dining room. (No more sweeping, vacuuming is so much faster) Got that tip from my mom :)

*Do all dishes twice a day.

*Wipe down kitchen counters twice a day.

*Do a load of laundry, fold it, and put it away.
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Every other day..

* I mop all floors

*Clean my bedroom and the kids bedroom
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Weekly...

* Clean both bathrooms (although thats turning into a more frequent thing since AJ started using the "Big boy" potty now instead of his little potty)

* Dust

* Clean out the fridge before our weekly shopping trip


Having a clean house puts me in a better mood and is good for my marriage :) Today I was vacuuming and I swear I've never met a child that liked the sound of a vacuum cleaner. Usually kids will cry and run. Not Ronde! He follows me around the house when I vacuum while laughing. He thinks it's the fun! I took some cute pictures of him from this morning. Mind you, the vacuum was on and he was not in any danger.


He was pushing it around the living room

That's the face of a boy who likes vacuum cleaners!

I always thought AJ was my helper boy but it looks like Ronde will be too. AJ better step his game up. Hehe!

Slow day

Today hasn't been too exciting. Andre went to work today. I woke up with the kids and made them breakfast. I then tried laying Ronde down for his morning nap but he is starting to refuse it. I guess he is 15 months old now and probably doesn't need to take 2 naps a day anymore. I took the kids to the playground. There is always daycare providers out there with their daycare kids so my kids always have someone to play with. After that, I took the kids back inside and made them lunch. They both refused to eat it and honestly I would too. I made pimento cheese spread sandwiches just to try it out. I thought I remembered my mom making those sandwiches when I was younger. The kids took naps and then we were back outside to play again. I took a cute picture of Ronde that I wanted to share. Ronde does this all the time. He reminds me of a little puppy.


AJ picked this flower for me. I took a picture and it came out really neat. The photo is completely untouched.

Birthday Party and The Theater

Yesterday I took AJ to his friend's birthday party. Ronde stayed home with daddy because it was his nap time. The kids played in the sprinklers, pool, and threw water balloons while the men grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Everyone brought a side dish. Christine requested that I bring my cocktail meatballs. The kids had a great time. I thought I would share some pictures below.
I then later went with my dear friends Joy and Alicia to see Mama Mia the play. It was nice to go out with the girls to the theater. The play had great music and actors.
Today we are grilling out with a few friends as soon as Andre gets home from work. The main lift comes into today from Iraq with all the men Andre deployed with. Andre came home on the early det so he had to go into work to welcome home the rest of the guys and help unload bags off the airplane.
Well I need to run. AJ is not feeling well today so I'm gonna go take care of my youngin.

Eating cupcakes with the rest of the kids at the party. Junior and Keith are the two boys to the left. They are AJ's good friends that will be moving real soon to a new duty station. So sad to see them go.

I thought this was a funny action shot.

8 Things About Me..

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to...

1. Getting couples portraits taken of Andre and I.
2. Moving to Jacksonville, Florida in November.
3. Buying a house one day
4. Mine and Andre's retirement
5. Traveling in an RV around America..(when we retire)
6. Our first family vacation..(whenever that may be)
7. Redecorating our house
8. Trying out new recipes
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8 Things I did Yesterday...

1. Talked to Heather and my mom on the phone
2. Walked to McDonald's with Joy and all of our boys for lunch
3. Took the kids to the playground
4. Went for a jog with my husband
5. Ate ice cream after my jog :) lol
6. Paid bills
7. Cooked the kids eggs and chicken nuggets for breakfast..(AJ requested the chicken nuggets)
8. Posted and read many blogs
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8 Things I Wish I Could Do...

1. Have a date night with Andre
2. Put together a photo album
3. Visit Yellow Springs, Ohio
4. Live in the South and have a simple life
5. Start school to become a Registered Nurse
6. Find the time to start painting again
7. Go to the Navy Ball..still trying to convince Andre into going
8. Go on a shopping spree :)
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8 Shows I Enjoy...

1. Jon and Kate plus 8
2. Southern Belles
3. The Hills
4. Oprah
5. American Idol
6. Paula Deen
7. The First 48
8. Intervention

He's Home!!

It's been a while since i've written on here so here's an update on the Harris family. The kids and I are back in Hawaii. We left Florida on Mothers day and spent 11 hours on an airplane. That whole day was a nightmare and all I can say is never fly with US Airways. After we returned to Hawaii, I was in a hurry to get the house cleaned for Andre's arrival. He finally made it back home May 21. The kids and I were very happy to see him. I didn't think I was going to cry but when I saw him for the first time in 6 months, tears just started rolling. I was actually very relieved to see him because the kids were so horrible while we were at the airport waiting..lol. AJ was tired of waiting for 3 hours (they kept delaying the arrival time). It was a big tantrum and all eyes were on us. AJ was shy at first but he definetly remembered his daddy. Ronde on the other hand didn't really seem like he knew what was going on. It's amazing how fast things get back to normal and now it doesn't even feel like he ever left. We went to the North Shore for some spicy shrimp and snow cones. I stopped into a children's boutique and picked up 2 books for the kids. The books are by Hawaiian authors. I'm hoping to leave here with a small collection of Hawaiian books for the kids. Andre is back to work already. He will be taking a 16 day leave starting June 6. I can't wait! No plans yet on how we'll spend his time off as a family but I will be sure to post more pictures soon. Here are a few from this past week.

At the North Shore--->

Potty Training!

I started potty training AJ 4 days ago and he is doing incredible. He hasn't had any accidents in 2 days and wears underwear all day. He will go all by himself and I just sit there and watch in amazement. I can't believe this day has come but I'm so happy it has. Makes me want to potty train Ronde early!! Now I feel like I hardly change diapers. What a difference it makes :)