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The Deck, Phase 2.

July 8, 2014 by thethomehome

The deck on the back of our home was a huge highlight for us. In our old home, we had nice french doors that led to nothing short of three stairs that took you straight to the grass. While I’d trade our mud for that grass again any day, having a deck to walk out on and enjoy is a perk!

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that a month ago Dan took me to Ikea for my birthday present. Forget going out to dinner, or him stressing about what to get me. All I wanted was a day with the hubs at Ikea to finally pick out deck furniture. We had done our research prior to going (we look at their website all the time) and nearly ordered a table and had it delivered. Delivery charge is $130 bucks – and without seeing the product with our own eyes and our bums to test it out, we figured we would save a lot of money and disappointment if we just drove there to look at the pieces and compare.

Kid-less thanks to the grandparents, we were off.

The list started to grow as we were driving out, thinking of little things we could pick up while we were out that way. Then the realization that we no longer had my tank of a minivan to bring the items home in settled in, brought us to the simple fact that we would still be getting our pieces delivered! Oh well!

This was our deck prior to building our new furniture. We had to tear our the surrounding half-alive landscaping

We ripped out the existing ivy (our never-ending battle at this house) – the tilting tree (not sure if I regret that yet) and small bushes that were struggling.

I know, I know, it looks naked now doesn’t it? We have SO much to do to this backyard, so we are learning to love the process and try to get over the fact that it just looks torn up. We have ground to level out, more trees to cut down and then we can actually talk about what ideas we have for landscaping. So far, I am winning on wrapping the deck in hydrangea eventually 🙂 Happy happy happy.

Putting together the new deck chairs were a bit tricky, requiring a bit more muscle than I had available. The table and bench we chose to go with it were easy to put together, so the stress factor was all balanced out in the end!

We chose 5 white chairs, and a white bench, and mixed it up a bit with a wood table. We were the only people at Ikea pulling chairs and tables across the aisle trying to find our perfect “match” So glad we did though, because they go together SO well.

The set fills our out deck nicely, providing plenty of seating without feeling overwhelming. Since our backyard is a jungle, we planted citronella plants thanks to advice from Dan’s parents. Not only do they smell lovely but they fill out quite nicely over time! Seeing as Brody is currently covered in bug bites, these were a must!

The planters are also from Ikea, the we had the same ones at our old house and left two of them there with the new homeowners. So we made sure to snatch 4 more up this trip. For only $20 a pot, you just can’t beat it. Dan drilled small holes in the bottom for draining to aid in our lack of green thumbs.

The addition of a little basil and lavender on the deck helps bring a bit more green, since we took most of it out in the landscaping.

We are loving our new hang out spot! We’ve already had family over for a cookout and squeezed a ton of people on the deck. So, a big thank you to the hubs for taking me to Ikea – letting me talk your ear off about every piece we walked by.

By the way – we also fell head over heels for a kitchen they had set up there. We found ourselves literally “hanging out” and chatting for a while in it. We were smitten. Hopefully, within the next few years a kitchen like the one we saw will replace our current Brady Bunch kitchen!

Before the summer is up (let’s try not to think about it) we plan on leveling out the ground, creating actually garden beds, painting the lattice trim under the deck and planting grass seed. I am sure the list will keep growing –

Don’t Take Away His Sparkle.

June 24, 2014 by thethomehome

Every parent worries about their children. Around the clock, for all different reasons, in all different situations. Brody had his first day at safety town yesterday, in which we have talked about for weeks leading up to. He has been excited, and we thought he understood the majority of what he was taking part in. He woke up yesterday morning, saying he didn’t feel good (his tummy) which is always a red flag for us. Owen is on day two of a flu bug, fighting off a high fever and icky stomach, so we were fearful that he was getting the bug as well. It seemed to lean a lot more towards nerves though than a flu bug though – but who were we to guess?

We had him eat breakfast, and he refused to get off the couch. He simply did not want to go to safety town. Whimpering that his belly hurt I felt awful as a mom that I knew I had to get him there, to give it a try, and try to remind myself that deep down he would be just fine. We somehow managed to convince him to get ready, as we drove we talked more about what the day would consist of and he seemed to get more and more excited. I felt a huge sigh of relief!

While sitting with his fellow safety-towners, I heard a little boy ask Brody was his name was. You could tell Brody was SO nervous the entire morning, even while waiting for parents to leave he just seemed a bit over whelmed. “Brody-” he replied, and when Brody says his name sometimes it sounds odd – like “birdie” So the boy laughed, pointed at him, and the other little boys next to him giggled away. Brody smirked, not really understanding he was being teased a bit. And then just went back to coloring quietly.

My stomach dropped. We said our “See you Soon’s” and I called Dan the second I got into the car. Of course a 15 minute conversation followed on what I witnessed at the table. I wondered if Brody even noticed, if he felt okay in a room full of people that he did not know. I felt SO bad for bringing him there. Dan was flustered – he knows of all kids, Brody is a hoot to be around, and always livens up any room he is in. So the thought of one day, even down the road him having a hard time fitting in just made us a bit sad.

I told Dan I was certain he did not understand that the kid was being, well a kid. And that by the time I hung up the phone I was convinced he was having a ball. 2 1/2 hours later, a sick little Owen and I went to pick him up and sign him out of the class. “He cried a lot this morning, he said he missed you” the girl in charge said. Oh my sweet boy, his eyes were red, he just did not look himself. My heart fell out of my chest. I tried the whole car ride home to talk to him, he would not really let me know why exactly he was crying, and he seemed quite embarrassed to even have me bring it up.

I knew I had to turn the day around – he sat around for about 2 hours once we got home. He would not leave the couch – he said it was his stomach. Maybe it was, maybe that is why he was crying, maybe he felt too uncomfortable to say something so simply tears followed.

Once Owen fell asleep for a nap, I told him we should go outside and have our “special time”. This phrase goes around frequently with our kids. Their “special time” to them is one on one time with mom or dad. When days are not going as planned and someone is not having the best of days, special time is needed!

I swooped him outside where we sat and had yogurt on our porch. Chatted a bit more about the morning, he said the kids were nice (Oh I hope) and that he just missed me, and the belly hurt. I knew the kid just needed some space, it was probably a lot to take in. New neighborhood, new school, not a face to be recognized. I felt bad for putting him in that situation!

Soccer games, hop scotch, and chalking filled up two sweet hours with Brody. He was right back where he always is. Funny, giggling, smiling away. My heart started to lift – I needed this afternoon with him.

The thought of what is to come in future school years is terrifying. Kids these days are exposed to SO much more these days, unlike my generation growing up. This first day of safety town I guess just brought up a lot of fears that every parent holds for their kids. I pray that Brody always feels confident, being the happy-wild-golf loving kid that he is. Even when peers may not be at their best, I hope he stays at his best.

Watch previous seasons of the Bachelor, with Tierra? She voiced that her parents told her when she was young to not let anyone take away her sparkle. I laughed when she said that, but now I feel the exact same way! I just don’t want Brody to lose his sparkle. Seriously, this kid is amazing. I hope that the following days at safety town, and his first year of kindergarten are an exciting and happy time for him. He’s an amazing kid, and deserves the best.

The Family Room.

June 19, 2014 by thethomehome

We have been in our house for nearly 8 weeks (Ah.) and I have yet to share with you the progress of our rooms! I am SO excited to start showing you where we stand with our spaces over the next few weeks. We are still unpacking boxes, have yet to hang a single picture, but we are making strides and are very happy with how things are coming along!

Our family room was the one room that swept us off of our feet. Regardless of the state it was in, all we saw was size, huge window, and the amazing barn beams along the entire ceiling.

Ya’ll this was as bright as it would get back here. The infamous barn red trim that so lovingly covered the rest of the house was of course carried into the addition on the home as well. Criss cross applesauce’s (as I called them) covered the window, breaking up any light that tried to get through our trees. Red trim, red doors, why not red curtains too? As you can tell, this colored theme was clearly abused.

We LOVE this fireplace. We had two in our last home. One upstairs for show (no longer worked) and one in the basement, that unfortunately we ended up covering with drywall because it was a money pit of a project to get it working again. So to have a working fireplace just was icing on the cake for this room. Right when you walk into our side door this fireplace greets you, seen straight through our kitchen. The red had to go of course.

I’m fairly certain I was doing a happy dance at this moment on top of the window sill – celebrating the fact that the home was officially ours. A sweet moment where I was completely naive to how much painting we actually had ahead of ourselves.

Each room in our house will be a design journey that will take course I am sure over at least a few years, to get it to the point where we feel like each room is complete. We chose a different color for our walls in the back downstairs of our house. Simply because the trees make this house dark nearly all day, so the brighter the better.

Having two upstairs living spaces was a new thing for us, so utilizing the furniture we had was a must. Our budget did not allow for new couches, so our basement sectional would have to do. I was dreading putting it in this room. But – after it all was set up, I’ll be the first to admit that Dan was right all along. It works just fine, and in fact, it’s growing on my like meter day after day.

We picked a white shag rug that we’ve been eyeing for months. I know, I know, a white rug with kids?! Have we lost our mind?! Yes! The answer is yes. But it is SO comfortable, and rugs can be cleaned. Ask me in a few months if we regret it, for now were to busy rolling around on it.

As you can see in the picture above, moving boxes are still a part of our everyday life. The criss cross applesauces are gone, leaving the window clean and crisp which I adore. The lighting on the right hand side of the picture are the old fixtures – we are currently replacing them with the fixture you see on the left side, which is missing it’s gorgeous glass pendant on the bottom. One thing at a time folks, one thing at a time!

The fireplace received a quick update by simply being painted white. My mind tosses and turns each day contemplating whether or not I should paint it a color – or rip it apart and start new? I feel like it needs to pop a bit more, turn heads in the room – give me something to drool over.

I love where this room is at so far. This wall above would tickle me pink if we had some custom cabinetry so I can have a place to put all of our pieces. It just feels very very empty at the time.

We still have multiple coats of white trim to paint on, art to hang, window treatments to get, and an entire wall where the tv sits to address. For now though, this room has had enough lovin’ and we are moving onto our bedrooms.

Have a room in your house that is screaming for attention?

Tell me about it! Love me some comments 🙂

Hand the Boy a Hose.

June 17, 2014 by thethomehome

We are very fortunate to live in a city where the seasons are forever changing. With each new season, I find myself longing for the next. At the end of a hot summer, the idea of cooler air, colorful leaves and apple cider sound like heaven. Once our house is decorated with our annual christmas tree pick, the boys scream for snow. Nothing better – inches of fresh snow just waiting to be rolled into. But let’s get honest here, in Cleveland, the winter months stretch far beyond their welcome and the need for spring and non-hypothermic temperatures is becoming a need not a want. Spring 2014 was a pretty one for sure, plenty of rain followed by higher temps pushing us straight into our bathing suits, leaving us craving lemonade and days at the pool.

Lack of pool at The Thome Home has left the boys to get into a bit of trouble lately…

Brody and Owen have pushed my buttons pre-summer weather with sneaking out the hose and making life-size mud puddles in our already mess of a backyard. So when mom recommended they fill up buckets and get a little energy out they were cracking up so hard they could have fallen over.

Their hose dreams came true over the weekend at a community ice cream social. Our downtown area was decked out with kids, ice-cream, firetrucks and games. The boys were glowing. It was so sweet to see them loving on their new surroundings just as much as they mom and dad. Once we walked over to take pictures at the fire truck, the boys were googly-eyed once they noticed a street blocked off for kids to test a REAL fire hose with a firefighter. Does it get much better than that for a kid? I think not!

The rainbow that appeared during Owen’s turn made his face light up. It was such a nice evening! Once we got home, we ate dinner and played a hysterical game of simon says with the kids. We had the boys rolling with laughter as they got their giggles out before bed time.

Lessons learned through this post? Give the kids a damn hose. I would get so agitated when I would turn the corner to their sneaky little butts giggling away as they stood in what was grass, now turned swamp land. The summer has just begun, and I want nothing short of an amazingly-fun-memorable summer for these boys in their new house. So I need to take down my keep it clean hat and let the boys be boys. Say goodbye to dry land and embrace this fascination with mud.

Fathers Day 2014

June 16, 2014 by thethomehome

I could not have dreamed up a better father for our kids.

From our very first positive pregnancy test he has surpassed all of my hopes of what our life would be like as parents.

We had a beautiful fathers day yesterday, packed with pool time and play time. We are left feeling loved + sunburned.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate all of the men in our lives that we love so much.

We Bought A Jungle.

June 11, 2014 by thethomehome

You know the movie “We Bought A Zoo” – well, we bought a jungle. And while my husband may be as handsome as Matt Damon and could handle anything nature throws at him. I am no Scarlett Johanson, so showing up here with my lack of rack and pin-up looks wouldn’t help me a bit in this situation.

Listen, by no means am I a princess who can’t hold her own outside. At the same time, by no means am I a chick who would enjoy camping out in a tent. Consider me completely in between. I’ll gladly tackle yard work, and smoosh a spider that is smaller than a pin. A spider the size of a penny will find its new home inside of my vacuum, and using tools that could cause a limb of mine to be cut off is seriously avoided.

When we purchased our home we were completely enamored by the wooded affect our entire area as. Come to find, our city prides themselves on their tree preservation. It is quite calming to drive through each street and see the greenest grass-covered in the most mature trees. Most developments these days are houses upon houses upon land that has been stripped of everything it once had. Here, it is as if they built the houses around the trees. It’s really something to see.

At the time of closing, there was not a leaf to be found. Our minds fantasized about their potential plush leaves that were to be in weeks to come. Remember the scene in Father of the Bride, where Steve Martin is cruising down the street during his mid-life crisis, and the streets are perfectly lined with trees and he pulls into his perfectly landscaped home, that has always been my fantasy. Not the mid-life crisis, I’m sure that’ll come eventually though, too.

Day by day, bud by bud, we slowly started to see what our yard at to offer.

It’s truly a beautiful mess. A front and back yard that has not been tended to in YEARS. I have adjusted very quickly to having a yard that is covered with plants, weeds and trees. Ants that come in sizes I thought to only see in a jungle, and spider webs gracing every branch to take their giant bodies back and forth between trees. I duck, I squeal, I squish and squirm the entire time I am outside.

To put this into better perspective, this is our front yard just as we started the front porch project.

Now you see her …

Now you don’t …

The trees are in full effect. Which results in an exceptional cool house (have not even thought about air conditioning yet). I love the trees, do not get me wrong here, but the lack of curb appeal is so low you might as well crawl into the sewer.

I pulled into our drive the other day, where our drive meets our backyard, and it all hit me at once on how we needed to get moving or else our yard was weeks away from turning into a scene on Jumanji.

Father of the Bride or Jumanji? Hm, which one would you prefer? As much as my kids love Jumanji (it’s on replay most weeks) we would prefer to not roll the dice – before we know it sprout a tail, and start swinging from the branches.

I went straight into my trunk, where I had a lovely gift bag awaiting me. My mother must have known what a joke our yard was going to turn into because she put clippers + gardening gloves into my mother’s day bag (Thanks Mom!)

Set the kids up with some toys, and I faced what I thought were bushes, turns out they were just weeds as tall as me.

Hours later of clipping, standing back at where I parked my car a few hours prior, I felt SO much better about the direction this yard was going.

Our back yard a few weeks ago, prior to its growth spurt.

As you can see, it is all over grown. The trees fill in every nook and cranny possible. It is a picture perfect scene for us, we wanted mature trees. Now we just have to decide what should stay, and what needs to go.

We have a handful of trees that have seen their day, and will have to come down eventually. Sooner rather than later, and hopefully we can win the lottery following to fill our pockets back up yet again. These trees in the back right corner of our yard though are so pretty, I can see a sweet little play house for the kids nestled underneath their branches, so I know they will stay.

The rest of the yard currently is in a half alive half dead state. We have twists and turns of dirt mounds covered in dying ivy, and grass that could use more than just a bit of seed.

Our goal is to have the front and back yard ready for grass seed this fall. We know better than to set our goals to high – this is a massive project! The random circle patches of what were ivy will be gone, or nicely shaped. We are not sure if we want them there or not. We will be taking down the smaller skinny trees, in hopes of having a larger playing field for the kids to play sports in.

We’ve got high hopes! But this back yard is just screaming to be an oasis.

Owen’s Interview.

June 9, 2014 by thethomehome

Owen Vincent Thome

How old are you? 3

What do you want to be when you grow up? A mustache

Favorite toy: My tent

Favorite food: Pretzels

Favorite animal: Elephants

Favorite holiday: Halloween

If you could change your name, what would it be? Papa

Favorite color: Pink

What do you like to do with your family? Watch Frozen

Favorite song: Ceiling Can’t Hold Us

Favorite movie: My new woo-vie (how to train your dragon)

What do you like to do most outside? Play with the hose

Favorite super hero: Hulk Smash

Favorite t.v. show: Poop House (obviously not a show, he is losing patience with these questions)

Favorite place to go: Target

Favorite sport: Soccer

Brody’s Interview.

June 6, 2014 by thethomehome

Since these kids aren’t getting any younger, freezing some of their current favorite things seemed like a good idea. Simple questions, followed by straight forward answers.

Brody Daniel Thome

How old are you? 5

What do you want to be when you grow up? A golfer

Favorite toy: The invincible Iron Man

Favorite food: Mac + Cheese

Favorite holiday: Halloween

If you could change your name, what would it be? Papa Daniel

Favorite color: Blue

What do you like to do most with your family? Have a sleepover

Favorite song: The ceiling can’t hold us + Because I’m Happy

Favorite movie: Despicable Me 2

What do you like to do outside? Play golf

Favorite super hero: Avengers

Favorite t.v. show: Spongebob Squarepants

Favorite place to go: The golf course

Right In My Lap.

June 3, 2014 by thethomehome

Dan has been by my side through many of my years ( 10 to be exact ). I look back at old pictures, fresh faced teens, without a worry in the world. I’d be lying if I said that I do not miss those days. But then, I see a picture of us now. Just shy of turning 28, and our youthful faces seem to say so much more. Our highs and lows of our past have shaped us into who we are today. As a wife, as a husband, as parents.

Now, these two little boys in my life have filled my stomach with butterflies and taken me to a place that I could not imagine.

I worry more. I love deeper. I laugh harder. I cherish these guys.

WE created these boys. It’s a simple fact that astounds me each day. How did we get here?

I noticed these flowers in the far back corner of our yard the other day, needless to say it took seconds for the kids to pluck them and come running across the yard with a handful yelling “happy mudders day” as they plopped them into my lap. Everyday is “mudders day” when they have something to give me.

The things they do. The words they say and how they say them in their little boy voices. It melts me. Every inch of my being.

Just when they have me worn out, wanting nothing short of an early bed time – these flowers land in my lap and I feel appreciated.

They may not know how to say it, but I get it.

In that moment, the reassurance that I needed as a parent was right in my lap.

The timing was perfect, it is the simplest things that impact me the most. Dan and I are two lucky folks, with two amazing kids.

Men + Wood.

June 2, 2014 by thethomehome

A lucky lady am I.

Three men this weekend took it upon themselves to tackle some big projects (isn’t every project here a big one?) around here and I could not find myself more grateful at this moment. First, Papa John slept over the entire weekend and between himself and Dan they tackled putting on the entire top of our new composite wood decking. It is so pleasant to pull into our drive now and not see caution tape + support beams holding up our porch roof. Here’s a sneak peek –

Ignore the front color door – I’ve had a love affair with paint chips and it’s been a mess.

The guys worked from sun up until sun down, faced plenty of challenges along the way + managed to get so much done in such a short weekend. All we have left to do is put the finishing touches on the front porch … all of the rails + decor. Which one am I the most excited for? Honestly, it’s pretty equal. I am anticipating plenty of corny family photoshoots happening on this new porch of ours, lemonade sipping and music playing in the backround. I could not resist not photographing these guys as they sat and chatted about their work. I tried to be as sneaky as possible, I think it worked.

How handsome are these guys? Beyond heartwarming to watch this duo over the past ten years.

Another man in our lives, our Uncle made our jaws drop this weekend. He called us Saturday morning to inform us that he was coming over to power wash our deck. Of course, I immediately said no way hozay. But, he insisted, saying this was his house-warming present to us, and I just about wanted to cry. He came over, spent a few hours and completely transformed our deck from disgusting to fantastic and we could not be more thankful.

This is the only picture I have found thus far of our deck status prior to cleaning … I am sure there are more buried in my camera somewhere, for now this icky green/black background of decking will have to do!

We were well aware that what was hiding underneath was going to be an improvement from what it was. But when I came back from the playground with the kids and turned the corner I nearly screamed! The difference is unbelievable !

I know right! It’s beautiful already and we have yet to seal it!

Our weekends have been packed to the brim. The nice days we are outside pulling weeds, killing them, attempting to tackle this jungle of a backyard we purchased. When we step inside we still have a list full of things to accomplish.

Most days this house overwhelms us, we sit down at the end of the night multiple times a week and remind ourselves about what this house will be. Which in return reminds us to shutup and enjoy it, because it may not be “ready” in our eyes, but we have come SO far. All of this help this weekend was like getting the biggest hug ever, just when we needed it the most!

Thank you thank you!