Welcome Home!

Well, not quite. More like, let the work commence!
The first thing we did was start spraying and peeling off borders and taking down what seemed like hundreds of wooden shelves. That were held up with 3-inch screws. The big, thick ones- so there are now lots of big, thick, messy holes all over the place.

We were a tad surprised to show up at the walk-thru and see the moving truck still parked in the driveway.
And the homeowners scurrying around the house. All in all, they were superbly sweet and we couldn't stay annoyed, but it did delay us by several hours.

1985 called and wants...no, never mind. It doesn't.

This is also the color of the trim in the first floor bathroom. Yummy.

Honestly, I was completely overwhelmed that first day. I remember looking around at everything in a fog, wondering how on earth are we going to get every single piece of trim repainted, all the doors, the floors redone, each and every wall repainted.....but I was also determined to eat dinner in our new home.

I love you, Mrs. Crock-pot. Total picture FAIL, but we did it!
Beef Stew (recipe shared here) & French bread for dipping. I remembered to bring over a pan and the cookie dough I'd frozen and we even enjoyed freshly-baked cookies for dessert! Then the break was over and it was time to get back to work!

my hero

painting every.single.ceiling

twice, because they were soooo thirsty

um, wait a minute...oh right, plungers make awesome hats!

it was brand new, people!

ewwwwww...

why yes, a certain someone- who shall remain nameless- christened our home by clogging the toilet

I got an emergency call to pick up a plunger while at WalMart- that was kind of funny!

I may have been thinking unkind thoughts about the inventor of wallpaper during this...

 my other hero

can't believe how much like a man he looks there, instead of my little boy!

Here's the lowdown so far:

DAY 1 (technically, HALF DAY 1)

• remove shelving (not from inside closets...not yet anyway....)
• tackle that wallpaper and border in the kitchen
• spackle and sand any new holes in the walls
• remove weird bi-fold doors from dining room and family room
• begin sanding blue trim work, then priming
• begin painting all wood work in bedrooms upstairs - Olympic Orchid White, semi-gloss
• paint all ceilings
• spray paint metal heaters in 2 bedrooms (one was apricot colored, the other pink. fun.)

DAY 2

• remove the last of the kitchen wall paper and border 
• try to finish painting woodwork in bedrooms (3 bedrooms done!)
• more ceilings...
• remove ceiling-high border in very large bedroom- oh my aching arms, ha!
• remove outlet covers and plates to prep for painting walls...yay!!!!!!

 DAY 3

• begin painting trim on first floor (this was because I was there at 6 am and there are no lights in the   bedrooms- it was pitch black upstairs!)
• prep kitchen for ceiling to be painted- not wanting paint flecks on stainless steel appliances!
• finish painting woodwork in 3 bedrooms upstairs (except closet doors) and all casings in hallway
• remove more stinkin' border

The part that was overwhelming me the most was actually just wondering what to tackle first, and deciding what can wait. We narrowed things down when we determined that ceilings would have to be painted first, no matter what, because that just makes sense; and secondly, bedrooms, stairway and upper halls became the next priority because they are all getting new carpet, and I would just sob like a baby if we spilled paint on brand new carpeting.

Downstairs, we're reconfiguring some rooms- nothing structural, just swapping spaces- and have decided to go with carpeting in the new family room and office, so everything in there needs to be painted as well. Since we aren't 100% certain about the flooring in the dining room, kitchen and entry, the painting there can wait a bit. That means the lovely blue trim in the kitchen remains for the time being. Lucky me.  :)

The other hard thing is that with four kids, we have a LOT going on, and it's really tempting to stay in project mode and kind of fore-go the other stuff. Yesterday, that meant 3 indoor soccer games and a fun bonfire with new friends from church at different times throughout the day and evening. I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on that!

This house is going to be great, that's for sure! Whenever I was getting tired or frustrated, I took a breather and looked out at this. That backyard makes this all worth it!

 

 You can catch up with our progress HERE.

Getting CLOSER and...Cute Clothes

I am seriously flipping out.

I can't can't can't believe that in just over 36 hours we will be closing on our house!

Honestly, I have no idea why I feel quite so nervous, though I do have a pretty good idea of why I feel so darn anxious. Heh Heh. But I'm  scared out of my wits a little afraid about one thing in particular:

Will it feel like home?

Can't think about it right now. It's all just too much. Switching gears...how about some cute clothes on an even cuter kid? Here are some photos my super cute girl showing off some recent additions to her wardrobe.

 I never ask this girly to pose- this is what she comes up with on her own!

The dress used up leftover fabric and it twirls, so...it's a winner!

I designed it with 2 favorite patterns in mind- what do you think?

 

The sneaks and waaaaaay too-long shirt really make this cute little skirt a winner for sure!  =)

I'm thinking this sweet nightie is missing something...a bow of course!

I just love how the sleeves turned out!

 This swing skirt was a terrific way to use up some fabric I love but didn't really have enough to use by themselves.

Easy peasy!

The back side is the complete opposite...gather and attach to the waistband piece, insert elastic into the casing, and hem. It was extra easy because you just line up the side seams & keep the middle in the...middle when you gather.

It's perfect for taking your babies for a stroll.

this post being shared with...
the train to crazy

Meet Our New Kitchen...and Other Fun Stuff

Happy Sunday folks! Are you watching Once Upon a Time like we are? Will Belle forgive him? Will Rumple find goodness after everything? Hmm.... Anyhoo, I'm a bit preoccupied with visions of paint samples, carpet samples, wood flooring samples, oh my! There are so many details to think about with the closing this Thursday morning- I'm excited and scared silly all at the same time!

First of all, the two houses that we've owned we were able to have built, so we didn't have to worry a lick about outdated things and stuff getting older and falling apart. Well, this house is 19 years old, and she needs a little sprucing up. But we are ready! Ready for new projects, ready to get crackin' on the ideas we've been mulling over for the past two months!

Here's a sneak peek at the kitchen. I loooooove what this room is going to become! But it's going to take a little elbow grease and creativity to transform it, especially keeping costs as low as possible. Thankfully the appliances are fabulous, and they are all staying.

We've got some ideas brewing.....

 do you see that glorious navy blue trim & naked cabinetry?

and the loverly shelving below?

don't even get me started on that dirty tile and grout- yikes!

Mmm. Jealous much?

On the other hand, I have always loved granite mailbox posts...

...and lampposts

I don't know if you can buy just the light part of a lamppost or not, but I think a larger one would look much better. Gotta look into that...

Okay, so this weekend we saw the sun yesterday AND today! I'll take it! We traveled for hours yesterday between Jonah's and Ethan's soccer games. We're so proud of them both! Jonah's team did have a really rough season, but Ethan's on the other hand ended up as the State Champs! Go boys! The girls won their tournament as well, and they stayed to cheer on our fellas. Neither side was complaining.  :) 

Isabelle somehow ended up right in the middle of this big group of 7th and 8th grade girls- it was the cutest thing! They just ate her up, which of course made her act even more adorable, ha!

I was never in the right spot to get a really great pic of Ethan, but he played hard! He later told us that the kid on the other team was swearing at him and trash-talking him the whole game. Nice.

We had a couple hours to kill in between games- Jonah went off to Margarita's with a friend, so we brought C and I to an apple orchard a few miles down the road.

woof.

Today we finally made it to the corn maze we bought tickets to almost a month ago! Our weekends have been soggy lately, but today was so beautiful!

 this cutie sheep was flinging himself out the window to get the goods! it was hysterical!

and this sweet pony would start whacking the fence with her hoof for more food! so funny!

 Daddy jumped out of the stalks to scare her - love that face!

We had a big laugh over this one. 

Because, really, every corn maze needs a wooden boy on the potty.

HA HA HA

Don't You Just Love...

...beautiful days?

leaves falling like colored snowflakes

the radiant heat of the sunshine

afternoon walks with adorable little girls

we admired the bounty and then laid out on a picnic blanket

reading and playing with baby dolls

snuggling and giggling

Don't you just love days like that?

Fashion Show

I think it has been almost 2 years since I first participated in WIWW!

Though I thoroughly enjoy reading much more often than that!

To be honest, I was actually planning on participating last week.

Last week, well...I had myself a little moment. I wrote about it here.

I also happened upon a wonderful blog - Putting Me Together - and was completely inspired. I went shopping ...

okay, this post is being interrupted by an unexpected EARTHQUAKE! No Kidding! No phones but Facebook is on, so my friends and I are all chatting up a storm, HaHaHa. I thought a plane was crashing outside our house!

Anyhoo.

Well there's really nothing witty for me to write that can top an earthquake, so here's my new outfit. Let me also add that I feel incredibly nervous sharing this, but nobody is going to say anything mean, right? 'Cause if you are, please refer to the post above, and just, don't.  =)

I took the plunge and went for RED pants.

I {heart} them!

Perfect for puppy walks- ha, he looks a tad belligerent there!

I actually wore black shoes when no one was around to take my picture...however, they don't seem to fit me anymore- they kept slipping off! What?!? It was quite embarrassing while walking downtown this morning! I'm sure I disguised it well by pretending to admire the colorful leaves, little pebbles, that blade of grass every time I had to stop and adjust my feet inside my shoes. Which was literally every third step, ha! Yikes! Yeah, be jealous.  =)

 all 3 pieces from my little shopping spree at TJ Maxx  shoes: Naturalizer necklace: street-vendor-turned-amiga en Gautemala

I got lots of compliments about this outfit! And I felt so fun & happy wearing the bright red pants, which is kind of the point in the first place, right?

This was all I could manage with the self-portraits...not so great!

I had my oldest son Ethan snap a few pics for me- not bad!

I think a chunky silver bracelet would look nice...I do have a birthday coming up... ;)

**I haven't been able to say goodbye to my favorite summer sandals just yet, so I slip them on during my morning school drop-offs- I'd just returned from the first one here. Then it was funky-shoe time.**

Close up of the cute jacket ruffles- I will admit that this is a total inspiration piece because I do need to lose about 5 pounds before it fits really well. I'm okay with that! And then I will give myself a new goal!

See what I mean about crazy weather? (Look closely at the background in the pics...) Sun, rain, sun, major wind, rain, earthquake...crazy!

I must be feeling brave. This is from last week~

it was raining all morning

pics inside weren't working

Caleb to the rescue!

He did a great job!

Cardi open - I am very self-conscious about my girls

they seem to enter the room about a yard before I do

I'd prefer to enter together

Do you think I can get away with the cardigan buttoned in the center, or should I leave it open?

linking up with this wonderful party

Our Weekend in Numbers

2 ~ hours of choir rehearsal

2.5 ~ hours at soccer games

4 ~ number of sewing projects started

1 ~ number of sewing projects completed

2  ~ number of soccer fields we sat/stood/jumped/cheered at

1.5 ~ hours of shopping for my mother's birthday gift

3 ~ number of leaf piles raked and then massacred by jumping

1 ~ beautiful rose given to me by my husband

Random Rambling

Yesterday in the car I had the fleeting thought that all 5 Twilight movies could have been filmed here with all this rain and these gray days lately. No CGI necessary. We could be the new Forks of the northeast.

I'm about to ramble and vent. You've been warned.

Awesome Family Hike & Other Fall Fun

We had such a nice weekend, but last night I was reading through some blogs and learned of a terrible tragedy- I only know of this family through blogging, but Julee Turner's husband Matt was killed in a car accident on Saturday, and I'm just heartsick for that poor young wife. They also had a miracle baby not even a year ago...it just makes me so sad, and it reminds me that I take my family for granted all the time. We just never know.

So, Friday night was especially nice because our eldest son was at my parent's house, which translates to everyone else in bed by 8 pm. Plus, it was Friday...I love Friday nights!

A Look Back At Our Young Married Life

I seriously wonder how we ever survived without digital photography! It is so much easier to keep track of files and albums now, rather than in the Dinosaur Age when Bill and I were dating and first married.  ;)

I thought it would be fun to blog about some of our early days together, so I'm going to write a post on the 6th of each month (our anniversary is Sept. 6th) as sort of a celebration of our fifteen years of marriage.

Making a House Your Home {Even When I'ts Not}

So yesterday's post was a serious one, something I've been praying a lot about.

Today's post is all about home. And fun stuff.

If you've been reading along, you will know that we sold our house back in August and have been living in Bill's grandparent's house, with Bill's parents. We each have our own "side" so it really does feel like more like our space. One of the things I do that helps to make it feel more like home is by using my favorite linen spray {generously...& often} .

Favorite One-Bowl Apple Squares

There is that wonderful, familiar crispness to the air these days, and I am loving it! We haven't seen the sun in nearly 5 days (with the exception of a very brief visit this morning), but the cooler air feels fantastic!

In the spirit of fall, I thought I'd share a favorite autumn recipe with you...

SuNdAy FuN dAy!

I can't believe it's October!!! It's going to be a great month!

Yesterday was the 5th Sunday of the month, and our new church celebrated by mixing up the schedule a bit and having a church-wide luncheon. It was so neat! There are 3 "5th Sundays" each year, and we'll do something fun for each one. Does anyone else's church do something different or special for this day?

Someone has taken a liking to walking around in Mommy's shoes!

 Me & my favorite girl in the whole world