We have a new addition to our home!

Okay so did that get you wondering???  No there are no more children on the horizon (that we know about!!) or any new animals... but an addition nevertheless.  Yep our humble abode is going to be getting bigger!  (from 1250 to 1650 square feet, woo hoo!!)  We are so insanely excited... okay I don't know how excited the boys are but Chris and I are definitely over-the-top excited.  This means when family comes to visit they will have a room to stay in, a bath close by and we will have a family room.  This also means I have been busy drawing plans, drawing and redrawing room plans, deciding on flooring (still undecided but NO carpet!), figuring out furnishings and lighting.  Let's not forget paint, window placement, lighting placement... do we paint?  do we do a board and batten treatment? (please oh please say yes)  Do I paint the kitchen cabinets to make the area seem brighter?  Do I remove cabinet doors?  OH the decisions.  And my wonderful husband... well he gave me a kiss and said "whatever you want, honey!"  WHATEVER I WANT!?!?  I don't know what I want...  :)  He really is such a sweetheart about the whole thing and has incredible taste!  In fact this the same man who convinced me to paint the kitchen in Alaska tomato red!  and ya know what? He was so RIGHT!  It looked incredibly awesome and is my all-time favorite kitchen.  So since this house has lower than normal ceilings in much of the house plus a somewhat low vaulted ceiling reminiscent of a cottage we are going to try and decorate as such.  Just as long as there is not a lot of fru fru stuff.. cause ya know I'm not a fru fru girl.  Give me antiques I can use daily, thick butcher blocks, leather sofas, and a distressed dining room table I am one happy girl.  No there is no peeling paint in our house because he who I love dearly feels the need to paint it but he is fine with a scarred well used dining/kitchen table.  AND he has been so patient with all the CLUTTER (something he loathes!) as I try to downsize.   So here are just a few pictures to show you the progress...

Oh by the way, they just started the actual construction on Thursday as the weather did not cooperate all winter long!

The crawlspace dug and blocked in.  My climbing rose bush in the jack-o-lantern bucket and the location of our old patio.

The temporary new location of my old patio.

And in other news... We just completed the AWANA Grand Prix!  What a great turnout and the kids seemed to have such a great time.  They were supportive of each other no matter the outcome of the races.  I won't be including any pictures of the kids as I do NOT have the express permission of the other parents to post pictures of their children but here are some of the cars, to include a few "novelty" cars.

Don't you love the monarch butterfly caterpillar car and the ladybug car?

And the mustache car?  Trust me it really does look like one when you look at it straight on!  Absolutely hilarious!

(our youngest the day prior to getting his braces)

(and his car for which he won 2nd place for best race car design.. it really does look like an Indy car in real life! It was his first year to race!)  A great time was had by all!!  I am so glad we were able to help out this year.  Not only were the kids so much fun to watch but so were the parents (I'm tellin' ya some of the parents were more into it than the kids! lol)

Oh if I haven't said it before, I am saying it NOW.  Any and all ideas for flooring, paint, wall treatments, etc will be gratefully accepted, links will be more than welcome as well!   

Hope you have a great week!  We will as we get to sleep in.  ITS SPRING BREAK!!  Woo hoo!

thrift modern art

This weekend was so productive!  Saturday Sean and I spent much of the afternoon running errands and finishing up projects.  We scored a MAJOR find!  Our local Blockbuster is closing its doors (permanently closed as of today) and they were selling EVERYTHING in the store... Yep you read that, EVERYTHING!  This included all displays and cabinets.  So by Saturday evening we were the proud owners of 4 (FOUR) metal 24 inch wide double drawer cabinets which look like this.

(OKAY I NEED SOME SERIOUS HELP!!  All of a sudden when I try to upload any photos taken after March 15th I can not get them to appear in the drop down window... any suggestions?  I use a MacBook Pro and have NEVER had any issues with pictures loading before.)

(these bad boys are the height of our upright freeze!)

Are you ready for the cost?  TWENTY DOLLARS!  for all 4 of them... and one stack was even mounted on casters plus all the stuff inside.  So for  $20 we got 4 cabinets (one is currently stuck shut, possibly permanently), 4 heavy duty rolling casters, cardboard, about 50 peg board hangers, 4 4"x12" storage bins, cardboard, 6 L brackets, and some other stuff.  )

Now on to our art project. We made these awesome wall sculptures using....

 the inserts used to separate the layers of apples in a bushel box.

 Just a number coats of metallic spray paint and a utility knife were all we needed to make these. 

Linking to:

Our bedroom...

Remember how I've been saying we have been clearing out the clutter... well here is our bedroom.  It only took a year to get pictures up and we still need to put up more.  Right now I am looking for frames... the finish doesn't matter because spray paint is my friend.  Just as long as it has the right character.

Do you see the pictures?  That is my mom and her twin when they were babies. 

 And there is another of them being held by their stoic German grandmother.  And we can't forget dear hubby's grandma.  The rest of the old family pictures are still in the closet awaiting their new frames.

The right side of the mirror also has my "pride and joy", ha ha!  yep it is one of our old rusty garden rake heads.  I have no idea where we came up with it but I can honestly say I love them ALL!  Yes we have more than one and they are all put to good use.  Finally a place to hang my necklaces where they won't get all tangled... yeah!!

And now for the other side of the room:

(I see we might want to hang pj bottoms somewhere else, oops!)

Do you see the picture above the bed?  Here is a close-up... 

(the lines in the upper left corner are a reflection of the ceiling fan blades)

I love this picture!  And do you know what?  Its one of those wall vinyl you can get at Target which incidentally remove your paint if you actually apply them to the wall.  So this one is applied to the glass in a frame I found at goodwill for $3.99 but wait... it was half off!  (total price $7 include vinyl because it was clearance but I used a gift card!)

  Its on the back side of the glass which helps to mute the colors a bit so that they match the quilt.  

And here we have my ever faithful companion, Lily!  She is sure to follow me whenever a picture is to be taken.  In fact you will normally find her tail somewhere along the edge of most pictures as a big black smudge. Silly girl!

We have talked about painting but it looks like it will stay on hold for a while.  I think I like the creaminess of the wall especially during winter.  Now to find a clearance puffy quilt/comforter to add another layer of plushness.... nothing to heavy just another layer for the snuggle factor. Or maybe some new pillows.  What do you think?

Linking to:

New things and exciting things are in the works!!!

Oh I can hardly wait to show you all what is in the works!

 Do you remember this?

or this?

or even this?

Well the clutter-be-gone team has been hard at work!  Pictures are being hung, clutter is being sorted and given the old heave ho and much is or has left the house!!!  Thank you of so very much eBay and Goodwill!  (the changes are really quite exciting!  who knew a cleared floor could be so thrilling?!)

It might be dark and dreary outside but the inside of our home is starting to feel like HOME!  I can't wait to show you all what all is in the plans and what some of our ideas are.  But that will definitely be for another day and another post.  Let me just say there is a lot of paint involved, dirt to be moved, holes to be dug, artwork being constructed and so so much more.  It really is pretty exciting, in a somewhat overwhelming sort of way. ha ha! :)

Sorry NO updated pictures today... this is my 15  30 minute lunch break. Yes I am timing my computer time these days as I was disturbed with the number of HOURS I was spending on here and how incredibly depressed I was becoming.  The destructive thoughts of envy, self deprecation, self defeat, and unworthiness had begun to creep their ugly heads into my head once again.  But you know what?  I am worthy but it is not through me but through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.  He made me who I am and in Him will I rejoice!

REJOICE in the Lord always; and again I say rejoice!  

Philippians 4:4 (KJV)

 ⁶Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

 ⁷The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Psalm 28:6-7 (KJV)

Keepin' busy with legos and feet!

I keep putting off posting because well I just didn't feel there was anything blog worthy of posting... no projects completed, crafting transpired but then I realized Wow we have been really busy!!  And I have good news the camera was found!! and the checkbook!!!  and the corners of the dining room!!!!

You see our days have recently been filled with:

Recovering from foot surgery
(can you tell he was feeling no pain???)

the making of batches of applesauce to eat fresh 

and frozen

The sorting of Legos

(this is approximately 1/20 of those sorted!)

While revisiting "old friends" by way of A&E's 

"Pride and Prejudice!"  

Yep the entire mini series!!

I know the guys were so "excited" but they stayed and watched the whole thing while helping sort Legos.

Did I mention there has been LOTS of cleaning going on as well?  

As in I can see the corners of the dining room and the top of the island has been clear for

4 (yes FOUR) DAYS!

Now I am off to wash said Legos... yes they are disgusting and if I plan on selling them on eBay I just can't stand the idea of sending them off so DISGUSTING!  I am going to place them in a zippered mesh bag and throw them in with the towels to wash.  We shall see how they come out!  

A lovely Valentines day!!

I really wasn't planning on saying much on Valentine's day but decided why not... You see I am not a big fan of the "holiday"... it just seems so pointless... so commercialized!  I guess maybe its because I see so many focus on sharing "the love" just one day out of the year.  I want my family to know my love 24/7 365 days a year... do I always succeed?  Not by my estimation!  But my family and husband DO know I love them even when I am acting unlovely!    and the other thing... how does it make all my single friends feel.  That they are unlovable?  lonely?  alone?  I pray such is not the case because singleness is most definitely not a case of being unloved!  I guess I just feel more comfortable showing my love for both family and friends throughout the year.  (okay off my soapbox!)   


That aside my hubby still likes to get me a card or write a little note and present me with something special.  Do you know what that dear man did?  He got me this: (picture removed at this time due to technical difficulties!)

Yes FRESH ASPARAGUS!

You see this is truly a gift of love as he detests the vegetable.  In fact I am the only person in our family who likes it so I NEVER cook it!  

Now I have a little asparagus love in my refrigerator awaiting a brief steam, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon!!

(ON a side note...) remember yesterday's comment about the missing battery and charger to the camera?  Well today the camera is missing, bag and all!  It can really make a person question their sanity.  I guess we will go on a search this evening once the whole gang gets home.  More than likely the youngest will know exactly where it is since I took it with us to take pictures at his school's science fair.  

Where has the time gone....

Okay I have to admit I have no pictures.... Could someone please tell me why I have no battery in my camera?  And if they know where it is currently being charged as the charger is missing as well.... I really think we have little gnomes who run amuck through our house.  Someone like this fellow who loves nothing more than to have a little laugh!

(courtesy of the Graphics Fairy)

Currently the winds are aloft, the sun is shining and the snow is MELTING!  Oh Happy Day!!

This week ought to be a busy one for us as the eldest is having another birthday... how dare he!!  Doesn't he know he is supposed to stay a little boy for much longer than he did??? Now we are looking at post secondary school plans, preparing for SAT's, finalizing next years class schedule... So in his honor we will be having PiZZA this week. 

AND LOTS OF IT!

My does that boy ever LOVE pizza!!!

(I shudder to admit he is no longer a boy but definite a young man.... my poor breaking heart!)

So in his honor we will have pizza (as if we NEVER have pizza, right...)

And next week,  next week is such an exciting week as we are making a trip to (insert drum roll here!)

Penzey's!

OH how I love their spices!  And to think they have a store in Indiana.... and its not too far from my favorite bookstore, the Whole Foods Market, an incredible Goodwill store, as well as Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and Pottery Barn.  Can you say oh so happy birthday day?  And guess what I get to spend the whole day with my best friend!!!  Yep, my dear sweet hubby!!  After 20 years of marriage he is STILL my best friend and that friendship and love just grows deeper each passing day!

  

(And to think I thought there would be no pictures!!!  I just found the "missing" file of all my photos!! Yippee!!!!)

And just to let you know I am joining "megan" over at Beauty in the Attempt in her circle of friends... she is truly a lovely person and I so enjoyed meeting her in person last year....