Burly Boy Has A New Home....

Mark was my ten-months gestation baby.
The only one, thank God!
He had to be coaxed out with generous doses of pitocin.
(Three times.)

The first two times were unsuccessful. Poor me. I cried and stomped my feet.
And that didn't even work, until they broke my water.
THEN...BOOM! There he was!
Imagine that!

Nine pounds ten ounces of a bouncing baby boy.
Soon he was up on his elbows peeking out of the bassinet at all the other (itty bitty) babies.
(I'm not kidding you!)

He was a big boy, comfortable where he was. Why move out of the womb? Well, for someone due May 30th, he took his jolly old time and he came on July 3rd...and that was only because the doctor did NOT want to see me again on July 4th.
(He had plans!)


On top of that, I had run out of options on larger SHOES!
Ahem....swollen couldn't even begin to describe my legs and feet!

Well, I brought him home a day or so later, and shortly thereafter I was standing in customer service lines to return all the newborn clothes, he'd moved up a size while he took that extra five weeks cooking time.
(The little turkey.)

He was our jolly boy, full of laughter, always a talker, ticklish beyond belief.
(Where has the time gone?)


And now, he's moving on out again...(just a little overdue) in a move to his own home.

His sister flew the coop when she was 21 as soon as she was done with college. And as with all things, that's true to her personality, so funny.
(See, she sent me into labor right ON her due date.)

No coaxing for her, just a little independent spitfire right from the beginning.

Mark's a little tardy, (he's 25) moving out, but still.
It's true to form for him, too.
That's his personality, always has been: cautious and careful.
(He paid his own way the whole time he lived here once he became an adult.)

I'm so excited for him, happy and proud, too. He's going to move there with his two puppies any day now. Instead of renting in the years between 21 and now, he just buckled down and really saved and now he's getting a nice place to live.

I've been busily gathering things up (filled many grocery bags with cleaning supplies and bathroom supplies and all kinds of goodies) and his shoes and clothing are stacked in the garage, waiting for the day he gets the key.

Ann & Dan
My sweet grandpuppies that I'm going to miss!

I've been doing some shopping for him; he's not interested AT ALL in that part of setting up a household.

After all.
He's got bigger things to worry about.
The mortgage?
No.
Silly!
NOT the mortgage.

He's more worried about the really BIG things:
like the
BIG
HUGE
GIGANTIC
Flat screen HD
whatever-whatever
television.
(Of course.)

And the
brown leather couch and recliner.
(Hello! He's a GUY!)

And maybe a king-sized bed.

But that's 'bout all he's worried about.
(GUYS!)

He's picked out all those really important items and we'll go do the buying when he has the keys.

So...I got the necessities and before I haul all this good stuff to his new house, I thought I'd show you the goods that T.J. Maxx had for this burly boy's new home.

You know a guy living in his first bachelor's pad doesn't want flowery linens and towels: doesn't want frou frou and doesn't want any "pretty colors"....

But I managed to find some stuff that will work.
(T.J. Maxx is good like that. OH HOW I LOVE that store!!)

So here's a show and tell, just skip it if you want, but I knew his sister and aunts would like to see. (Pics of the house will come soon!)

My favorite find: these lamps for the living room.

Some paint chips...the tans will be for the living areas....the blues possibly for the bathrooms.

Rug for underneath the coffee table...

Kitchen rugs...

A not-too-fussy quilt for the bed...

Shower curtains (Linen! For $7.99 each!) that will be put to work either as shower curtains or as curtains for the windows with just a little tweaking.

One ginormous clock for the living room....now who would put the price tag on the FACE of a clock?! But, for $14.99, I'm not going to worry about it!

These towels are manly enough...these for one bathroom, and

these for the other.

And some "for show" washcloths...I've got white towels and white washcloths for everyday.

In this frame, I think I'll put some of those barn shots...manly enough, right?

These were in the shower curtain bin...manly curtains with gigantic grommets to match the gigantic clock!

And another set of CHEAP shower curtains in a great color that look like a million bucks, that will either be shower curtains or window curtains. Great washable fabric, all hemmed and easy to work with.

What time is it?

Time to get MOVIN'!!!

Comin' up is PAINT WEEKEND!
(Paint and lotsa wallpaper strippin'!)