I'll share you mine if you share me yours

I was watching Beth Moore and her husband on James Robison's show this morning. They were talking about a common misconception about marriages. Beth said that she and her husband fight a lot, she called it heated discussions, whatever you want to call it. Even as seasoned as they are as Christians, Betty and James Robison said they still have fights. Beth said beware of couples who act like or even brag that they don't fight. She said, now there's a marriage with no communication, no passion, just 2 people co-existing. She said she refuses to become that couple so she and her husband "risk" that by having heated arguments. By now, they've established rules for their arguments that make it conducive to get some resolve to their argument.

So don't feel bad if you and your spouse argue. It doesn't mean that you aren't a perfect couple. I've got news for you, you aren't the perfect couple. GET OVER IT!! None of us are! Being able to have heated discussions is a by-product of not settling for a blah marriage. I think the more constructive thing to do is to come up with ground rules before heading into said discussion.

For example, James Robison said that if your spouse says something that hurts you, we know that a loving spouse would never intentionally hurt the other. So assume that you misunderstood what they said and ask them to clarify their point another way so you can understand it without getting hurt.

So do us all a favor and share (don't hide) any revelations or experiences that another married couple would benefit from. I wonder what other ground rules would help keep an argument from going south?

Milestone coming up

Jacob is known for saying random things. So I tend to tune him out sometimes, although I'm making a conscious effort not to do this. The other night I was was laying down with him and he told me his tooth was loose. (he says this a lot if he's around another child who has a loose tooth) so I started to disregard him but thought I would do some investigating first. And sure enough, wouldn't you know it one of his front top teeth is loose. Not really loose, but you can tell it is getting loose. I know this day would come. And to tell you the truth, I'm quite upset that after all those nights staying up with him when he would be cranky from teething, are you serious, now its falling out? It is a rite of passage. One that makes me realize how fast he is growing up. It scares me sometimes because little moments like this catch me off guard and that's when I have time to think about bringing him home from the hospital.

The good thing is that it makes me really appreciate Maggie and where she's at developmentally because its a reminder to hold on to times that maybe I let slip through my hands with Jacob.

scratch those new year's resolutions

I saw this post on thenester.com. I don't care what my new year's resolution was. The topic of this video is my life's resolution. I somehow had this, how do you say, quality of living when I was a college kid, and even post college. Life was all about the little things, toilet papering friends houses, going camping, floating on a tube down a river, taking a walk on the greenway, picnics, just exploring what life had to offer. Somewhere in the middle of having kids, and its totally understandable, I lost that.

Its funny because today Rick and I set a timer for one hour to clean the house and then we would devote the rest of the day to playing with the kids. On Saturdays our day often becomes about the "projects" that we have around the house. Then Maggie and Jacob are left to find something to get into all day, asking for us to play with them but we're usually too busy to stop whatever we're doing. Today would be different but it wasn't the kind of different I was looking for. When we were done cleaning we played for a little bit, then it was lunch, then I looked around and the house was getting messy again. I saw this video and showed it to Rick. We both felt it. IT was a desire to reach out and touch something that the One who made me, made for me. and for you. and your kids, and my kids. We have gotten caught in that stinkin rat race of buying our kids things they don't need when all they needed today was their mom and dad, a football, and two neighborhood kids. Did I mention it was 45 degrees outside? Didn't stop us. The first thing they did was go down to a creek and look at the different shapes that the water had frozen in. Then they picked out sticks and ran along the rocks. They played an hour long football game and they were totally covered in mud. And for the first time in my life I didn't care. I just took in that moment. Threw the football, stole kisses from my love while the kids were tackling each other. It was awesome. Actually, awesome wasn't even in the word. I'll get back to you when I think of one. Yeah, life will be going back to the way it was. Starting now.

ZUMBA!!!!!

Tonight, in the spirit of new years resolutions and trying to be more healthy I started back at zumba class. Last year I hit those classes hard from January through May. I was intrigued by this logo "Ditch the workout join the party". I LOVED the class. Then one thing after another with my health came. Bad gallbladder, infected incision cite, back pain that was near crippling and lasted waaaaay too long, then to top it all off, a freaking sprained ankle! It seemed like every time I felt motivated enough to get back to the workout routine, something would happen to derail those efforts.

But I know that once I get back to 1 zumba class, that's all I need. Memories from my skating days at Hot Wheels, my dancing days at the club in college, and salsa dancing in Spain all come back to me at one time during a class. Not to mention, since becoming a mom of two, my days for the past 3 years have been pretty much controlled by the little ones. I'm completely out of it when it comes to top 20 songs. So getting back to zumba helps me to get in touch with that. It gives me one hour that I don't have to think about kids, a husband, what I didn't get done on my list that day, etc etc. Because come on, if you've ever been to a zumba class, the only thing you can think about is the music that gets you moving and just trying to keep up with everyone else.

No matter how tired I am by the evening when class comes, when I get out I feel reenergized, in a good mood, and totally committed to healthier eating since its such hard work. I can honestly say that I have never been that excited about working out. I don't ever see much results from anything I've tried. I used to run 2 miles a day and didn't lose a single pound. What's up with that? With zumba, I don't even care if I lose weight, though you do, even if you don't care.

One of the best things is that you get to take a lot of aggression out rather than do it on someone more deserving. Its like exercise, therapy, and entertainment all wrapped up in one. The devil may have gotten me off track last year by throwing me some curve balls, but he better watch out because this year, I'm throwing them all back!

I see a beige door and I want to paint it black

I have wanted a new front door for a while now. One of those really pretty doors with glass to let some more light in. UNTIL....I saw how much doors cost. I saw one at Lowe's for, gasp, $5000. Now, I know there are other ways to get a nice door for less money. I'll looked on craigslist and have even seen some at garage sales. But unless you know the exact measurements when you stumble upon those great deals, its useless.

I decided to just paint the door and maybe that would suffice until I get a new one. For $13 in paint, and one of the last days in the 60s of the year, I did it.




While I was at it, the back door bothered me b/c I often have a dog with dirty paws, or kids with dirty hands leaving dirt makes on the light beige door. Sooooo.



In case you're wondering how to paint a front door, I just wiped my down. Because it was already painted plus I was using black, I didn't prime the door. If you were going with another color you would possibly consider doing this. I used a semi-gloss and I'm quite happy with it. I didn't want it too shiny. My door is one of those builder-grade metal doors. It took two coats. I bought a roller, but quickly realized that I preferred the brush to the roller. I bought a new brush for this project. I think it was called rooster, the brand. I quite liked this brush. I am by no means a professional, so if you are considering painting your door, by all means talk to the people at your favorite paint place. My happens to be Hoover, but I used Lowe's paint on this project b/c I had a gift card. Both doors, and both coats took about 2 hours total to do. I have some leftover paint and I'm going to do the garage door when it warms up.

Holiday Letter 2010

Every year I am running around town trying to find paper that matches the photo Christmas card I pick out and then because we send out 50 Christmas cards, I have to buy 3 packs of the stuff. So I'm gonna go along with everyone else "going green" and use that saying to say "I don't want to spend $15 in paper for these letters when hey, you can just read it on my blog for free and I can include pictures!" See, its a win win situation.

Where to start? This year has been a year of ups and down to say the least. I'll give a brief synopsis so you don't get too bored here. I had to have my gallbladder removed, which resulted in a hospital stay 10 days post op due to staph and strep infection of the incision cite. In the middle of those 10 days, we went to Destin. Had I not been so sick, it would have been an awesome time, and the kids had a blast.

One of our best friends got married in Kansas City this year and since I had only been out of the hospital for a little over a week, there was no way we were gonna make it, or would we.....Insert Public Service Announcement for Kansas City, Missouri. I had no idea that place would be so much fun. If you are ever looking for a little getaway, southwest flys there and we got our tickets for 4th of July weekend for like $60 each. We stayed at the Rapheal hotel which was so awesome. I'm not even sure awesome describes it. It was built in the 20s and was originally an apartment complex. It has been restored, but they did so without losing its original qualities. Such a treat and different than staying at your generic Marriot. This place had character. And it was located in America's oldest shopping center called The Country Club Plaza. Lots of upscale shopping without even getting in your car. We walked everywhere. This is hands down mine and Rick's favorite vacation next to our honeymoon.

Jacob turned 5 in September. Some of his highlights were graduating from preschool, learning how to swim, got a wii for his birthday and now is semi-addicted to it, grew a love/obsession with football and God, was in his first Christmas program at church (don't think he liked this very much), he loves to ride his 3 wheeler (we're working on the bike thing). Jacob is a perfectionist and because he didn't ride his bike perfectly the first time he hasn't been much interested in it since. He went to his first NFL game with daddy, and only missed one MTSU home game. Oh and the biggie was starting kindergarten, which I can now talk about without crying. Even though I get less hugs than I used to, he's still my baby boy in many ways. Still likes to be cuddled first thing in the morning and when I go to his school to help out, he melts when he sees me- which makes me GUSH. We plan on putting him in his first sport this fall which will be football.

My baby princess sweet Maggie turned 3 in September. She had a big year too. She is now potty trained and doesn't even wear a pull up to bed anymore. Which means this is the first time in 5 years that a diaper was not apart of my daily routine!! She graduated from her crib to her big girl bed. This upset Rick more than it did me. She loves her room and usually sleeps with 10 stuffed animals. NOT KIDDING. She attempted to learn how to swim too, but possibly will be fully skilled in this next summer. She got her first hair cut, first (and hopefully last) bout of pneumonia, flew a kite for the first time, first canoe ride on the Hiwassee, graduated to a booster car seat so she can be more like her big brother, and started dance classes this fall. She is like a little show dog when you ask her to do first, second, and third position. She loves helping mommy in the kitchen. One thing that hasn't changed is her attachment to her blankie and thumb! Since Jacob is now in school, I discovered how I have never really had much alone time with Maggie. So its like she gets to experience being an only child for 5 days a week from 8-3. She is mommy's buddy. And this one will cuddle with you all day and night long. LOVE THAT.

I am no longer in grad school. I absolutely loved it and it came quite natural to me, but staying home with two little ones made this so difficult. One thing was gonna lose attention, kids or the school work. I only have one opportunity to stay home with my kids before they go to school, so this was a no brainer for me. Once Maggie starts kindergarten I will return to grad school, then I'll have lots more time during the day to devote to my studies without feeling like I'm neglecting my children. I still work part time for MTSU training foster parents. This has been very sporadic this year so I became a Pampered Chef consultant. Well, I also happen to love the product so this is a way for me to earn products. If you need anything from PC you can visit my website https://www.pamperedchef.biz/jennifertrew.

Maggie and I had a chance to go to Baltimore with my parents to visit some family up there. It was awesome to have that one on one time with Maggie, there were lots of great conversations in the car with my mom and dad- in fact, I don't remember the radio ever being on unless it was a baby einstien cd to get Ms Maggie to snooze. We had a wonderful time spending quality time with relatives who we don't get to see often, and now planning on vacationing together next summer.

Rick has had a big change this year. He left Fifth Third after 6 years with the bank. He had an opportunity to help start up a title business so he is now with Keystone Title. The title business is where his mortgage career started so its familiar territory for him. Although 5/3 was a great learning experience for him, it was time to move on. His stress level was reduced drastically which has allowed him to be able to enjoy the family more. We love having the new Rick that doesn't have to take the stinkin blackberry everywhere.

We put together a slideshow of some pictures from this year. We hope you enjoy it. The song is called Ordinary Miracle by Sarah McLachlan and we feel like it really speaks to our life right now. Every day that we get to wake up and be a family to enjoy the ups and downs of life, and get to experience two children growing into people is, in our book, an ordinary miracle. We hope you stop to enjoy the ordinary miracles in your life this Holiday Season.

With Love,
The Trews
Rick, Jennifer, Jacob, and Maggie

Kitchen Counters Makeover

Our kitchen is very sterile looking with while cabinets, cream counter tops, and white tile floors. Of course if we had unlimited amounts of money at our disposal, we'd LOVE to have granite countertops. But since we're a one income family, we gotta make do with what we have. But that don't mean I can't make that pretty.

I got the idea from Rick's cousin's wife, while on a visit to Baltimore. She completed the project on her counters. I couldn't believe it was paint. I loved our counters at our old house. It was formica, but the kind that looked like granite. At this point in our life, the formica that looks like granite is better than what we had. I bought a a Giani Countertop kit in Baltimore and within a few weeks, the kids were on fall break and went to mamaw and papaws. So began one of two projects.

Before




So first, you have to tape everything off.


Then you have to paint a base coat that is black. I did this coat before bed, then in the morning started stamping on the colors with a sponge. You have to let the first coat dry for 8 hours before stamping on the colors.


This step took longer than I expected. None of the project was really hard, just time consuming. If you were considering this project, know that your kitchen will be out of commission for a few days.

You have 3 colors that come with your kit. There are different kits. One if sandstone for a lighter color, one if chocolate, I got the bombay black since that's what the old house had and I loved it. You stamp each section of the counters with all 3 colors and this is fun part. If there is a color that you like more, you stamp more of that on. You are using a sponge that comes with the kit to apply. I highly recommend the gloves that they suggest. I got so excited and went right to stamping. When I was done my hands were black. The paint came off after washing profusely, but my nails were painted black. I felt a little goth. I had to scrape the paint off my nails. I also had to use nail polish remover.

When you get all the colors on, I think that had to sit overnight too before putting on the topcoat. So in the morning I put on the first top coat. This is what seals the paint and also gives you that shine that granite has. You put 2 top coats on and you have to wait 4 hours between each coat. Then you have to let it dry for 72 hours before putting small appliances back on. Luckily we were heading to Cleveland for a few days so the morning after we got back I was able to put everything back where it went.




I went ahead and put those little felt thingies on the bottom of the coffee maker, canisters, etc so that they wouldn't scratch the surface. I am a little more cautious with my counters now, but so far so good. I don't clean them with clorox all the time like I use to. I'm afraid the chemicals would be too harsh, although Melissa says that she uses cloroz spray on her counters and they look fine. She also did hers a year ago so I figured that is a pretty good time to see how durable they are.

I'm extremely pleased with how this project turned out. I am now in love with my kitchen, where I used to not be. I have noticed that I keep it clean more often because I love the way the counters look now. Funny how doing one thing can totally change the look of something.

So again, the before....



And the after...