Annie New Room (95%) Complete

With the exception of a few pieces of wall art/pictures, painting a few shelves (which you will see are already hung), and a pink and white rocking horse to "pull" her carriage, I'm officially done with Annie's new room! Whew!

Stuff on the bed and in front of the doilie wall (with the exception of the 2 foot Cinderella), will not be there obviously. lol I just need to to finish the last 5% of her room.

We will be reclaiming our room after labor day! Wahoo!

In the world of pinterest, it's hard to come up with original ideas. To save money, etc, I'm proud to say I came up with these ideas all on my own! Specifically, Annie's "toy tent." I didn't want her toys to be the focal point of the room, so to add "a little class," I made this "tent." (as you can see it's open with a little "door" and can be closed when that's wanted). I was going to have Paul build it out of pvc, but when would that happen (the poor guy has no free time)? So I got the idea to suspend curtain rods from the ceiling with fishing line, then added my homemade curtains to that. :) I know it was a success because when Annie saw it she immediately called it her castle and LOVES playing in it! The only toy not hidden is her princess dream castle full of princess and prince "Barbies." It's next to the door so it's not the first thing you see when you enter-I can live with that!

Once I finish the last 5%, I'll post real pics (not just these from my phone...I'm still without internet. Since February. Pathetic. That's also why this blog has been suffering).

Annie's New Princess Bed

I posted these pics to Facebook, but it appears they didn't post?, so I'm posting them here.

I wrapped Annie's junky pink, princess toddler bed in fabric to make it a little more "classy." I made her pillow, comforter and curtains, (her sheets are from target). I found the pearl pillow significantly marked down because it was missing a string a pearls-added the sash, easy peasy fix! (I actually think it looks better with the sash anyway) :) I found the dress form at Ross. :)

It's all coming together nicely though I still have more work to do.

I may be buying her a pillow from Disneyland that shows Sleeping Beauty's castle (in a classy way)...shop there will be 3 pillows instead of the 2 that are there now.

traci-marie photography

I met Traci a few years back when she was just starting out, (you can search my blog to see other pics she took of us).

When I was in Houston for my brother's wedding, she asked if I would like to do a Mommy and Me shoot. OF COURSE!

Y'all, I could not be more pleased with these pics. Love them so much!

In a few of the pics you'll see Annie reading the book I had published (before she was born) that she stars in, (buy here). It was Traci's idea to use the book in the pics-I'm so grateful she thought of this!

Here are the pics I'm purchasing, (though I want them all!). :)

If you need a photographer in the Houston area, I highly recommend Traci! Visit her website here.

The Velveteen Pachyderm

Last September, during her latest surgery, Annie received Dumbo in the PACU. She's loved him ever since.

Recently, she has started asking to take him everywhere. E.very.where. It's precious!

Here are pics from my phone from May-present day of the besties. (some pics are just of Dumbo in the background...he's never far from her!)

On the Death of Finn Hudson

First of all, I'm so sad about Cory Monteith's death. I just finished watching my 3 seasons of Glee on DVD in memory of him. Lea has my heart at this time; I'm just heart broken for her!

Fox has announced that drugs will be what kills Finn on Glee.

I read some of the comments in regards their decision, and I'm more than annoyed.

First of all, I think it honors his memory to have Finn die of drugs. As Ryan Murphy mentioned, if it can save a life, it will be worth it. Also, they've consulted Lea and the Monteith's on this decision, so your opinion doesn't matter. (harsh but true)

I also read how people are shocked that Finn would die of drugs and that it doesn't fit his character.  It didn't fit Cory's character either. That's the thing with addiction...addicts are not all terrible people that do terrible things. Some are quite lovely, just like Cory. Why else do you think Cory's death was such a shock to us? It's because he didn't seem like an addict. Addiction is a disease, and many, like Cory, never show symptoms.

As a fan of Glee, (and besides the fact that I think the drug storyline is a great idea in general),  I can see how perfectly the drug storyline fits in the show.

Do you remember how Finn's dad died? He always was told it was fighting in Desert Storm. In his senior year, Finn finds out his dad starting doing drugs and died of an overdose. This news devastates him as we see in the show. He never truly finds his way after this. Does anyone else see this as a perfect way to have Finn fall into the same path as his father? It makes perfect sense (in an eery, foreshadowing way of course).

I just had to put it out there to show my support for this storyline. I look forward to the episode, but I also dread it. I'm truly heartbroken over Cory's death and am still shocked by it.

I trust glee will do a great job honoring Cory/Finn and will do an equally good job educating everyone on the effects of drug addiction. You have my support. :)

Special Month

August is very special for us...in sequential order:

August 20, 1980  Paul's birthday

August 4, 1986  Tricia's birthday

August 21, 2006  We got engaged

August 4, 2010  We became certified foster parents (in other words, we were able to adopt)

August 24, 2010  I met Annie for the first time

August 26, 2010  Paul met Annie for the first time

August 4, 2011 We finalized Annie's adoption