Sock Hair

I have the kind of hair that needs constant attention. My hair is thin, lightweight, prone to serious static, frizzy, and last but the greatest thing of all is that my hair is GREASY! I have to wash the nasty head of locks EVERY day. I hate having to do that, especially now that I'm a mommy and don't really have the time to. And if you're thinking that I should just wash it at night before bed with no fuss then you're WRONG, wrong I tell you! 

If I don't dry it it ends up looking a little something like this...

This was my honeymoon people!!! You live and learn and then do the sock bun.

SOOOOO when I saw THIS picture and tutorial (really great directions and even a video) the other day I had to give it a try. If I can actually wash my hair at night without it looking crazy and greasy all day long then I'm game. I grabbed one of Kevin's socks, cut the toe off and rolled it. I washed my hair and then let it air dry a little before rolling the sock into my hair. I wanted it too be fully dry by morning. 

Woke up the next morning, unrolled the sock and here's how it turned out...

I love it! I did not do a thing to it. I just put a clip in it and off Abe and I went to run some errands and to visit my Grandma. Go ahead, try it! You know you want to.


Tonight I am making these for our Christmas tree.


 


So easy and so cute! Instead of putting a monogram in the middle I'm thinking something like "Away in a manger", "Joy to the world", "Peace on earth". HERE is how you can make them too! 


Shout out to Pinterest for the making of this blog post.

NOT so manic Monday!

"Just another manic Monday!" Those are the words to the song I would normally be singing all day today. But today my friends, today has not been normal at all. Today has been perfect! Peaceful, quite, calm. All words to describe a NOT so "manic Monday". Let me explain. As you know, since the day Abraham was born he has been so pitifully uncomfortable in his own skin. Always grunting and pushing and squirming and let's not forget...SCREAMING! Poor baby. Days consisted of nothing but consoling him. From sun up to sun down up. 24/7 people! There wasn't a day that would go by when I wouldn't say "I don't know what to do" or "I wish there was something we could do". We tried everything. He has been on 4 different formulas with little to no relief. The formula he's been on for most of his little life is the most expensive stuff out there. Not. Cool. but it was the doctors orders and so we did as he said. That said formula is so expensive because it is designed for babies with a food allergy to the protein in cows milk. Anyway, getting to the point without ALL the details I started thinking a couple weeks ago about why Abe's not really showing any progress and why are we spending so much money on a formula that doesn't seem to be making any difference? Kevin did some research and so did I. We both prayed about it and both without hesitation, were coming up with the same thing. Soy. SOY! There are several reasons why we came to this conclusion but I don't want to bore you with all those reasons I just wanted everyone to know that Abe's belly is now the proud owner of soy formula that doesn't have all kinds of corn this and corn that ingredients which I believe makes it easier for him to digest. Before we all get too excited, he's only been on this formula for 2 days but I can see a drastic change in him already. He is sleeping on his own which was not the norm around here before. I think he's sleeping because he can without being uncomfortable with gas pains or constipation. He has pooped 4 times in 2 days. TMI? Sorry guys but this is HUGE! He used to go 24-48 hours without pooping and a lot of times it was hard. The past couple days it's been normal baby poo. How can poo be so exciting?! :) Abe's happiness, that's how! So now that you're up to date, will you join me in prayer over the next week that this soy formula really is the answer to all Abraham's problems? And if not, that God would give Kevin and I the wisdom to know what to do next for our little man. 

Kevin came home a little early the other day and I was able to go out and look for fabric for the nursery. I had fabric picked out a few months ago and a vision that I loved but when I went to get the fabric it was gone! Sold out, discontinued! Are you kidding me?! Just my luck. So I had to rethink some things. The nursery had already been painted and I LOVE the color so I had to find something to match the wall color and I wanted to try and stick with my original vision. The nursery is not really themed. I don't do themes. However, there will be a wide selection of music posters on the walls and things of that nature. Anyway, I found some pretty awesome fabric for, drum roll please, $4 a yard!!! Heck yes! With a few yards of some other accent fabrics, I spent $67 and I'm doing the window treatments, pillows, and reupholstering a chair and probably some other little things here and there. 

I almost didn't post this picture because it makes the orange way more orange than it actually is. It's actually a very rust orange. The light blue also has a rust tint to it that you can't really see in this picture either. The rust stripe is very retro and will be my chair. I'm also going to use it on the window treatments which will mostly be made out of drop clothes from Lowes. Don't worry, I'm not crazy. Just wait and see. 

I was also able to hit my favorite thrift store. I've been on the lookout for some things I want to do in Abe's room. I scored big time! 

I was looking for a lamp with a specific look to it...there it was looking all pretty and for $2.99 who could say no?! Big plans for this baby. (far right)

I have also been looking for months for 2 crystal lamps that match for our bedroom. Not as easy as it sounds. Score! They were a little more than I am usually willing to spend but I had been looking for a while and they were so perfect. $7 a piece. They need some TLC but they are in great shape!

Another thing that I am wanting to do is collect old books that Kevin and I used to read when we were kids so Abe can read them when he gets older. Can we say Duck Tales? I mean, DUCK TALES! You know you watched and loved that show. Ok, at least I did. Abe's gonna love that book one day. I feel it.

I also got a really pretty frame to add to my picture wall in the living room. The basket is great for the nursery for different toiletries and things (brushes, nail clippers, lotion,...) because of all the little compartments in it. I'm all about the organization. I'll probably spray paint it.

My total came out to $28 and some change BUUUUUT at this particular thrift store they have a card they punch every time you shop there and when you get to a certain total you get $25 in store credit. I've had my free store credit for weeks and it's been burning a whole in my pocket! Shopping at a thrift store for free is a dream come true! So I got every thing in the picture for $2 and some change. Oh yea!!!

I have one more thing to share with you before I wrap things up here. Trust me, you're gonna wanna see this!

I. DIE.

Yes, he has spurs! :)

THE cutest cowboy and rodeo clown EVER!

Love these boys to death. SO proud to be their Aunt!

A lullaby for me!

I have 2 sick babies in the house today.   

My Abe, of course, is dealing with his daily stomach problems and he's cranky because I think he's feeling yucky on top of his stomach issues. My sweet Kev has been running a high fever and feeling terrible with the crud and cough and the whole nine. Poor guy! He actually had a day off and he's sick! I have also been feeling yucky for several days now with the crud, soar throat and headaches. So, it's been a long and stressful day here in the Guffey house. I say all that to tell you about a scripture lullaby CD my mom and dad got for Abraham.

It's pure scripture and absolutely beautiful! 

After a long night with Kevin not sleeping because his fever was so high and Abraham up all night screaming, I was running on zero sleep and ready to cry for MY mommy to take care of me! I turned this CD on to try and calm Abe and it ended up calming me! Just as I was to my breaking point I heard this song:

"Don't you worry about anything
Instead pray about everything
Tell God what you need
And thank Him for all He has done"
(Taken from Phil. 4:6-7)

Man, I really needed to hear that! It caused me to step out of the situation and see all that God has done for Kevin and I. It caused me to pray differently then I had been all day. I was praying for God to help me with patients and to get through the day but I was only praying half the prayer! I am so thankful for my boys and my life, no matter how hard it gets sometimes. Scripture is so powerful!!! I am so thankful for God's word and promises!

Thank you Jesus for all you've done!!!

 Needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend this Scripture Lullaby CD for your babies. Heck, I highly recommend it for anyone! Go to http://scripture-lullabies.com/ to listen/buy.


Side note - We were suppose to paint the nursery today but that obviously didn't happen. The furniture has been ordered so that's exciting! Slow and steady wins the nursery, right? Whatever.

My Husband

I wanted to brag a little A LOT about my husband because I love him SOOOOO much!

He is so helpful and thoughtful. He does laundry AND cooks AND cleans all without me ever asking. (I know, right!!) He is always asking if there is anything he can do to help out around the house. He is hard working and I never have to worry about him providing for our family. He is a "go getter" and has already had 3 raises/promotions since working for TVA (3 years in Nov.) He is a wonderful daddy and only gets better as the days and weeks go by. He's such a quick learner. He had no clue how to change a diaper before Abe came along and now I think he's better at it then I am. He is always quick to help others out and our friends and family know they can call him for anything. I love that about him. He teaches and leads Sunday school and small group at our church and I think he does a pretty dern good job. I love to watch him read and study God's word and I love that he will be that example for Abe one day too. I love him to pieces. To pieces I tell ya!!!

Today was no exception to what a wonderful man Kevin is. He surprised me with a sweet card and my favorite candy. In the card he declared today "Jess Day". He got up early for work so he could feed Abraham and take him to my mom's house for the whole day! I was able to sleep in and it was glorious! I slept until noon and I am proud of it! I probably could have slept longer because I was SO. TIRED. Then he scheduled an hour long massage for me as well as a manicure and pedicure. We topped off the day with dinner at one of my favorite places to eat. Isn't he the best?!

Anyway, a little side note on how BIG my son has gotten! He went from wearing newborn clothes right into 3 month clothes! I don't know how it happened. I just woke up one morning and tried to dress him and the next thing I knew, he was a big boy wearing big boy clothes. He can't even fit into the 0-3 month stuff! He skipped over those.

Little baby Abe................Abe the chunker

What am I going to do with this child?! Is it too early to put him in the corner? My nephew Jax doesn't think it's too early. I was at my sister's house Monday night and Abraham was sitting in my sister's lap flailing his arms like babies do and Jax got "hit" in the face. Jax looked up at my sister and said with the saddest, cutest little face you can imagine, "mommy, Abe hit me. Hims needs to go in that corner" as he pointed to a corner in the room. Ha! My sister and I were cracking up! 

That's all for now!

From Zombie to Mommy!

In honor of "So What Wednesdays" over at my sister-in-laws blog: 

So what if I never take showers anymore.

So what if I haven't cleaned my house in weeks.

So what if the tv is on almost all day because it's one of the only things you can do while holding a screaming baby.

So what if I get about 2 hours of sleep a night and am so tired that I have no brain power to the point where I walk in a room and have no idea what I went in there for.

So what if I haven't had a chance to write a blog post because I can only use one hand.

My baby boy has had some serious stomach issues. Mostly really really bad gas problem with constipation. He has been so so so fussy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Poor baby. He has been in so much pain. Over the past 4 weeks, I've barely been able to put him down.  

 This is what our life looked like for about 4 weeks. Pure exhaustion and catching sleep any chance we could get it. Right before I snapped this picture Kevin's arm was hanging off the side of the bed. Ha! He was OUT! Keep in mind that sleeping without Abe in our arms was a rare occasion so Kev was taking full advantage.

There is good news to this story! After 4 visits to the doctor this month, we are FINALLY getting things worked out and he's been getting better. We are FINALLY getting into a routine and a schedule. Last night he slept for almost 5 1/2 hours straight!!! The first few weeks of motherhood have been hard, no lies here, but it's getting easier and so much fun. He's such a joy to Kevin and I. He's a happy boy and not hurting so much and that makes me a happy momma.

I can't believe it's been a month (and 6 days) since my baby boy was born! Can't believe it! He's getting so big and chunky. I love his little rolls and double chin. He's growing out of some of his clothes already! I still haven't decided if I'm happy or sad about it all. Maybe a little of both. He's starting to try to talk to us and it is SO special! Here's a little preview.

Since things are getting better with Abe and He is taking good naps during the day I am starting to have time to get things done. First thing on the list is his nursery! I can't wait to show you what I have planned. Nursery post coming SOON!

1 Corinthians 2:9

Hello blog world! I am so excited about starting this blog for a few reasons:

1.       I created this blog almost a year ago and it’s taken me this long to actually post something so…IT’S ABOUT TIME!

2.       I’ve been doing a lot of thrifting and crafting that I’m excited to show off!

3.       And the most important reason is that I have some pretty exciting news that has turned my life upside down and I am bursting with joy to tell everyone!

I named my blog “Sweet Tea and the Salty Sea” to represent life’s ups and downs and all arounds. The story I’m starting my blog off with couldn’t be more appropriate because it is exactly the ups and downs of the past year of my (and my husbands) life. Warning: this will be a long first post but stick with it because the full story must be told to get the whole picture. To God be the GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!

In August of 2010 I found myself on my knees in the middle of my bathroom floor laughing, crying, and praising God in disbelief of the TWO pink lines that just appeared on the little white stick that was sitting on the counter. I couldn’t believe it and immediately called Kev to come home for lunch that day. We celebrated with great joy and couldn’t wait to tell our family! Just 7 short weeks later I was in that same bathroom horrified at the sight of blood. We lost our sweet child at 7 weeks and it was devastating. I know it’s cliché to say unless you’ve been through it, you can’t understand it but it’s the truth. It felt like a heavy weight on the center of my chest making it hard to breathe. Kevin and I left town for a few days to grieve and try our best to move on so we could get back to “normal”.

Just 4 short months later to our surprise I was feeling all the same symptoms and I just knew I was pregnant again. It was December and almost Christmas so Kevin and I both agreed that  I would take a pregnancy test Christmas morning so if it was positive (which I really had no doubt) we could have the best Christmas present ever. About 5am Christmas morning there they were again, those two pink lines. I couldn’t wait to wake Kev up so I tip toed into our bedroom and whispered in his ear. “We’re pregnant.” All we could do was hug and it was really hard to fall back to sleep. We prayed in our Christmas morning praising and thanking God for coming into this world as a baby and for blessing us with a baby. It was a great Christmas! We heard the baby’s heart beat at 6 weeks and we were on cloud nine. It was always in the back of our minds that something could happen so we were a little reluctant to tell people and a little reluctant to fully celebrate and allow ourselves to become attached. We went in for our 12 week appointment and there was no heart beat. The baby had stopped growing just a few days after we heard the heart beat. This time proved to be more difficult. I went to the hospital the next morning to have a D&C to remove the baby. I am still amazed at how calm I was during it all. I definitely cried a lot and hurt terribly but it was amazing at how easily God gave us such trust in Him. We knew his plan was greater. We wanted His plan over ours. We moved on with that truth.

Before Kevin and I were even dating we both individually thought adoption was something we felt called to do.  There are many reasons why we both had this passion for adoption but two are primary.  The first is that the bible says we are called, instructed, and created to care for the orphans of this world.  Kev and I began reading a book called Adopted for Life by Russell Moore where Russell makes the plea for the Christian Church to be the leaders of adoption! We give a big AMEN to that!  The second reason is because we have been adopted.  God in His loving-kindness rescued Kevin and I from the orphanage of this world.  We were eternally fatherless, but God saved us, and made us His daughter and son.  This blows my mind every day; that the God that created the world called me to be His daughter.  So as an example to the world and an expression of the joy we have in being adopted by God, we wanted to adopt a child (or 2 or 3 or 4…).

Going back to that Christmas morning when Kevin and I were celebrating the news of our pregnancy, my sister and her husband were brand new foster parents to 2 beautiful blonde haired, blue eyed boys. This is an important part of our story because it was those boys, my sister and her husband that made a light bulb go off in our heads. My sis and her husband joined the foster care system as foster parents with the intention of adoption. They took the boys into their home with complete trust in the Lord. Their story is a beautiful testimony of God’s work but that’s another blog. Kevin and I realized that we wanted to pursue the foster to adopt route as well. We wanted to love and protect children in any way we could, even if that was only for a short while. So we began the process. Home studies, paper work, background checks, the whole nine yards. All our friends and family knew about what we were doing and were aware that we wanted to adopt.  As the process was wrapping up we received a phone call late on a Wednesday night from some dear friends.  They were having a conversation after church with a friend (who happened to be the wife of my OBGYN).  She was asking them if they knew of anyone who was interested in adoption because her husband had a patient who was in need of a loving family for her unborn child.  Our friends spoke up about us and long story short, we were connected with this story, met with the Dr. and his wife, discussed our willingness to go through this process, and joyfully waited for more information.  We were blown away by this door being opened, particularly that this baby was due the week of our last miscarriage.  We were sure this was God writing a beautiful story for our lives and future family.  The weeks went by with an abundance of prayer and support from family and friends asking that God’s will would be done in this situation.  As the mother’s due date drew closer and closer Kevin and I grew more and more anxious.  We weren’t getting any good news, no advances in the legal process, no updates from the family and one day we received the new….. the baby was born and the birth parents are going to keep it.  It was another blow to our hearts.  Of course we were happy that the birth parents made the decision to raise their child, and obviously it was the Lord’s will that they do so. We prayed then and we continue to pray that God would perform a mighty work in that family and that through the process He would make Himself known.  It was still a difficult time and for the first time Kevin and I really had some doubts. We began asking, “Why Lord? What are you trying to teach us?  Why does it seem that we pray our hearts desire and the outcome just isn’t the same?”  I’m sure many of you have had those moments where there are no good answers.  Kevin and I sat and talked about the whole situation and just grieved.  But a couple of days later Kevin was studying in 1 Peter when the Lord used a passage to speak meaning and peace into our lives.  Peter says don’t worry if you are having to endure times of trials and difficulty for these times exist to prove your faith!  We saw the point.  Through the whole situation we never lost faith.  Even in the most difficult times, we always held onto the promise that the Lord is good. The desire of our hearts is what He desires and has planned for us!  Little did we know what the Lord was planning all along for us just 3 short weeks later.

On a Friday afternoon I received a call from the Dr’s wife again.  It seemed as though they may have another adoption opportunity.  We were all shocked!  This opportunity typically comes around every 3-4 years and here was another one just 3 weeks later.  I told Kevin and we were both very cautious to get excited.  We surely were not going to get our hopes up to experience another dose of heartache.  The Dr’s wife told us that there was a girl coming into the office on Monday and she would have more information then.  We sent out a mass email/text/call to all our prayer warriors to get on their knees.  Lord may your will be done.

Monday came and there was a flurry of texts.  Text one - Noon:  The birth mother is confident she wants a loving family to adopt her child (we scramble to get the legal stuff worked out).  Text two – 1:00pm – The birth mother is in the hospital, but we don’t expect to deliver until tomorrow! (Kevin and I start freaking out a bit) Text three – 3:00pm – the birth mother signed papers giving Kevin and I joint custody of the unborn baby (Kevin and I really start freaking out, rush out to stores to start buying baby stuff, since we had NOTHING!)  Text four – 4:30pm – She is 2cm (We have some time)  Text five – 6:50pm – She is  4cm and her water just broke (still could go slow, we have time, shopping away) Text six – 7:18pm – She is 5.5cm (O.K.!)  Text seven – 7:37 She is 9.5 GET TO THE HOSPITAL  (We drop everything, bought nothing, and headed to the hospital)

We rushed to the hospital to arrive 20 mins before a healthy baby boy was rushed into our room.  Still being cleaned off and bundled up we got to see this little miracle for the first time.  Kevin and I were full of awe, tears, and laughter.  Joined by my parents and Kevin’s mom and Dad, we simply soaked up every second.  I was given a wrist band and every right to this baby boy as if I had given birth to him myself. We were moved to a Mother/Baby room  and Kevin and I were still in a daze from all that had happened.

We loved him immediately, but after spending the night with him we experienced a different type of love I never knew existed.  The next morning around 6am the nurse came and got him for his check up.  An hour went by and he still wasn’t back.  Two hours went by, then three.  Where was our baby boy?  Kevin called the nurse and a case worker from the hospital came in.  She told us the baby was with the birth mother.  Our hearts sank and the all too familiar chill came over us.  Now was the time we had been tested for.  “Will you trust me?” you could almost audibly hear the Lord say.  It was probably the longest 2 hours I have ever had to endure.  Is the mother changing her mind?  Is all of this going to be another trial?  We just waited, prayed, and trusted.  After the 2 hour mark the social worker came into our room and assured us that the birth mother was still firm in her decision, but the grandmother was not!  They asked if we would meet them.  Kevin quickly said, “Sure, let’s go”.  I was a bit more nervous.  All the negatives rushed into my mind, but Kevin was sure… we prayed for courage and walked the short walk down the hall to their room.  We entered the room to a sensation I will never forget.  You could feel the Holy Spirit of God all over that room. Questions were asked of us and Kevin expressed to the family our heart’s desire for adoption and the family immediately calmed down. Tears and hugs followed and we were able to walk out of the room with complete assurance that this boy was ours and began praising God!

So today we celebrate 2 weeks with our new son.  We have waited (very difficult I may ad) to share our joy with most the world until the 14 day waiting period for the mother to change her mind had run out.

So without further ado…… Kevin and I introduce our beloved son, Abraham Lyle Guffey, born 8/15/11 at 8:19 pm. 7lbs 14oz, 20 in long.

I'm two weeks old today and mommy bought me my first pair of jeans, but the don't quite fit me yet!

This blog post is devoted to Dr. Stacy and Miriam Boyd, Kelly & Julie O'neal and all our friends and family who have been so supportive and generous with gifts, food, and prayer.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!


"No eye has seen no ear has heard, nor any heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9