SWEET Child of Mine

Man, yesterday I shopped till I dropped. Literally. I am still tired! HA! Ok, maybe my migraine last night is what really took it out of me, but whatever. ;)

As I mentioned yesterday, we got news that our agency found a placement for us. We will get to meet the kids at least twice, (like an overnighter), to make sure that they are the best fit for us, vice versa. I will keep you posted when I hear more, (won't be till after Monday though). Please PRAY PRAY PRAY! :)

Ok, you may want to buckle up- I have quite a few pics. BUT I know you will love them all. Not one of them has Mr. Incredible, Bolt or me in them. All decor pics! :)


I made these projects Tuesday, and I was going to post them Wednesday, but seeing as how I left early and got home late, here they are now:
I think this is my favorite picture frame in this room! :)
All three of these frames cost me a total of $6 to make. Pretty good! :)


I made an art project to go on the wall that was blank. All I need to buy for the room is the mommy/baby giraffe print and I am DONE with this room. :) This project was the most expensive thing on the wall that I made, cost around $20! HA!
TIP: always storyboard your idea first to make sure you like it. I rearranged these papers quite a few times before it was perfect.
Completed! I wish that flash wasn't there. It is pretty cute if I do say so myself. ;)

Here are a few closeups of the papers:






So what is a girl to do when her room is complete? START ANOTHER!! {I have not actually started decorating it- I have just bought some of the decor} Ok, I may be crazy, but I was not content with my playroom. I had always been back and forth about a certain theme for the room, and after finding one key component, I dove right in...
You guessed it, the theme is Candyland. Picture this: Keierleber Kids' Candyland. Nice ring to it, huh? {oh, and I will be making a piece of "art" out of this game} :)
Since I was so happy with my uber cheap frames for the safari room, I decided to make some for the new playroom. Click on pic to see them larger. :)
I almost didn't buy this group of stickers, thinking they might not really match. I am so glad I did buy them- this is my fav frame out of the 5 in the room.
This was the key component I was referring to. Look at the sprinkles and gummybear paper. When I saw these papers, I knew I HAD to make this room!!
More paper- chocolate and cookies, yumm yum.
Too cute huh? I am going to get two square canvases to make art out of these.
I saw these at Hobby Lobby FOREVER ago. I always wanted to do this theme, an after I found the above paper, I RAN to HL and hoped hoped hoped they were still there. Well, after two HL runs, this was all they had, (well, see the little lollipop on the bottom- I also got 2 more of those).
I saw this at Hobby Lobby too, and thought it would be perfect for this room if I ever did it. I had forgotten about it, then I saw it and was so excited!!!

I am off to search for some more Candyland ideas, and then to clean a bit. Yep, I have my priorities in order! ;) Tomorrow I will post the full room reveal of the safari room, and a few how to tips. Stay tuned!

Design on a Dime

***I just got news of an adoption opportunity. I probably won't hear much more until Monday, but for now PLEASE PLEASE PRAY over this situation! Pray for God's will to be very clear in this decision. Thanks!***


I made my own design "business" a few months ago, but I am still waiting to make it public. I SO wanted to name it, "Design on a Dime," but sadly that name is already taken.

Anyway, that is what I am all about- designing on a dime. :)

We are huge Dave Ramsey fans, and if he were to ever read this, (yeah right), he would be so proud! :)

I wanted to get those silhouettes for the walls, but they were over $150 total. I know that is not that expensive, but seeing as money doesn't grow on trees- I found a cheaper fix.
I took two canvases that I already had and decorated them with stuff I already had- practically free projects!
I bought this hanger from Target- 2 for $1.00. Took off the actual hanger part and voila. :)
Love it!!



another Target hanger. :)The completed wall ♥
At IKEA, this armoire is $189, or something like that. Too much money to buy something just for asthetics. Well on Craigslist, I was able to buy the bed with mattress, and this armoire for $200! Yeah, that was like buying the armoire and getting the bed and mattress for free! I HAD to buy it!!
The only blank space on the wall. One last project I need to make! :)
My faithful, uh, helper. ;) He thinks this bed and room are for him. Seriously. lol
"Mommy, it is after midnight, can you please stop crafting and GO TO BED!"
I left the room and Mr. Incredible shortly followed. He asked if Bolt was still in the room- he must be we thought. {very against his character- he always HAS to be in the same room with me, or at least his daddy} I went in and sure enough he still was asleep on the bed. He was EXHAUSTED!!!

Dairy Queen

Last weekend we were in San Antonio, and this weekend we were in Dallas. I would have mentioned that on here, but Mr. Incredible doesn't think it is wise to tell the world that we are away from our home. Wise man. :)




I love all things dairy. When I was 5, I won the title "Little Miss Houston." During the pageant they read out your likes and dreams, etc.

My favorite foods: Fried Cheese, Grilled Cheese, and Macaroni and Cheese. Gee, thanks Mom! lol

If I had to pick two things to eat for the rest of my life, I would choose pizza and ice cream. And I LOVE to eat big bowls of cereal all throughout the day.

So, you can imagine my shock at the thought that I may be Lactose Intolerant.

Last Sunday, on the way home from San Antonio, I started to feel ick. No problem. I came home and ate dinner, and by that evening I started to feel REALLY bad! My stomach was literally sticking out, (no gas just massive bloat), and I had major cramps like I needed to go to the bathroom. Well, I never got sick, but I sure felt horrible. The next day I ate barely anything thinking I was sick. The next day I ate cereal, and this time I actually got sick. This continued back and forth throughout the week. I have come to the conclusion that it has been dairy that has been making me sick.

I am so bummed! I LOVE all things dairy!

I am probably the pickiest eater out there, and this significantly lessens my scope of what to eat.

Now, before I go on- I am not a DR but I know that DRs always say, "first change your diet and exercise before we start any meds," so that is what I am going to do. If this continues with a change of diet, then I will go to the DR.

I think I am being punished by God- punished by His grace.

You see, as a believer in Christ- when you get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you. It helps you to live a different life, forsake sins, and to grow in holiness.

I am in no ways perfect. BUT, it would be disrespectful to the Holy Spirit to not acknowledge that I have grown immensely, and have forsaken many sins.

With that being said, there is one sin that I have struggled with for years, and I have had a hard time forsaking it.

GLUTTONY

I just can't get rid of it. I think that is why God is punishing me by His grace.

You see, I am sinning against Him. Instead of allowing me to keep abusing my body and sinning against Him, He has made a way for me to give up that which I have clung so dearly to. He easily could have allowed me to give this up on my own- that would have taken a long time, and would have been a hard struggle for me. Seeing how weak I am, He has once again stepped in, covered me by His grace, and took away the sin from me.

Do I really want to have Lactose Intolerance? No. BUT, lets face it, is there any other way that I could stop eating pizza and ice cream on a regular basis? No. My self control is not that strong.

Even in this "horrible" thing, I can still see God's grace in it. It is so awesome to serve the King of Kings!

Snug as a Bug

This is quite unusual for me. I usually do a full room reveal and then add different elements later. For this room, I have been showing you bits and pieces. Maybe I will save the full reveal for when it is complete?



Before I get to that, we have decided on a name. Now most of you picked Caroline. We love that name. We would call her Sweet Caroline after the song. You know, the one they jam to during every game at Fenway Park. ;)

BUT, we are going with Ann Marie. Here is why. We have been back and forth about this name for years. The whole dilemma about the book has been part of it. The reason I named the girl Ann Marie in the book was that I had picked that name for our child to come and then decided against it.

When I originally made up her name, I chose Ann because my mom's mom's middle name was Ann, and my dad's bio mom was Ann. My dad's mom's name is Marie, as well as Marie being my middle name. When I went to write the book, I chose Ann Marie because it showcases an adoptee's life. Ann= birth mother, Marie= mom.

Now that the book is published and Ann Marie came back into the running. How cool would it be for Ann Marie to bring the book to class as a book report and it be about her? :)

I was on the fence with the two names so I asked for your votes. Thank you SO much for voting! So what pushed me over the edge?

I asked Mr. Incredible which name he preferred a few days ago, and he was indifferent. I said it would be nice to refer to her by name, and he said he wanted to get her first. Ok. Then yesterday, we were emailing back and forth and he said, "Once we get Annie..."

So, not only is he calling our little girl by name, but he is already nicknaming her. Yeah, Ann Marie is here to stay! :) Seeing him write "Annie" was all I needed to make my decision!

Now, just a reminder- as much as I want to start monogramming etc now, I am waiting. We may get an older child, we may like her given name, or we may see her and think that Ann Marie is not a fit for her. But it sure is nice to call her by name for now. :)

Ok, back to the post...



Before the room part- REAL QUICK, I promise-

Yesterday I went for a walk with Bolt at 12:30. It was hot to say the least. We barely made it around the corner and he was already exhausted. Not good. I needed to keep going for the exercise, but I didn't want to kill my baby, ya know? So, I looped around and did what any good mommy would do. Bolt HATES the kennel, and equally as much, he hates being away from me, so leaving him at home was not an option. So, I gave him a drink, I held him under the facet outside to wet him down, and I placed him in the boys' double stroller.
Yes, I was the freak who pushed her dog around the neighborhood for a hour in a double CHILD stroller. He loved it though, and it allowed me to not feel guilty about the unbearable heat! As silly as I felt, you better believe I will do this again for the same reason! :)

Now back to the room:

I LOVE overstock.com! I have bought a cute rug from there as well as our 1,000 TC sheets. The best part about overstock.com, besides that everything is heavily discounted: shipping is a flat rate of $2.95! So when you purchase a rug that when rolled is over 5 feet long and weighs over 5lbs- you pay only $2.95! That also goes for furniture!

Ok, so I bought 2 rugs for Annie's room. First let me show you the amazing quality:
Look at how nice and thick it is...Look at the matting on the bottom...

For the same price, if not more, I am not sure, I bought this rug from Garden Ridge:
It is very thin and rough...
No matting on the bottom.

For the same price, if not less, I got an infinitely better made rug!! overstock.com rocks!


For those of you out there they say you cannot decorate, here are a few tips for you. For me, decorating does not always go according to plan, and sometimes I have to settle:
Here is how the rug was originally placed before the other rug arrived... {ps Bolt thinks this room is for him apparently. He never leaves the bed! lol Also, ignore all my craft gear around the room, it is still a work in progress after all}
This is how I would like to place them, with one problem. This adorable, (overstock.com), leopard rug, is even thicker than the zebra rug! Where it is now, the door would get stuck on it. Not good at all.

So, I had to make a few changes. After Mr. Inredible came home to move the furniture around...

The rug is not where I would like it. I would LOVE it to be right when you enter the room. It looks nicer that way, but as I said, it is too thick! :/ Sometimes you gotta just make it work!

All I am waiting on is to purchase the wall decor and her room will be complete. I have to wait till Mr. Incredible gets paid again, and then I will buy them! Yea! :) {Dave Ramsey would be so proud} ;)

Cardboard Cross

I need your votes please! You can either vote on the left, leave me a comment here, or comment on my facebook.

If we get to, what should we name our little girl??

Caroline Marie Keierleber

or

Ann Marie Paulie Keierleber

{first name Ann Marie- Ann Marie Paulie is the full name of my character in my book. See yesterday's post for my dilemma regarding her name}


Thanks!!



Her full room reveal is still to come, but I wanted to show y'all something I made last night on a whim, (honestly that is how most of my things are made- on a whim)! lol

I wanted a decent sized cross for her room. I was looking for a cute animal print one, and found A FEW on Etsy. No really, only a few. Hmm. Then I decided to give it a go myself. I was going to have Mr. Incredible make it for me out of wood, but I was too impatient, (story of my life)...

Oh yeah. A cross entirely out of cardboard. That means a cross that is FREE! Can't get any better than that!
Last night I completed the top two crosses as seen here. I used paper and sticker/sticker embellishments that I already had- so the total cost so far was still ZERO!!!
I went to Hobby Lobby today, and got the remaining paper needed to decoupage the last cross- spending less than $2!! The rest of the sticker/sticker embellishments were some I already had. This cross turned out pretty cute considering it cost less than $2!! :)
Close up of some of the embellishments. I LOVED this sticker and HAD to include it. Y'all know how I love the names of God!
Only when you look at it from the side can you tell it is all out of cardboard. :)
One wall is complete! {I wish I could move the shelf over a tad bit, but that thing is there to stay- SUCH a pain to hang!!!} On the shelf will go little animal/safari figurines etc. :)

This is so much fun for me- it should be illegal! lol

Savage Garden

Here is a piece of art that I made for our little girl's room. The full reveal of her room will come soon. :)
Sometimes I recycle to save money...
it needed a good blue backdrop...
Illustrations from my book. Quote is too perfect- will elaborate in a minute! "I knew I loved you before I met you. I think I dreamed you into life." Savage Garden- from what like 12 years ago!? {notice that the mom and dad were modeled after Mr. Incredible and me}
I am sitting on the floor in her room blogging and I keep looking up and seeing it. This is my view, and it makes me smile! :)



"I dreamed you into life." Though it is no ones' business, I will fill you in on what exactly we are waiting on in regards to our little princess. We have asked she be 0-35 months, and that she be black.

85% of the system is black, and sadly, no one requests black children.

When I talked to the agency, the man I talked to was reviewing my request from email. He said, "Ok, so you want her to be black." "Yes..." "PRAISE JESUS!!"

Now I work with a Christian agency, so his praise was genuine. BUT, how sad is it that he has to make that praise? He was so happy that someone was requesting a black child. It just breaks my heart, but it also showed me that this was indeed God's will for our family.

Considering my book was written around a little black girl, I think it is obvious that she has been on my heart for years. It was nice to have that conversation as confirmation. :)

Skin is just that, SKIN. I do not understand that hold up in this area!! Ugh!! That is why we are choosing her, to show that skin doesn't matter to us. Lord willing, if Woody and Buzz come home, our home will consist of 1/2 Korean daddy, white mommy, 2 hispanic boys, and one black girl. I always joked I wanted an IHOP- International House of People. While all of us come from America, our ethnicities are as diverse as America herself. Isn't that beautiful!?

Mr. Incredible was like, "how cool would it be if she looked just like the girl in your book." Honestly, she probably will, cause after all, I DID dream her into life. ;) Hence the art work. :)

Stepping down from the soap box- I would like your opinion on her name. Real name, not blog name. Her blog name will be Briar Rose for those of you who are curious, (Briar Rose is Sleeping Beauty's name when she is with the fairies).

Anyway, we have a name that we are going with if we can change her name, (depending on her age etc). BUT, Mr. Incredible and I have been back and forth on another name which is why I need your help.

Ann Marie is the name of the little girl in my book. We both have, (at separate times), wanted to name our little girl Ann Marie after the girl in the book. We almost went with it, but then I thought if she has a book about her- will I have to write a book for her other siblings too? That is my hold up. lol

BUT, I already put the pics in the book in her room- so am I going to have to write a book for her siblings anyway? lol

I will not tell you the name we are considering until we decide for or against Ann Marie. We shall see. Opinions appreciated! :)

Preview of Things to Come

Thanks for all your opinions on my hair. I agree that this hair style is the best.
I am thinking though that I am going to continue to grow out my hair- just to get that out of my system. When I cut it like this back in March, I vowed to keep it this way since I liked it so much. Every time I do that I wonder about growing out my hair. SO, I am going to give it a shot- though I have a feeling I bet I will end up back with this hair style again. :) {so I am very glad to know that y'all like that style!! lol}

This last week, I have been a busy bee. We just got back from visiting my dad in San Antonio, and before we left, I had a visit from the decorating fairy. Here is a preview of that:
Yes, I have ZERO self control! Well, I take that back. A few weeks ago when I began playing with this idea, I controlled myself and did not purchase anything at that time!

As you know, we were going to go on a "mouringmoon." As much as I still think it would be nice, and it is kinda necessary, I had a better idea.

"Babe, what if we skip the trip and get a baby instead?"

That is what we are doing folks! We are pursuing a little girl, ages 0-35 months. We are still holding out for her brothers, Woody and Buzz to come home, but for now we are preparing for her arrival!

We would appreciate your prayers over her!

More of her room reveal tomorrow!