Easter 2012

We started off our Easter with the fun tradition of Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny! Joel had no clue what was happening but enjoyed his monkey basket of goodies. Jude did seem to grasp the concept a little more this year which made things really fun for Jon and me! :)

After starting the brisket in the oven and checking out all of the boy's Easter goodies, we got dressed and headed to ROOTS church in Fort Worth to support one of our good friend, Tom's baptism! What a wonderful day to publicly commit your heart and life to God! Tom gave a very touching testimony and we really enjoyed the church and service!
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. - John 3:5

After the service was over we headed home to check on the brisket that had been cooking since 7am and let the boys take naps before the family started arriving. Impressively, J&J both took great naps and the meal was ready on time! It rained most of the morning and into the afternoon which worried me the egg hunt wasn't going to happen but alas, the sun made it's perfectly timed appearance around 3:00ish. YAY! The cousins were thrilled!

Little Peakers!

Daddy helping Jude bug with the hunt!

Jude was more interested in what was IN the eggs rather than finding more...

Kathryn found the first "GOLDEN EGG" :)

Kathryn is so sweet with J&J! Jude LOVES her so much!!

Shannon and Joel watched from the porch :)

Tom and Joel :)

Slam dunk?! My sweet BFF, Shannon
The cousins :)
XO for Joel!
Another pic with my bestie :)

Visiting Papa in Granbury!

I was shocked when it was stated on the news that a total of 16 tornadoes hit ground on April 4! The most damage took place in Arlington and East Dallas area (Kennedale, Forney, etc). Here are a couple pictures of the damage done to Green Oaks Nursing Home, where Papa stays...

The staff was amazing! They had little warning and still managed to get every patient to safety with only 2 minor injuries reported. Ofcourse they were unable to keep the patients at the home so all were transported where beds were available. Papa landed in Grandbury! So...the J's and I joined my Aunt Pam and Grandma for a visit this past Saturday! :) I am so glad I brought my camera...LOVE these pictures and am sure I'll treasure them always! :)




The boys had such a fun time! Joel made himself comfortable right away in Papa's lap and Jude enjoyed hammin' it up with him! Papa's RED World Series Rangers hat was last in the storm so Aunt Pam brought him a new one. He was thrilled and put it on right away! It was extremely important it was red! Blue just won't do for Papa. Haha. It was such a fun and sweet visit!! Always hard to leave but we'll be back soon...

Jon, Aunt Pam and I made a trip to the Granbury square to give Grandma some extra time with Papa. LOVED IT!! I Love the small town feel and Granbury has such heart! Aunt Pam purchased a couple little gifts and J&J played around the square.

Here's a shot of Jude stopping to smell some flowers :)


And ofcourse, we couldn't resist some bluebonnet shots! They were everywhere...and so were car loads of families taking shots on the side of the road! :) So fun! I love Texas this time of year...heck, all times of the year! ;-)















XO,
Brooke

Brooke's ~ Blessed to be BUSY!

Now that J&J are a LITTLE more self sufficient, I've started to put more focus in the past months on building up my little monogram & applique business, Brooke's! It's really starting to grow and it gives me such a proud feeling! I've finally established a groove and am becoming more efficient with each new order! I do wish I could touch up some of my first orders because I feel so much more knowledgeable now but I suppose I had to start somewhere... It's such a wonderful feeling receiving new baby/birth announcements, birthday and holiday family photos, etc from friends and customer's who have chosen to use my products to showcase such special life events! It's an honor!
I feel extremely blessed and am so excited for what the future holds for my {{little}} dream! :-) Thanks to all who have been such a support! I will never complain about being too busy, LOL.
Here's some pics I snapped of orders completed this past week:










XO,
Brooke

CALL THE EXTERMINATOR...NOW!!!

Jon got home from his weekend Vegas trip Sunday just after 3:00pm. We came home from DFW airport, unloaded his laundry and he decided he had enough energy left to partake in our weekly Sunday dinner at my grandparent's house. As Jon was locking up the front door, he noticed some muddy little tiny tunnels along the cement break in the sidewalk right outside the door where the wooden plank of wood sits.
He says "Hey babe, come look at this...looks like termites!" I reply "No way!" but as I walk over and look and see that there is also another "muddy tunnel" caked to the cement slab close by, I officially freak! The contract on our house was seriously JUST signed & executed...and now this?! You ever have that "one step forward and two steps back" feeling? I was DEFINITELY feeling that way! Jon went ahead and sprayed bug killer around the perimeter of the house and we went on to my grandparent's house. *sigh* We were both pretty much a wreck!
We asked my Uncle Tim and Aunt Pam their thoughts and they both advised we needed an exterminator ASAP and that hopefully they hadn't entered the house yet. THEN, we called Linda, our realtor. She put me at ease as much as she could and offered a phone number for her favorite extermination company and stated we'd prob just need a spot treatment. I called ALLIED ANTIMITE Termite & Pest Control first thing Monday morning but the earliest appt available was for Wednesday. Apparently this is the "Termite Season" and they are invading like wildfire!! Ack!
Tony came out to survey the damage and give me an estimate Wed morning. Outcome is that we have 2 spots that need treatment, both brand new with no damage yet. Praise God!! The first is by the front door (where we spotted them) and the second area is in front of the house in the flower bed. Tony quoted me $400 and assured me it was no big deal and they would be 100% gone by Thursday after the spot treatment was done. SUCH A NICE GUY!! I will definitely recommend ALLIED ANTIMITE to others!
I called Linda to report the findings and she said she would correct our disclosure staetment and forward on to the potential buyers. The knot in my throat grew! What if they don't buy now?! They still have 11 days left in their "option period"...couldn't the little pests have waited a couple months?! Sheesh! Oh well, it's done now.
SO...now we wait. The spot treatment is taking place as I write and we haven't heard anything from buyers. No news is good news, right?! ;-) I didn't know anything about signs of termites. Thankfully, Jon did. I would have assumed it was a mud dobber home, not termite tunnels! Since finding out we do have them, I have talked to several friends, family and co-workers who have also had the same issue! Some live in our same neighborhood. Who knew?! I guess termites aren't the best topic of conversation but it I felt compelled to write b/c it is something we need to be made aware of.

Useful Info: I've been on google non-stop since finding out we had the termite issue....
It most definitely IS "Termite season" and the little monsters are everywhere! Stats on most sites online say 70%+ of DFW homes will have early signs of termites THIS MONTH!!! Check around the preimiter of your home. Go up in your attic to see if they're swarming. Inspect your flower beds (mulch). The recent DFW storms have probably slowed them and washed outside signs away but they will return! :(

Subterranean termites are the most popular North Texas termite and their homes are usually formed in soil. In the very beginning, while looking for a home, these termites swarm/fly...they look like tiny flying ants (see picture on the left).
Once they find their new home, they bed down and create elaborate tunnel systems and mud tunnels through which they access aboveground food sources. They rely on water/moisture so they have to come aboveground to retrieve from the soil. Once the colony has been established and breeding/infestation starts, the termites look more like ewy gooey tiny worms (see picture on the right).
Here is a picture of what the "mud tunnels" look like that you might see attached to your concrete slab or alongside a flower bed, etc. BE ON THE LOOKOUT!
All so gross, I know! Last, I leave you with some preventative measures to help in protecting your home:

Eliminate Moisture Problems
Repair leaking faucets, water pipes, and a/c units
Divert water from foundation
Keep gutters and down-spouts clean
Remove excessive plant cover and wood mulch
Get rid of standing water on roof
Keep all vents clear and open
Seal entry points around water and utility lines or pipes

Remove Food Sources
Keep firewood, lumber, or paper away from foundation or crawl space
Get rid of stumps and debris near house
Place screens on outside vents
Check decks and wooden fences for damage
Wood on your home shouldn’t contact the soil
Termite Warning Signs & Identification

Some indications you may have a termite infestation:
A temporary swarm of winged insects in your home or from the soil around your home.
Any cracked or bubbling paint or frass (termite droppings).
Wood that sounds hollow when tapped.
Mud tubes on exterior walls, wooden beams, or in crawl spaces.
Discarded wings from swarmers.

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Jude has been a climber since day one! We have had to be SO careful to put everything away because he sees it and realizes it's potential for a "step stool" right away! Joel is absolutely {sigh} following along in his footsteps! For goodness sake, the boy isn't even self sufficiently walking yet...but he can sure climb! I caught him twice within an hour's time yesterday!

Exhibit A: He drug this bag of leggos from the living room into the kitchen in order to climb up to hold onto the oven rail. No duobt he was hopeful of reaching onto the counter!
NOTE: I love that you can look into the background of this picture and see Jude totally lazin' it up in the baby rocker watching Clifford on TV with not the slightest notion that Joel has stolen his leggos for his kitchen exploring adventure! :)

Exhibit B: He dumped all the toys out of his bin, flipped it over and climbed on top to reach the tv remote.


Oh the joys of having boys, aka MONKEYS!!

Jude showing Joel how to drive...kinda

Jude wanted to show Joel how to drive. I don't think it turned out quite like Jude had envisioned it would but it was adorable to watch!! About the time Jude showed Joel the horn, Joel took over! It looked like 2 huge grown men in a SMART car! Love these boys! Haha.

SOLD!!! Maybe...

Many of you are asking how things are going. I'm so afraid to divulge anything just b/c things seem to change by the minute but here's where things are RIGHT NOW... Thank you to all praying for us! :)


**Back story note: We’ve had 3 offers, all around the same price. We’ve turned them all down**


The house showed 5 times Saturday and there was a “second showing” on Sunday. Linda, our realtor, called Saturday afternoon asking about pool locations and other HOA stuff for clients. I felt confident that there would be an offer…and it came in on Monday. It was similar to our prior offers. We had been talking and Jon and I are both in agreement we are ready to move on! So, we accepted! I was so relieved and took a deep breath of relief that I could atleast let the kiddos play with their toys more freely for a while without OCD cleaning up after their every step! Haha.
Well, turns out the young couple that signed on the dotted line needs 100% financing…meaning they want their closing costs, etc rolled into their home loan. It’s the buyer’s responsibility to get the house they’re buying appraised. Wouldn’t you know it, I don’t think these kids have the money to pay the $350ish for that! It seems to me they don’t have money to be shopping at the mall, much less buying a home. Ay yay yay! Anyways, contract was signed by both parties on Tuesday. That gives them til’ Wednesday, April 4, to back out. I’m not holding my breath! My feelings of relief have come to reality and I’ll have the house clean and ready for showings this weekend, haha. Lord be with me! Selling your house is an emotional process!!