3 Random thoughts...

I know I've not mentioned anything here but in a week I will be attending the Influence Conference just down the road... to say I am excited is a bit of an understatement!  I mean how often is it that you can come together with such a diverse group of ladies with one thing in common... a desire to truly be an influence for the Lord.

My sweet "lil" Lily and me... umm no she isn't sitting.  That's my sweet moose of puppy! The only other girl in the house!  

So in an effort to get to know each other just a little better a "meet and greet" of sorts is being hosted...   

3 random facts of sorts.

Random fact #1:
While dating Chris I made a statement that I would never date a guy that was 19 again as they were too immature and it just wasn't worth the hassle.. he just nodded his head and didn't really comment.  Little did I know that he WAS 19, that's what I got for asking his roommate how old he was.  It was another couple of months later when I discovered how young he was... mmm yeah it was too late by then!  (for the record I'm 5 years older than my husband... he never did act like the "typical" 19 year old!)

Random fact #2:
I am not known for having much fashion sense... in fact I usually have to ask one of the boys what they think.  My favorite outfits nowadays usually includes slightly flared jeans, a beige or black t-shirt, pukka shell necklace or a leather thong necklace plus a scarf and birkenstocks.  If I thought I could get away with a cute skirt and long boots I would so do it!  In all honesty I love skirts but haven't found any recently that were flattering... in fact up until 3 years ago I had not worn jeans or pants of any sorts in 15 years.  My husband bought me a pair of jeans because he said my skirts were frumpy.... all time favorite outfit would be tall boots w/ socks peeking over the top, a skirt just below my knees, a t-shirt and scarf but I can't find boots to fit my chunky calves.  yep i'm curvy... and short! (and maybe just a few years too old for this look.. haha!)

Random fact #3:
I love chocolate but not Hershey's.  it tastes like chocolate flavored paraffin to me... i was spoiled by have good chocolate as a child when we lived in Germany however we now live near an aldi which sells imported chocolate for cheap.  delicious!

As a kid I secretly hoped to have braces, break my leg so I could use crutches, and wear glasses... I had braces, used crutches for an injured knee (what was i thinking on that one) and may get my wish for glasses soon (umm yeah.. what was i thinking??? i'll find out tomorrow....

Have a wonderful day and I so look forward to meeting all those who will be in attendance!

A lettered wall or a gallery wall???

The family room is coming along but currently there are no pictures for a full reveal.  That may be because I am in a bit of a quandary.  Currently I am slightly obsessed with typography... okay in all honesty it is nothing new.  Just ask Chris!  He will be the first one to tell you that I have a love for letters and have for as long as we have been together, whether it be in written, visual, or even auditory!  Yep I love words... which are simply letter strung together (and I'm kinda fond of numbers as well.)   Yet we both really like gallery walls... (in fact we even had them in our home when i was a kid growing up... way back when it wasn't the norm... yep my mom was cutting edge!)

Here are just a few pictures of inspiration I've found while combing the net....

 

Miss Mustard Seed's giant chalk/magnetic glitter letter display

Source: Young House Love  hallway gallery

source: unknown

(found on pinterest but the original source is missing)

And the wall which is driving me to distraction.... the clutter has been cleared, the non-functioning anniversary clock removed so now we are left with a blank slate.

Oh the valances are being changed out for something a bit more substantial and the curtains might be replaced by a set of fine "linen" curtains... okay so they will be made out of drop clothes but it does look a lot like homespun linen.  (yes a fabric that i simply adore!)

Snack Pack Pudding Bakery Shop Collection review

Have you heard about The Dish from Conagra Foods?  Well let me encourage you to take a look... and possibly even sign up.  I mean we are talking about everything from recipes to try to foods to sample and review on your blog.  Have I signed up?  You bet your bippy!  And do you know what arrived in the mail last week???

A 4 pack of from the Snack Pack Bakery Shop collection to try... what was our flavor?  Lemon merengue pie!  Two out of three of our boys loved it!!  What happened to the third?  Well he got a single taste as his brothers descended upon the others like a horde of locust.  Would we purchase them on a regular basis?  Probably not, only because we are on a pretty strict budget.  But would we purchase them for a special treat or maybe even for long trips... MOST DEFINITELY!

Now the guys are harassing me to try out the other flavors.... chocolate cupcake, apple pie a la mode, frosted sugar cookie, and banana cream pie.

The family room makeover... a sneak peak

This apparently has been the summer of changes.... quickly being followed by a fall full of changes as well.    Do you see this corner?  Yes... atrocious!  I agree wholeheartedly!!  What you are witnessing is the complete emptying of a room.  Yes, the once spare/guest/music room is now our middle son's bedroom!!! I know he is over the moon happy to have a space of his own.  The only consequence... well the entire contents of the previous room ended up piled in the family room with a few spilling over into the dining room and living room.  

However this crazy mess is slowly but surely being transformed into....

 a desk to dream about....

 stylish storage....

 family heirlooms.....

 quirky decor.....

fabulous rehabs....

Details are on the way as we get closer and closer to completely the transformation of a hum drum room into a favorite family hangout!  A room filled with memories, yard sale rehabs, and repurposing galore!

A whirlwind of action

Can you say whirlwind?

w3rl wind: 1. a column of air moving rapidly around and around in a cylindrical or funnel shape
                   2. used in similes and metaphors to describe a very energetic or tumultuous person or                  
                        process.

Wow both of those definitions fit us right now... ha ha!  You see for the past month we've been working on projects. not my every day, run of the mill projects but BIG ones.

Things like making over the boys' bathroom, moving Sean into his own room, moving the contents of said room elsewhere (i.e. the family room)... and so it snowballs.  If you think I'm complaining... NOT for ONE moment! :)  Its so exciting to see a plan come together!  Even when it does snowball into something so much larger... but that in turn is a super duper good thing.  Seriously!  I mean when this whole thing is over and done with our whole house will be done... mostly.. haha! :)

However my blog and photo program are not on speaking terms at the moment so I'll just give you a rundown of how things went down... or rather how the first project had a cascading effect.

-paint boys bathroom, move "pie safe" out, move short cabinet in. love the decluttered look!

-decide to move Sean into spare/guest/craft room since Ian is not going into military but is looking for work & filling out applications for Bible college/aviation ministries (possibly)
  -empty contents of said room into space behind loveseat & wall, in front of dart board.

    -decide to paint Evan's room, now that he has room to self
     -clear room out, decide against painting room but paint drawer fronts and add artwork to room

      -clean out closet of too small clothes.

       -decide maybe a yardsale would be in order due to clearing out closet & explosion of stuff in  family room.
         -sort walk-in closet in order to move things from spare/guest/craft room out of family room.

(terrible lighting and no editing... bad blogger, bad bad blogger.. ha ha!)

          -start to sort bathroom closet to make room for items from walk-in closet, extra bedding, etc
           -clean out under bathroom sink to move stuff from closet in order to make room for stuff from
walk-in closet to make room for things from spare room.
            -decide bedroom could finally use to be painted... paint test splotches all over room...
                                 now which one do we use???? Left, Middle, or Right???

             -end up with gorgeous bedroom, organized closets, comfy teen bedrooms plus lots of stuff for yard sale... which has prompted cleaning, clearing and sorting out of garage! ha ha!!

And add to all this.... its harvest time in the garden...  corn, tomatoes, herbs, and the occasional posey... Can you say lavender and dried hydrangeas for the winter?? Woo hoo!!

So as you can see we have been pretty busy around here.... and very happy about it too!!  Did I mention school started a week ago, it was our 22nd anniversary, we took a mini family vacation, and fall sports are now in full swing... tennis, marching band, cross country?  I LOVE every minute of it!!

         
                       

A touch of color...

A touch of color is normally a good thing.....

but a touch of color using spray paint, painter's tape and a drop cloth is a WONDERFUL thing!

And the young one loves it!!  Score!!

One small throw pillow down, two large ones to go... and the room "remodel" is under way!

Now to convince said young one that a change is paint color would really do wonders for HIS room.  Yes he now has his very own room, all to himself... and he is loving it!  In fact all three boys have their own rooms now.  It did mean giving up the spare/guest/craft room but that is okay as they are all at an age when having a small bit of space to themselves is a good thing.

All about Color at Thistlewood Farm

Let the clearing BEGIN!

Yes you read that correctly! ha ha!  You see with all the projects we've been working on lately I've just felt an overwhelming need, yes a need to start "purging".  A good ol' fashioned clearing out and cleaning out!  

Yes I confess I am a bit of a hoarder...no not in epic proportions like the show but on a much smaller scale.  Doing things like taking the zippers off of backpacks that are irreparable, saving ALL the mismatched socks, clipping buttons off of shirts to be disposed of, keeping egg cartons and empty glass jars.  Now don't get me wrong these are not bad in and of themselves, in fact they are quite practical until you realize you have one full shelf of egg cartons and no plans to use them.  Yes I'll continue to clip buttons and zippers and save old pants because you never know when you might need to test a new pattern for instance.....

But the egg cartons.. well unless it is coming neigh unto planting season I think donating them for VBS is a much better plan.  The the empty glass jars, yes there is recycling... :)

And the rest of the miscellaneous stuff in the house... well it is high time to find new homes.  So I may or may not be hosting a yard sale in the upcoming days... it all depends on how much we haul out and what all it is that gets hauled out.  

So if you happen to be local I will give you fair warning.... stuff is being cleared out.  If you are interested in books, miscellaneous crafting stuff especially scrapbook supplies, cookie decorating supplies (i.e. more sugars and sprinkles then is necessary for a house full of teenage boys!), hair ribbons, books,  knicknacks,  board games, cookie cutters, and who knows what else... contact me!  Or just ask if I really am going to have a yard sale.... probably after school is back in session.

Be sure to check in periodically to see if I have emerged from beneath..... 

Have a great day!!