New Year Starts and Ice, Ice Baby

What have the Yourees been up to thus far in 2011? Well, here goes . . . .

After suffering sticker shock from our first bid for the bathroom remodel, we opted for a "second opinion." This week the second contractor came for a look. Hopefully, we will have the bid by the beginning of next. Then, it's decision time! The pic below shows the wall and floor tile we've chosen, even the grout color. :-)

Bryan's parents also came for a visit in January. We always enjoy them so much. We took these pics before a great dinner at Ellerbe. It's one of my favorite FW restaurants. Mmmm . . . let's go now!

And then, there's been the weather. Certainly, we haven't forgotten it's winter! Last week, we were doused with ice and snow. It essentially crippled the metroplex for four days. . . . and just in time for that little thing called the Super Bowl. We do have some winter weather today, but mostly just a dusting. Nothing like the precip or temps of last week. (Notice the water barrel hit the dust because it froze through and through. I'm waiting for the deluge when it thaws.)

The Nursery, Phase 2

The much beloved rocking chair is in its place in the nursery now. We've roughly set up the room as how it best fits . . . . at least until the crib and changing table land in the room. The first pic is a close-up of the rocking chair fabric.

It's very comfortable, and it swivels!

We purchased the chair through Jolie Petite Boutique, who happens to be the nearest carrier of this Little Castle chair. I first found the Little Castle website, fell in love with their products and fabrics, and then located the store. I was also happy to discover this chair and fabric, along with the ottoman was similar in price to other shops like Lonestar Baby, but provided much more selection. (And doesn't our Dash & Albert rug look darling next to the chair???)

Finally, this is Bryan's baby bassinet, which we hope to use for just the first few weeks of our little one's life. Thankfully, we found cradle sheets to fit since bassinets these days are much smaller! But this is the spot where we will put the crib when it arrives.

Remembering Kirk

This week is especially tough for my family. One year ago this week, my aunt and uncle, my cousins, and many of my family members were absorbing the shock of my cousin, Kirk Jordan's murder. This week also marks the anniversary of the funeral arrangements and totally changed lives.

With 12 months behind, there is still no arrest.

Please continue to pray.

(To read the original blog entry of Kirk's passing, click here.)

Which Tile Do YOU Choose?

Tile for the bathroom? Check . . . . well, almost.

A quick, lunchtime trip to local tile stores proved fruitful. We picked out the floor tile from Daltile: 1.25 x 1.25 inch hexagon in arctic white. And we are debating the wall tiles; for sure, we want subway tile. The color choices are either architectural gray or urban putty.

Which do you prefer? Give us your vote, please. (The top is architectural gray and the bottom is urban putty.)

Now, on to sinks, vanities, and toilets!

A Tale of a Leaky Valve

The story begins with a drip from the tub faucet in our hall bath.

And the drip wouldn't stop. In fact, sometimes the drip was more like a small stream. So, we called the plumber, naturally.

Because our hall bath is original to our 1940s house, the plumbing and fixtures associated with our so deep cast iron tub are . . . let's just say, in the twilight years of life. The plumber from Rescue Rooters revealed the problem was in a leaky valve, circa 1940-something. But to correct the problem, the plumber must cut through the dry wall in our pantry to access the pipes.

The food removal began onto my kitchen counters. The hole was cut. The valve replaced. And the call made for the inspector to visit.

Five days and one trip to Nashville later, the inspector arrives to post a red tag; we failed inspection. Long story short . . . Fort Worth requires tub/shower faucets to have a balanced pressure scald guard attached to the valve/pipes. This means two things: 1) The plumber must cut through the tile to access the pipes to replace them and 2) the plumber must replace our two-knob control to a one control, meaning more tile destruction around the bath. Did I mention the bathroom is old, and we do not have any matching tile to patch the holes?

The moral of the story? A leaky valve has now turned into a full on bathroom remodel. We planned to remodel this bathroom anyway once we finalized an adoption; but looks like we are tackling that project earlier than expected. Our contractor comes one week from tomorrow to begin.

If you can't find me, I'll be at Home Depot.

Our pantry was in the kitchen and the hall for nearly a week! We decided to patch it up best we could until the contractor fully dives in.

Waiting for a Reason

This week we welcomed a new arrival to the house--a rocking chair and ottoman for the nursery. We ordered it at the end of November, and it just arrived on Tuesday. Apparently, the holiday season isn't a high-demand time for the rocking chair industry. Thus, the manufacturer worked at half staff, making it a longer process. But that's neither here nor there.

I'll post pics of our addition once I get everything sorted.

The arrival of the rocking chair was exciting and a reminder that we are still waiting for adoption news. But we were so encouraged recently when we read a devotion together on the topic of waiting. Ben Patterson, the author, wrote: "Waiting isn't just the thing we do until we get what we're hoping for; it's a critical part of the process of becoming what we hope for." Such good news! While we are waiting to be parents, God is using the "in between time" to prepare us as people and parents. It's so freeing to think of this process as preparation with a purpose than just twirling my thumbs waiting for the call. Oh, to keep the perspective of trusting an all-wise, ever-loving God!

Happy Nashville New Year

While I’m typing this, we are several thousand feet in the air on our way home from Nashville. To ring in the New Year, we crashed Music City to visit family and friends—and the holiday did not disappoint. Our niece and nephew, as kiddos tend to do, are growing and growing, looking more like “young adults” all the time. (What does that make us? Just adults?) The activities included eating, watching Gulliver’s Travels, eating, visiting the newly opened Opryland Hotel (it was closed for nearly 8 months after the disastrous flood), shopping the Dillards’ sale, eating with friends, getting coffee with friends, celebrating Brad’s birthday by eating, and hugging my sweet Lytles who are in the USA for their first stint in Indonesia. Whew—it was fun.

I also dragged Bryan through Bellevue showing him where I was residing when the flood took over back in May. It was wild to be back, remembering the last time I saw those places they were under several feet of yucky, muddy water.

The vacation verdict? Spending the New Year with old friends and “old” family (ha, ha) is the way to go! Now, back to work tomorrow . . . .