The Redhead Diaries

Hello blog world! I'm Jaden, but you probably already know that.
Mom has been very busy lately and she is sorry for the lack of posts. She wishes that she could tell all of you about the wonderful Christmas we had, but her pictures are still locked away in her camera. I feel that it is my duty as Mom's number one kid (order, not favorite... she loves Taylor and me both the same!) to guest post for her!

I decided that it would be fun to "borrow" Mom's camera to take pictures of all of my friends!

Don't worry, Mom supervised me! In fact, she thought I did a good job considering I'm only 2 1/2 :o) Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed my post and meeting some of my friends! Mom will try really hard to post tomorrow... Night!

My Blue Christmas

Today is not a good day. I'm just kind of down in the dumps. Christmas is a week away and instead of driving around looking at lights or watching Christmas specials with J, I am at the absolute end of my rope. I feel like there is still so much to get done. Instead, I go to work at my crap job and waste my time for 8 hours. All I do is sit there and wait to get home to get stuff done. I'm hoping that 2010 will bring new opportunities for me...

Last night sucked. Within minutes of walking through the door, both girls were crying... for no reason. I feel like I am truly at my breaking point. I'm spreading myself too thin and need a break. I don't care what people say, being a mom is hard. Wait, let me clarify that... Being a GOOD mom is hard. Earlier this week, I was told, "It's not hard, Shannon. They're just kids." They just take so much of my energy! By the time I get them both down for bed, all I want to do is crash but I can't because then how will things get done around the house?

I have two family Christmases tomorrow. I have food to get ready for those and gifts to finish and wrap. I want to get all of my projects finished so I can actually sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays. I want to make cut-out cookies with J. I absolutely hate when she asks me if I will play with her toys with her and I have to tell her that I can't because I don't have time. Do you know how hard it is for me to do that? In all honesty, I'm about finished with my projects for Christmas. I feel like I'll be able to finish them tonight. I hope that next week will be all of the fun things that make me excited about Christmas.

Oh yeah, don't forget to vote for my Christmas card here! Forget what it looks like? See it here!

VOTE FOR ME!!!

My Christmas card is in the running for best ever :o) Go to Tip Junkie and vote for me!! I'm entry number 10...

Happy 28th Birthday Mike!

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Him So Much:
10. I don't have to do laundry. He does it for me!
9. He supports all of my crazy ideas!
8. I never have to clean the cat box!
7. We go grocery shopping together.
6. He's such a goofball... wonder where J gets it?
5. He cares so much about how other people feel.
4. We have SO MUCH FUN together!
3. He tells me he loves me every day.
2. He is my best friend.
1. He is the best dad the girls could ask for!

Thanks for being YOU, babe!
We celebrated at his parents' house on Sunday.

Mom and Dad treated us to dinner last night. Jaden and Taylor got their Daddy candy... Jaden enjoyed unwrapping it for him :o)

"Santa's Not Scary... He's Just A Grampa"

Jaden's first visit with Santa was great! The second one... not quite so. We were determined to make the THIRD time a charm :o)

For a week or so, we have been talking Santa up so much! We have been talking about how much fun he is and how nice he is. Jaden will tell you, "Santa's not scary, he's just a grampa!" We even asked the babysitter to talk about him a lot around J. Last night was the night... we went to the mall to see good 'ol Saint Nick!

Is it just me, or do you see the similarities in the snowman and J? The smile, the brow line, the arms, the little popped-out belly...

Well, after a long wait in line...

Taylor LOVED it (aka she didn't scream)!

J, on the other hand, screamed so loud, the entire mall could hear her! I held her and calmed her down. She finally sat and had a chat with Santa...

Santa: "How old are you?"

Jaden: "Good."

S: "And what do you want for Christmas?"

J: "Puzzles!"

S: "Oh, do you like puzzles?"

J: "Yeah! And books and toys!"

S: "OH- HO HO! I bet you like toys!"

J: "Santa says, 'Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas'!"

So, I'm for certain J will like him even more next year... I'll just be holding T in the picture next year :o)

Merry Christmas!!

Counter Top Re-Do

Well, I took on quite the overhaul! I was in the running for the most outdated counter tops in Indiana. Our budget doesn't really allow us to spend a small fortune on home repairs (so tell the furnace to shape up!), so I like to go the DIY route... besides, it's more fun that way :o)

While everyone was out shopping on Black Friday, I decided to go for a kitchen mini-makeover! Here are the before shots:

As beautiful as the beige may have been way back when mauve and blue were all the rage, I was SO ready for a change!

Step 1: Tape off the surrounding area! Be generous... this stuff goes EVERYWHERE!!! Then sand gently to roughen up the surface a little. If you don't, the primer has a hard time sticking.


Mom shared a hint with me: wrap foil around the faucet! It is more user-friendly than newspaper.

I guess I forgot a picture of step 2... Step 2: Prime! I used Kilz white primer. Since my counters were already light, I only did one coat of primer. When it has dried (according to the directions on the can), sand again.

Step 3: Spray your heart out!! I did three coats and used Valspar Effects stone-textured spray paint. Sand between coats.


Step 4: Remove tape and newspaper CAREFULLY! The paint stays wet for a while and will wipe away with the newspaper if you aren't careful.


Step 5: Top coat the sucker to a high gloss!! I used Minwax Polycrylic. I gave it three coats and sanded lightly between coats.

Here is the final product!

I love how it turned out!! It has been about 2 and a half weeks and they are holding up great!! Oh yeah, and did I mention that it only cost me $40 for the whole re-do?!?!

14 Weeks

Taylor Maxine - 14 Weeks Old

December 16, 2009

Don't you just want to grab those cheekers and SQUEEZE 'EM!?

We've had a pretty exciting week! On Saturday, Taylor (along with Big Sis) had her first overnighter with Gramma J while Mike and I hung out with some friends and celebrated his birthday! Everyone did well with the overnight experience :o)

Yesterday, we took the girls to see Santa! Although that is a post in itself, I can tell you that Taylor enjoyed her visit with the big guy!

T is growing so stinkin' fast! She is talking to us constantly and laughs just as much as her sidekick, J :o) Her new favorite things are sitting up, her "blankie" (Erin-- She adores the taggie blankie you had made for J!), and having her socks off so she can play with her toes. She is sleeping great and obviously eating like a champ... 7 oz. already!

Here is J at 14 weeks:
I love these girls to pieces :o)