What its November? Impossible

Okay I just say the date of the last post... Now I have a question for you.  Where did the month go?  How could a full month have passed since I posted anything?  I mean seriously folks where did the time go and what did we even do?  Ah now I remember band and football! And week long TDY's plus overnight away trips, a week with my folks, and fall break. (plus the onslaught of seasonal allergies in addition to sinus/bronchial infections)

Well I can honestly say football season is over. And marching band for that matter!  All my lovelies did well!  The football player improved his game and is anticipating next season already.  In fact he is starting his conditioning now by going out for wrestling... yep you read that correctly.  wrestling... Yes visions of teenage boys grappling while dressed in their underwear dance through me head.  I assure you it is NOT a pretty sight.  But he oh so wants to give it a try.  So we will be there to cheer him on and give him all the encouragement he needs and deserves.  I'm proud of all of my boys!  They are getting out there and trying things they've never done before.  Mr. Music completed marching band season is anxiously awaiting the beginning of December so that he can start marimba lessons.  Know of anyone who has a good quality marimba for sale? CHEAP!?!



The the week of my last post in October we had company.  Grandma Carol and PawPaw Roland drove all the way up from Louisiana for a visit!  It sure was great to see them and be able to spend time with them.  My two biggest regrets are we do not live closer (or vice versa because I'm not a fan of hot humid weather) and that our house is not large enough to accomadate a guest room.  We planned on moving our eldest in with his brothers but Mom refused to move him out of his room.  Now I have to ask... what good is having a full size bed in his room if he is the only one who will get to sleep on it?  We bought it so it could be used by guests.  I won't complain as he loves his bed and all the room it affords him to sprawl plus Chris had one at his age too.  So....

We were able to take a varsity football game to see the marching band play, a jv game to see Ian play, evenings filled with laughter and card games, and some day time shopping!  All in all it was a lovely time!!

Do you see that brown vase with the orangish red flowers?  Here let me give you a close up of it...

Well my eldest made it last year... Yes LAST year in 3-D art and it only made it home recently!  It was in the display case at school.  He HATES it!  But I LOVE it because he made it and trust me that is saying a LOT.  He is not the artsy craftsy kid and never has been (at least he never seemed to enjoy it.)  Now give him Legos when he was younger and that's a different story.  We have all kinds of pictures of his "projects" but haven't seen much in the past 4 or 5 years.  Which is why I was ECSTATIC when he decided to take 3-D art (even if some sort of fine art courses are required at our school...  I mean he could have taken choir like many of his friends but he chose art.)  In fact he is taking a ceramics course right now.  What has he made?  I have no earthly idea!  But our youngest... now that is a different story.  Mr. I-don't-like-art is LOVING it this year!  Give him paper, glue, scissors, string, clay, anything and he loves it! I think I see some present making sessions in our near future... we still have a container or two of paper clay and lots of notebooks to be embellished!!!

I think that pretty much covers it for us for the moment! Lots of projects in the works... strawberry jam, cocoa mix, buttermilk pancake mix, homemade fruit syrup, candy, an anthro inspired cookbook and an embroidered perpetual calender.

(this is the inspiration for the embroidered perpetual calender... found over at Our Hartbeat in the picture of Annalea's room.  you know the one being voted on!)

Once I can access photos again I'll get them up.  And just to let you all know I now have blogging time actually penciled in on the calender.  Its the only way things get accomplished in a timely fashion around here is to have it on the calender and the chalkboard!

Hope you have a great week!

The big reveal....the living room!

Yes, I am done... well as done as I can be for the moment! ha ha!!  I will preface this say there are two things to be done in the living room and one in the dining room.  I need to patch/paint the holes above the T.V., hang the regulator clock, and decide what paper to use for my new "dry erase" message board.  But folks you will see we have come a long way!  So without further adieu our home!!! (My mom and stepdad are coming for a visit and should arrive sometime this afternoon.  I am so EXCITED!  Which was also the driving force behind me getting done... but no looking in our bedrooms.  Ours will be re-tidied tonight before they see it tomorrow.)

Before

Midway

 

The End results

And the finished project!  It is so cozy especially when there is a chill out and we have a few candles light!  I also love having the whole family in here together no matter what they are doing!!! (I see some areas that need to be addressed now that I posted pictures but that is easy enough...)

The dining room...

Yep, it is done!!  Chris insisted upon new chairs for the table plus we finally put up the pictures and decorations!  I think he would like a new fan/light in the dining room plus undercabinet lighting in the kitchen but that will wait.  We both have Lowe's and Home Depot gift cards but are going to wait until after Christmas (its our standard present) before we tackle any more projects.  Oh the one missing element in the dining room is the shades for the long windows (I don't remember where I put them for "safe" keeping...)

before

midway

And done!

Front door

Here is the new front door I've been talking about!!

Before

(pretty but a little bland)

Now

(what was I hestitating about for so LONG!! Chris was so right!!)

 

The winds, they were a blowin'...

(I rescued these as soon as the picture was taken... The wind was so strong it was striping the clothes right off the line!)

Wow has it ever windy here recently and absolutely gorgeous!!  The sun has been shining, the flag was flying and the clothes were flapping.... And it has been cooler!!!  Thank you, Lord.  The trees are beginning to change colour and seem to be dropping a few leaves.  We have no trees to speak of on our property but I can gaze at the "forest" across the way and watch 'til my hearts delight!

We have been blessed mightily this past year!  I am so thankful the Lord gave us this house as our neighbors are wonderful Christian folk.  The area is oh so quiet.  We can watch the sun rise unobstructed out the sliding dining room doors.  We have a pasture filled with lowing cows, clucking chickens, frolicking goats, and the occasional grazing sheep to watch until our hearts are content.  We are able to purchase hormone free lamb and beef by just going around the corner.  Eggs are available all over and we have volunteer cherry tomatoes growing around the shed.  I would say God have truly blessed us.  (Please remind me of this when I start to grumble about how tiny the house is!)

Umm do you smell that?  Fresh baked pizza rolls!  With the wind blowing and the temps being lower it seemed like the time to do some baking.  Plus fruit leather has been dried as well.  (the fruit leather is all gone now...)

Christmas presents have been started... Homemade vanilla (aged 10 monthes), crotcheted wash clothes, lovely lavender filled sachets and soaps.  I'm hoping to make some homemade noodles and pasta sauce as well.  I think the local folks will get some homemade ravioli... Wow, maybe I should start making it up to have on hand for us!  I know Evan loves it and our favorite "Italian" restaurant has quit carrying it.

My mother and stepdad are coming for a visit next week so we are working feverishly getting projects done.  I just realized how horrible I've been at putting up posts.  The months prior to the move and then the following 6 monthes were rather difficult on me.  My family adjusted wonderfully but I spent much of my time overwhelmed (henceforth the many unfinished projects)!  Well with the support of my family, prayers of friends, and generally coming to acceptance of our schedule things are settling down.  If our schedule less hectic? No!  But I am learning to manage my time better and break each project down into smaller components.  Plus our handy dandy crockpot is getting a workout!!  How could I have forgotten what a life saver it is!  Here is a brief list of our goals/accomplishments for this week and next: 

 
                                                                                                               
1.  paint front door, change out hardware. (completed)
2. paint living room closet door, change hardware
3. hang bamboo matchstick blinds in dining room
4. apply finish to dining room table
5. hang large memo board
6. crochet a couple of small washrags
7. finish small "dry erase" board for kitchen
8. resurface kitchen counter (icky stuff but it needs to be done when the weather is nice.)
9. paint laundry
10. hang shelves in laundry
11. paint bins and crates for laundry
12. figure out how to hide utilities in laundry
13. hang new light fixture in laundry (need to buy it 1st)
14. spray paint accessories for boys' room
15. clear clutter out of boys' room
16. fix "loft" bed in boys' room.
17. hang memo boards in boys' room
18. hang art in boys' room
19. prepare meals to have on hand when mom and dad are here
20. bake up cookies, handpies, and "poptarts" to have on hand.
21. make lasagne (one for sunday, one for freezer)

So now you see my "little" list!!  Yep but some of it is already accomplished and there is no expense aside from the new light.  Everything else has been refashioned from things we already own or pieces we picked up at Goodwill.  Take the large memo board... it was a large framed mirror which was broke soon after our move.  The large piece of glass is in our closest waiting to be cut and the frame has now been refitted with cardboard, cork, and a piece of muslin to be our new memo board.  Nothing was purchased!  The paint for the projects was almost all purchased as oops paints which range in price from $.49 a pint to $5.00 a gallon. 

And now I will leave you with pictures of what we've been up to recently...

Yes, football and marching band season are upon us! 

Toodles! :)

a present a week {till Christmas}

Yep you read that correctly.  My plan is to make a present a week until Christmas as I am joining Deb over at Works in Progress in her make a present a week {till Christmas} challenge.    I don't have any new pictures to post today because I keep using some of the Christmas presents I've made.  Yes, I've been dipping into my collection of crocheted wash clothes (dishclothes) as mine was truly unserviceable!! 

(Picture from part of the collection crocheted over the past year..)

In fact they were beginning to disintergrate... ugh!!  But they lasted far longer than the thin, store bought, too large kind!!!  So it is now time to pull out the thread and start working on them during football games (American style) and allergy appointments.  And I think the vanilla is potent enough so it will soon be time to start decanting it... hmm what happened to all the small bottles we saved? 

Hope you have a great week! 

Wait, where did it go???

Okay, I know it was here somewhere... Our back to school post.. I mean what happened to it?  Okay now that we officially know I am less than computer literate, we will re-post (well make that more like rewrite the missing portions that disappeared into cyberspace!)

Can you believe it the school year is upon us again?  I mean I know the boys are excited and it will be an all new adventure.  What with this being their first FULL year in this school district.  There are a few changes... Our eldest now has his driver's license so he will be driving to school, our middle is now in high school (how did that happen I ask you?) and will be riding to school with his brother.  Did I mention football practice immediately after school plus Saturday mornings?  Or marching band practice in the evenings twice a week? and the youngest?  Well he is at the same school, sleeping in late, but looking forward to his new teacher!  And do you know what I did this year?  I have pictures of everyone before they headed off to school... At the end of the year we will have to get a group photo!

Can you tell he is excited about his first day back to school?  (methinks he really isn't a morning person!)

What?  Where is Mr. Sunshine's smile?

(Can you tell they really want to get out the door?  They were so anxious to get to get to school and not be tardy.  You would think I was pulling teeth..)

Can you tell nerves were abounding this morning?

*****

As you can tell everyone really wanted to get out the door... and no the older two were not late for school.  In fact they now leave a good 15 minutes later than they did on that 1st day! :)

And do you know what??? My dear sweet husband took Wednesday thru Friday off of that 1st week of school!!  Wednesday we went down to Indianapolis for our 20th anniversary.. A day spent shopping, hitting used book stores, time for a quick swim, dinner out, and then a movie!  I am truly blessed by this wonderful man God has given me!  He is thoughtful, kind, considerate, and I love his quirky sense of humor (which our "children" just don't seem to get and if they do it is usually accompanied by large sighs!!)