Our Sweet Home in Alabama

Hello World!

2011-09-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have been away from blogging for quite a while. Please pardon the dust. I will be revamping this blog over the next few days and attempt to catch you up on our daily activities. Life is but a vapor. Make the most of every minute!

Tomorrow

2010-05-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Wow! Have you seen the flooding in Nashville and the surrounding area? We see flooding footage and photos in the news quite regularly. Always in places that we've never been and probably will not ever be. But tonight... Nashville... the Opryland Hotel. WOW!

I never fully comprehended the total devastation that raging flood waters can pose until tonight. I know the Opryland Hotel. We were just there last month for our Lads to Leaders Convention. Jessica was just there with the youth group TWO days ago. WOW!

I'm reminded of one VERY important fact.

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. (Pro 27:1)

yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (Jas 4:14)

Music

2010-04-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

We love music. DH and I were in a variety of bands in high school:.polka band, jazz band, marching band, concert band. Now Jessica is playing piano, Kristen plays guitar and Michael is about to start music lessons too. His instrument of choice... THE DRUMS. This is looking like the beginning of a new kind of band. This is gonna be fun.

Time Flies

2010-03-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last entry. As always there is a lot going on. Right now it's after midnight and I've just finished a wonderful evening with my son. We took advantage of some quality time together and went to dinner then putt-putt followed by a scoop of peanut butter fudge ice cream at Kaleidoscoops. He's sound asleep now with a big smile on his face knowing he's a very special young man. Especially to his mom.

New Website, Blog and FB Fan Page

2010-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

There's a lot going on around here. Back in December I purchased a new embroidery machine and embarked on a home-based business. The name of my new business is Common Threads.

Here's a small sampling of our work so far. Of course, more photos to come as orders are filled.

Please follow the link below to view my new Website. New products uploaded as time permits. Currently, I'm in the process of filling orders and taking new photos. In the works, I have an Adult t-shirt, Adult Dress Shirt, diaper wipe case, newborn knit hats (x2), I'm the Little Sister (x2) onesies, I'm the Big Brother T-shirt, Burp Cloths, and a blue Chenille Baby Blanket. New orders coming in every day.

Also, I'm excited to announce our upcoming events. February 1st we will begin selling at the Homestead Hand Crafts Mall in San Antonio, Texas and on March 27th we will be featured at the first Buckhorn High School Arts & Crafts show/fundraiser event from 4-8 p.m.

Daily Trials

2009-11-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

Raising godly children today is not an easy task. At times it feels like I'm kicking against the goads. However, there are also moments where I see glimmers of affirmation that I'm doing the right thing. Those glimmers of affirmation are what I live for.

Recently, one of my daughters gave a modesty class for some girls at church. Afterwards, while talking about how it went, she said "Momma, in the past we dressed modestly because you gave us rules and we obeyed them. Now I can understand why you gave me those rules and they are now my standard. Thank you!"

Pro 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it."

I have had a few of those glimmers of affirmation in the past few weeks however I know I cannot let my guard down because satan is ever present. We still have our daily trials and struggles but my husband and I are trying to handle each one with the eternity of our precious gifts (our children) in mind.

Gal 6:9 "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

Saving Money

2009-11-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying that I'm definitely not an expert on saving money by any means. For years we have done several things to help stretch every dollar. We buy beef directly from the farmer, produce from the farmers market, we cook mostly from scratch and make our own laundry detergent. I have recently taken saving money a step further. With the help and encouragement of a friend, I have started couponing seriously. Last week she purchased $200 in groceries for $54 using coupons. I know I still have a lot of room for improvement but here are a few helpful tips and websites to help you save money too.

First check out the money saving blogs on the right hand side of my blog. You will find a lot of cool tips and deals on a daily basis.
Bing - Bing is an online rebate website. Last xmas I purchased two ipod touches for $145 ea. It takes about three months to get your cashback payment but it is well worth the wait.
We have a Publix grocery store here. In the past I avoided Publix because I considered it too expensive. That is until I found out that every Wed a sales circular comes out with buy-one-get-one free ads. On top of that, Publix stacks store coupons, competator coupons and manufacturer coupons and doubles anything 50 cents and less. That adds up. To view the Publix Ad on Monday I go to I Heart Publix you will also find links to various coupon sites from there.
The following is a site that was recommended by my friend but I have not used it yet. However, I did purchase a coupon notebook from them today and received a $10 credit. On this site you will find coupons that you can purchase for a very small fee. The Coupon Clippers
Hot Coupon World has a bunch of links and tips that you will find helpful.

New Projects

2009-11-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to have a few new projects in the works. You'll see on the right that I have a new icon on my blog called "Bless Your Heart". Today I created a blog for a dear friend and sister in Christ. I had so much fun making it I hope you'll subscribe (follow) and link it to your blog or FB if you have one.
I'm also creating an ecommerce website for our jewelry and crafts. Kristen is the driving force behind this project. I'll post the link as soon as I'm a little farther along with it. My third project is super exciting but I'm not able to announce it quite yet. I'll just tell you its another website. But I think it's my favorite so far. I can't wait to show all of you.
On a different note, we are trying to implement a schedule: schools schedule and chore schedule. I started last week and it went well. Not perfect but well. Last week I also started couponing seriously. I saved 45% on my grocery bill last week. Hopefully I can top that this week. I have a deal with my DH; for every dollar I save, 50 cents goes into my craft savings account. Woohoo!

Here's a photo of a cake Kristen made for the fall fest last weekend. It is so cute. I thought you'd like to see it.

Much Needed Vacation

2009-10-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a much needed vacation. I hadn't realized how crazy life had been until we had time to sit back and just have fun together. We arrived back to reality Saturday evening. Actually we hit the ground running.

Sunday was our first area bible bowl on the book of Hebrews. Our kids did very well. Jessica's team came in third. Woohoo! I am looking forward to teaching the jr team Sunday. I've been away for three weeks so they've had a sub.

Sunday evening was the Area wide devo. Overall we had a good time and the kids learned some valuable lessons. This morning the girls had an orthodontic appointment. They have an appointment to have the bottom braces installed (is that the right term?) next month. They are so excited because they can see obvious improvements on the top already.

Tonight is DH's first class for the new term. 9 weeks... Yeah! Only three classes left on his MSM.

19 Years and Counting!

2009-10-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

19 years ago today I married my schweety! It feels like yesterday. Well, maybe not yesterday but not 19 years. God has blessed us greatly in so many different ways. I pray it's all to His glory.

Roundhouse

2009-10-03T19:43:00.001-07:00

For the past four years we have been blessed to attend a week long Christian Homeschool camp in the hills of North Carolina. This camp is called Roundhouse. Roundhouse is not your typical camp however, it's a "family" encampment. Christian homeschooling families from all over converge on Flat Rock, NC the last week in September every year. This year was Roundhouse's 20th Anniversary. We had 97 families from 20 different states and 2 additional countries.

The kids and I had such a wonderful time! Some of the activities include: Arts & Crafts, Bible Bowl, Spelling Bee, Tiny Tot Olympics, Activity Fair, Softball, Flag Football, Disk Golf, Boating, Fishing, Volleyball, Board games, Mom's Class & Discussion, Cookouts, Picnics, Entertainment, Student Presentations and a whole lot of fellowshipping.

Family Update

2009-09-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Things remain busy as usual. I've had writers block lately not knowing what to write about even though we've had so much going on. For example, this week: Monday I took the girls to their orthodontist appointments in Tennessee then to a doctor appt, yesterday they had music lessons, ran to the library & WiseScrappers and went to purchase our Universal Studios tickets, today Kristen is teaching a GIFTS class, then Sat morning we are leaving for a week long Homeschool camp in NC. We look forward to it every year.

Honey is doing better. She had a rough few days after her surgery. She still isn't getting up to move around but at least she wags her tail when we enter the room now. I have never been so eager for her hair to grow back. She reminds me of Frankenstein with her 30 some staples on the incision approx 5 inches long. We've had to put a sock on her hind leg because she won't stop scratching herself raw. I know, GROSS! It's sad... really.

Long Time

2009-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. As always, there's a lot going one. First on our hearts and minds is Honey Dog. She underwent leg amputation surgery this afternoon. The Vet said she is doing well and is on heavy meds so he wanted to keep her overnight. That was OKAY with me! DH and I took the kids bowling then to dinner. Trying to keep their minds off the surgery. We had a good day overall but we will deal with our three legged dog tomorrow.

School is going well. We took a break for a few weeks so we could drive to Texas to see my grandfather in the hospital then when we came back we went to a conference in the Smokey Mountains. The conference was absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! We were able to absorb many great lessons and had a great time together.

Tomorrow we are going on a field trip to the Space and Rocket center. We are so excited about that. I'll have Kristen take her camera so we can get several photos.

Quick Update

2009-08-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Life is SO crazy around here these days. We are heading up to TN tomorrow for our second orthodontist appointment. The girls are both getting their top braces installed. Is that the right word? Installed? I don't know. It's late and we are waking up before sunrise to hit the road.

We are also beginning our fourth week of school. School is going pretty smoothly considering life is crazy. DH began the seventh of twelve classes last week. So we are officially over half way through to his degree.

Honey had a bad report last week. That's a LONG story so I'll update later.

School is Officially in Session!

2009-07-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

We officially started school yesterday. Unfortunately, life has not slowed down any for us to have a full day at home. We've been schooling on the go and in crisis mode. Well, doggy crisis mode. Honey had surgery again today. I dropped her off at the animal hospital yesterday because she was in terrible pain. After x-rays it was determined that she broke her titanium plate in two. I'm not quite sure how that happens but this afternoon they did a second surgery to remove the old plate & pins and insert a new one. However, now the bone is very fragile and there is a greater chance of her re-injuring it again. I'm going to pick her up tomorrow morning and have strict instructions to keep her crated for a week.

As for school, the kids are excited and eager to do their work... some more than others. This week we are beginning studies on the Revolutionary war. We are also studying Benjamin Franklin and George Washington for history. For literature, Jessica (10th Grade) read Tartuffe by Moliere, Kristen (8th) is reading Gulliver's Travels and Michael (4th) is reading The Sign of the Beaver by Speare. Jessica is starting Biology and Algebra II, while Kristen has begun Physical Science and Pre Algebra. As for Electives, Jessica has chosen Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace High School edition, Piano, Speech, Debate, Typing and Philosophy in which this week she is studying Voltaire. She really wants to take an Art class to but I think we will wait till next semester.

This morning we began the orthodontic process. We had an evaluation visit both girls will be in braces at the same time. JOY! Today also marks the halfway point for DH and schooling for his Masters Degree. He finished the 6th class tonight.

Update on Honey

2009-07-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we quickly realized that we couldn't wait 10 days to take care of Honey's leg. She was in a lot of pain and her splint kept falling off. So I made a few phone calls. The first phone call was to the specialist that was going to charge $2-3K for the rods and pins. We quickly dismissed that option due to the outrageous cost so I was inquiring about amputation. They came back with an estimate of $1K. Ouch.

My next call was to an animal hospital that just opened up close by. I figured they might be eager to welcome a new client. To my surprise, the Vet quickly called DH back, they discussed the amputation and scheduled the appointment for Monday morning.

Monday morning Michael and I took Honey in. We had already prepared ourselves for a three legged dog knowing there was no way for us to pay such a high price for corrective surgery. However, we were also prepared for the chance that her body wouldn't be able to handle the stress of surgery and would need to be put down. To my surprise, the vet offered to save the leg for the same price as amputation. He didn't want a 9 year old boy to have a three legged dog as a reminder of an accident.

I was floored! Mercy is a BEAUTIFUL thing!

Honey had surgery Tuesday morning. She is resting now with lots of pain meds. We are to keep her calm and comfortable for 10-14 days while she heals. I HIGHLY recommend Kevin Lowe, DVM. He will be our vet from now on.

Family Bible Week

2009-07-17T20:46:00.001-07:00

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Last week while the girls were at Freed-Hardeman for Horizons, DH, Michael and I were busy working on Family Bible Week prep.

What is Family Bible Week? It is VBS for the entire family. It is a great way to reach out and invite visitors. I think we averaged 275 people. There were preschool classes, teen classes and adult classes in addition to the adventure centers, crafts and fun for those in between. We ended the week (Thursday) with awards and homemade ice cream. Yum!

As I was saying, last week was prep week. We were able to transform the entire building (well most of it anyway) to the wild west. I helped decorate the foyer and auditorium while DH worked in one of the four adventure centers. We had the parables of the Sower, Talents, Prodigal Son and Unmerciful Servant. We always look forward to FBW every year. It's a lot of work but is also very rewarding.

Life is a Roller Coaster Ride

2009-07-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

When we woke up this morning we never expected to be nursemaids to Honey for the next ten days or longer. After a terrible collision between a 14 year old chihuahua and a rambunctious 9 year old boy we ended up rushing Honey to the Animal Hospital for an x-ray. It was determined that she had two breaks right above her wrist joint. Without surgery she will be in constant pain so we have three options.

The first option is approx. $2-3K that is corrective surgery with rods and pins. Yeah, with a 14 year old dog that's CrAzY! The second option is amputation. Evidently this happens a lot. The vet was pretty confident that she would still have a pretty good quality of life with only three legs. Finally, the third option is to put her down which might end up being the only option depending on blood tests to determine whether or not she can handle anesthesia. Oh, decisions, decisions. To top it all off, the vet left for vacation this afternoon and won't be back until Jul 27th. She set Honey up with a splint and plenty of pain meds.

Please pray for Michael and Kristen. Michael is feeling a lot of guilt about the whole accident and Kristen LOVES Honey SO MUCH. Any decision we make is going to come with a lot of sadness.

Recipes

2009-07-16T13:40:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago DH found the following recipe in the newspaper and insisted that we try it out while we had company visiting from Texas. I was very skeptical knowing that it was a recipe for disaster to try out a new recipe on house guests. To my amazement all of the children loved it and even had seconds. This is now one of our favorites.

Perfect Summer Burgers

Makes 6 servings

1 slightly beaten egg
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 pound lean ground beef (I use ground turkey breast.)
6 whole-grain buns (Each bun should have at least three grams of fiber.)
Lettuce, tomato slices and red onion slices

1. Combine egg white, water, bread crumbs, carrot, onion, bell pepper,salt and pepper in a large bowl. (Produce Punch: Packing the patties with bell peppers, carrots and onions is a sneaky way to add nutrients as well as juiciness.)

2. Add Parmesan and beef (or Turkey); mix. Shape into six 1/2-inch-thick patties.

3. Grill burgers on an oiled grill rack for 7 minutes. Turn grill 8 to 11 minutes more, or until no pink remains.

4. Serve burgers on buns with veggies.

Remembering Paul Gibson

2009-07-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

I've had this post tucked in my outbox for over a week. Last night was Mr. Gibson's memorial service. It was such a nice service. I was so encouraged by the number of people that stayed to pay their last respects to this kind and gentle man.
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Last night a man by the name of Paul Gibson passed away. Paul found himself in our area after being displaced by Katrina almost four years ago. My family was blessed to have known Paul. He has taught us so many valuable lessons.

Last Thanksgiving we were invited to have dinner with friends who also invited Paul. I had not met Paul before then. I saw him at church from time to time. But for one reason or another I didn't step out of my comfort zone and introduce myself. You see, Paul didn't look 'normal'. He was shot in the face when he was younger and was very skinny.

Looks are only skin deep. To my surprise, he was a very kind man and quite a story teller. We sat for hours and listened to all of his adventures before taking him back to his apartment across the street from the church building.

After that day, I made it a point to greet Paul anytime I saw him. I hope he felt loved and appreciated by his church family. He had little to no communication with his physical family.

Another Week Has Flown By...

2009-07-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

I'm so surprised that it's Friday already. Where did the time go? We have been so blessed to have a very special family visiting us this week. We love them so much! We have really enjoyed the talks and breaking the bread of life together. Mr & Mrs C. and three of their six children are traveling through on their way to Freed-Hardeman University where they will both be teaching classes at Horizons next week. Mr. C. recently retired from the Navy and is now attending the Brown Trail School of Preaching in Texas.

Today we ventured out to the local science museum with the kids. We had a great time and squeezed in some learning too. Yay, homeschool! Jessica and Kristen will be at camp all next week while DH and I will be working on Family Bible Week prep up at the church building. We are so excited about FBW (aka VBS). We look forward to it all year long.

Summer break is winding down quickly. Hopefully we will be able to start back up with school in two weeks.

Who Took the Break Out of Summer?

2009-06-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

I don't remember summer being so busy in the past. Maybe it's because my kids are getting older but come on... Who took the break out of Summer? We have been so busy this year.

Originally we thought that we would start back with the school work mid July but now I'm leaning toward mid August. We'll see how we feel after company, another camp, VBS, more company, then a possible trip all in July.

Noah Estes

2009-06-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce you to Noah Estes. You will notice a link to a blog dedicated to him on the right. Noah is a very sick little boy and is in need of prayer.

I have followed his blog for a while now and am constantly amazed at the humbleness and love that this family shows. I would like to think that I would have the same faith and meekness in the face of trial.

Please get to know Noah & his family and pray for them all.

Time is Up!

2009-06-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm eagerly anticipating the return of my campers. They should be here sometime after lunch today. I was able to get several projects done but not all of them unfortunately. I need more time!

Yesterday, I received a call from a dear friend saying they are headed my way to stay with us for a few days next week. Yeah! I'm so excited! I love all of the company but I need to re-evaluate my list of things to do and get busy. First stop... Grocery store.

Honey

2009-06-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

When DH and the kids went off to camp I was sure that I'd end up with the responsibility of handling the mortuary affairs of our beloved Honey. She had been sick for a while and it only seemed to be getting worse. The poor girl has had a rough life. We rescued her back in 2001 from a backyard breeder. She had just had her fifth litter (so they said) and was sick then. The vet said she had a terrible infection and wouldn't have lived if we hadn't rescued her.

Here we are eight years later and I was sure she was on her death bed. Well, was I wrong. She must be feeling much better. So good she ran off this morning and is back to stealing Patches food. The kids will be so happy to see her back to her good ol' self. We love our Honey Dog.

Away They Go!

2009-06-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

As I'm typing this DH is packing to go to Camp Ney-a-ti. He is a counselor again this year. I dropped our kids off yesterday so they are one day ahead of Dad who had school last night.

Honestly, I look forward to this particular five days all year long. This is the time where I plan, organize and prepare for the upcoming school year. My fellow homeschoolers understand the time and preparation that goes into it. In addition to HS preparations I also have several other things on my list of things to do. Read a book, paint a room, clean, organize, nurse a dog to health... just to name a few.

Week in Review

2009-06-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have flown by. Unfortunately, I think the rest of the summer is going to fly by too. Today I dropped my parents off at the airport. Sigh!

We were able to accomplish several projects while my parents were here. One being the pond. For some reason, there were some nasty algae globs floating in the pond. We were able to purchase a product from our local county co-op to treat it. We ended up with a few dead minnows but nothing too bad. After five days the pond is looking much better. We also weeded the extensive flower beds around the house and painted the master bedroom and bath. I didn't realize how bad the old paint job was until we were done. I'm so pleased with the results. It looks fresh and a lot larger. Here's a sample of the new Master bedroom color (Cookie Crumb) and the Master Bath (Rejuvenate).Last Sunday, I dropped Jessica and Kristen off at SISTERS Camp and picked them up yesterday (Saturday). They had such a good time. I'm very impressed with the amount of learning they had in such a short amount of time. They came away with a wealth of knowledge and an appreciation for bible class teachers.

This week has also been very sad. Our old dog, Honey, has been very sick. I'll spare you the gory details but she is finally able to keep down water and was able to eat a few bites of canned dog food. Hopefully she is on the mend.

Tuesday, DH and the kids head off to bible camp till Saturday. I'm looking forward to some quiet time to plan for this coming school year and get a few projects done. It looks like I have a couple of sewing orders to fill then I plan to tackle a few areas around the house.

Kristen's Photography

2009-06-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Here's some of Kristen's Photography. She took all of the following pictures while hanging out the car window.

Cades Cove

2009-06-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before we had quite an adventure in Cades Cove. If you ever visit the Smokies I highly recommend you go see Cades Cove. It is an 11 mile nature drive. There are a few places to stop along the trail and see various things like the Oliver Cabin built almost 200 years ago.

After hiking up the quarter mile path to see the Oliver Cabin, I spotted something moving in the woods adjacent to it. Here's a photo of what I saw.

In case you can't make it out I've zoomed in and adjusted the lighting a little. Yep... It's a wild black bear. We only saw one at the Oliver Cabin but towards the end of our drive we saw a momma and cub. Unfortunately, it was getting dark and the photos didn't come out.

Here's a photo of my mom taking a break from the hike up to Oliver's Cabin.

Kristen LOVES photography! She was anxious to jump out along the trail and take pictures at every opportunity. Here's one example of her coming right up on the deer to get their photo.

If you visit the Smokies I also recommend stopping by the Old Mill Restaurant. Here is a photo Kristen took of the Mill. Beautiful, isn't it? I'm going to have this one framed. ;o)

Summer Fun

2009-06-12T20:13:00.001-07:00

So much has happened in the past week. We picked up my folks at the airport on Saturday then left to spend three days in the Great Smokey Mountains. Here are a few photos of the cabin that I rented. We also visited Ripley's Moving Theater and the Mirror Maze in Gatlinburg. Along with an evening drive through Cades Cove. I'll post more on that adventure later.

Much Rejoicing and Weeping

2009-06-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

In my last post, I mentioned the abundance of babies being born around here. I LOVE babies! It is such a fun time of anticipation. There are many things to rejoice in. Today the kids and I sat and watched the birds from the kitchen table. We do that from time to time. The birds are so beautiful and amazing. We also played in the rain and discovered new flowers blooming in our garden. God is so good to us!

God is also there in the hard times. The dark times. I found out tonight that an old friend is battling cancer for a second time, another friend just lost his job and a family is hurting deeply from the loss of a child. There are so many people in our lives that are hurting. Sometimes those around us are dealing with pain from the past or present and are too ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help. Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

We can always count on God the Father being there for us no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in. Whether we are rejoicing, weeping, or comforting someone who is.

Summer is Here

2009-06-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by! I can't believe summer is here and the calendar is FULL. I just sat down with Jessica to go over the calendar from now until we start school back up the third week in July. We are so busy! We only had today, tomorrow and Friday to lay around and do nothing. Well, that's what I thought but I'm quickly realizing that I have a ton of cleaning and preparation to do before my parents fly in on Saturday. I don't know when or if I'll be able to squeeze in swimming lessons. Maybe next year.

Sad to See Friends Go

2009-06-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Yep! It was a sad, sad morning. We enjoyed our friends so much. But I'm sure after a month on the road they are looking forward to getting home.

Now to totally change the subject, there are so many babies being born to my friends and families. It feels weird that my friends are now becoming grandparents. Spooky!

I'm bracing myself... with lots of births comes lots of deaths. We need to remember to live our lives in obedience to God if we want the hope of eternal life. Are you living like today may be your last?

Good Company!

2009-05-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here finishing up my H.E.B. Taste of San Antonio coffee and reflecting on the wonderful weekend we've had so far. We are blessed to have friends from Virginia here with us for a few day. These are the same friends that we traveled up to KY to camp with a few weeks ago. It's so good to be able to visit with them again so soon. I'm going to be sad to see them go.

And the work continues

2009-05-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost midnight and our house guests haven't arrived yet. That's okay. DH and the girls are still finishing up the bathroom upstairs. Kristen is vacuuming up all of the drywall dust from the drill. The fixtures were just hung. Photos will need to wait.

I have a product review for you. Don't waste your hard earned money on the Point n Paint. I purchased one back in January and used it today on the bathroom walls. It was a joke! First of all it took 4 months to get here. Second of all it does a horrible job. I need to re-roll the entire bathroom. Ugh!

Work, work, work...

2009-05-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

We are busy working on the house... Again. DH took the week off so we can get some things crossed off his "Honey Do" list. So far we've made a large dent. We are expecting the first of our summer house guests tonight. Here's a few photos of the completed projects.

Blinds on all the upstairs windows. This is the finished Dormer window in the Family room. Eventually, we will replace all the blinds on the main floor with these.
Set up Kristen's new bed and comforter.
Set up Jessica's art easel that she's had for approx two years. It was missing a screw when we purchased it. We also hung up her curtains. Unfortunately, Jessica's new mattress won't be in till Saturday (tomorrow). So we will wait till then to set up her new bed.
The most dramatic thing we worked on yesterday was rearranging Michael's room. We went through every toy, book and item of clothing. His room is now so grown up looking. We gave him the girls old bunk bed and dresser. And now he has a tv (not hooked up. We do not have cable.) to play his little video games and watch old VHS movies.Yesterday we also worked on clearing out the girls old bedroom and making it into a guest room. We definitely need to paint the whole main floor... Soon.
Today we are working on finishing up the new bathroom upstairs. Last night DH and Jessica caulked the trim and windows. Today we are going to finish up the painting and install all of the fixtures. Will take photos when it is done.

Memorial Weekend Camping Trip

2009-05-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

We had such a good time this weekend. Here's a few photos that Krissy took. This first one is right behind our campsite. The kids had a blast swimming here.

Patches on my lap on the ride home. She had fun too.

These photos are at High Falls Park about 15 minutes from our campsite. It was beautiful.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for a fun filled Memorial Day weekend. First and most importantly, our oldest daughter, Jessica, will be 15 on Saturday. Second, we leave tomorrow (Friday) for four days of camping in the great outdoors with some of our friends. A few weeks ago it looked like we were going to have 13 families join us but now we are down to eight. Fun times!

Last Tuesday, DH completed the fifth of 12 classes for school. We're almost half way done. Woo Hoo! Next term starts in 10 days so he's taken time off to go camping and work on the house. We will tackle that long "Honey Do" list next week. No time for procrastinating, we have back to back guests scheduled to come visit for the next two months. I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family.

We are also gearing up for the next school year. I've spent hours researching and planning but I'm still not done. I still have Language Arts, 4th grade Science and high school Spanish to find. I need to hurry. We will be starting back mid July. I'm going to try something new and have a Friday fun day this year. That means only a four day work week with Friday being a reward for hard work. The skies the limit... we can go anywhere. Only stipulation will be three free activities for every one paid. I know there are lots of free things to do around here and the paid ones will be an extra special treat.

Diaper Burp Cloths

2009-05-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

We have been busy in our craft room again. Kristen is getting quite handy at sewing which frees me up to do the embroidery I enjoy so much. Unfortunately, I ended up going to the repair shop three times last week to have them look at my machine. The last trip was quite frustrating because it wouldn't duplicate the problem.

Our latest endeavor has been embellishing diaper burp clothes. They are so practical and personal. I wish that I would have thought of it when my kids were small. Last week a friend asked me to create a college football team burp cloth as a baby gift, in addition to a few other items. I had so much fun with this one! It started as quite a challenge. The obstacle was a small piece of fabric and a dominant geometric print. Finally I came up with the solution you see below.

RUFFLES

I loved it so much I went to wal-mart and picked up fabric for Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee.

On a Roll

2009-05-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

We are on a roll! The school year is winding down and summer will be here before we know it. This past weekend it dawned on me that we are going to have company almost all summer long. I'm so excited to have guests in the house but I sure have a lot of work a head of me. So I came up with a plan. I sat down and made a list of every task for each room in the house. All 14 rooms not including the garage, basement, porches etc.

Monday we worked on the Dining Room, Entryway and front porch. Top to bottom we gave it a thorough cleaning. Today was music lessons and we worked on the living room, stairs and hallway. Tomorrow we will tackle the kitchen and breakfast area. It's amazing how much better it looks with shiny windows and woodwork. I think the girls are actually enjoying it too.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a long drawn out process. Not only are we deep cleaning but we are purging and organizing along the way. We started with the easiest rooms first and will work our way up to the most challenging. I'm really dreading the office/schoolroom. I will definitely get before and after photos in there. I still have boxes piled up in the corner from Virginia I just don't have the room to unpack anymore books or paper.

DH is in the final stretch of class this term. His final is next week then he plans to take the following week off to tackle the last of our projects from the upstairs renovation. We mainly have touch-up painting and some minor projects to tackle upstairs. Then we'll move on to downstairs projects. I made a list today of all the projects that I could think of off the top of my head and came up with 36 items on the "Honey Do" list. Guess we'll save the non paint related ones for my dad when my parents visit for two weeks at the beginning of June.

Book Review

2009-05-09T20:06:00.001-07:00

While at the museum bookstore this past week I came across this very intriguing book. To my surprise Jessica read the thing on our 6 1/2 hour drive home from Kentucky. She wouldn't stop talking about it and had so many complimentary things to say about the book, I immediately picked it up and started reading it too. I am VERY IMPRESSED! This book is very well written. It is easy to read and has a very important message. I highly recommend it to all teenage girls and their mothers.

Best Field Trip EVER!!!

2009-05-09T19:49:00.001-07:00

We have just returned home from the best field trip ever. We camped out at Big Bone Lick State Park with our dear friends from Virginia. We arrived late afternoon on Tuesday and left around 10 am Friday morning. The kids and I had so much fun. I have to say, that was the cleanest campground I have ever been to. The bathrooms were spotless and the grounds were neat and trim. In fact, you are not allowed to touch the trees and plants. They are protected by law. Yes, by law. We also found out that you can't take firewood in or out of their park either. Glad I didn't pick that up before arriving or I would have been fined. The weather didn't cooperate with us. It rained and rained but we survived. The only day it didn't rain, Thursday, we spent at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY just south of Cincinnati. The Noah's Ark display was amazing. Wow! They recreated 1% of it and it was huge. I can't imagine how massive the whole thing would have been. By far, the creation museum blows away any other museum I've seen. We are definitely going back.

I highly recommend everyone see the creation museum. It was WONDERFUL! The Best Field Trip EVER!!!

Road Trip!

2009-05-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

I love homeschooling!!! The kids and I are taking a field trip. An Adventure! I'm so looking forward to it. If only I wasn't the one driving. Ha! Ha!

The truck is loaded down with camping gear and we are off to tent camp in northern Kentucky for four days. Yeah! One of those days we are planning to visit the Creation Museum. I have wanted to do this for about a year now and I'm so glad we have the opportunity.

I'll post more when we get back.

Craft Show

2009-05-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

We had fun at this weekends craft show. Kristen and I worked both days. Friday was very slow but Saturday was much better. If only the weather would have cooperated. We ended up leaving early both days due to the threat of tornadoes. I only took a few photos of our booth.

Diaper Burp Cloths

2009-04-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

I have been swamped the past few weeks and am just now finding a moment to post. Here's my latest endeavor. Diaper Burp Cloths with appliques done on my embroidery machine.

My Voice is Gone

2009-04-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

I had no idea last night that I'd wake up with a sore throat this morning. Now I'm at the point where I cannot talk. Yikes!

Today was busy anyway. Kristen had over three hours of testing and I spent the majority of the day embroidering appliques. I'm so close to finishing. If only I felt better...

Guess I'll go rest now.

Busy Days

2009-04-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

I thought life would slow down once Lads was over. Boy was I wrong! Monday started with a Homeschool meeting, Tuesday was music lessons and I worked on embroidery all day. Then today, tomorrow and Friday the girls have standardized testing all day. Saturday is our craft show so we will be getting ready for that in every spare moment. Whew... I'm tired just thinking about it. Maybe we can rest next week.

Lads Convention Stats

2009-04-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

As our convention weekend comes to a close I'm just going to post some quick stats. I'm wiped out!

Michael: 3rd Place Song Leading
Bible Bowl Team Finalist
Good Samaritan Silver Level
Know the Books
Oral Bible Reading Participant

Kristen: 2nd Place Speech
Bible Bowl Team Finalist
Good Samaritan Gold Level
Pearls High Score
GIFTS Level I

Jessica: 1st Place Girls Debate Team
1st Place Puppet Team
Pearls High Score
GIFTS Level I
Bible Bowl Team Finalist
Good Samaritan Gold Level

Lads Convention - Friday

2009-04-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today we hit the ground running. Running here and there. Now I'm exhausted and we're not close to done for the day. One of the highlights from today has been the girl's debate. Jessica and Holly did a great job! I'm confident that they placed. Afterward, I was able to watch Jessica's puppet team. They did really well. This years script was one of the best I've seen. It was taken from Horton Hears the Who Movie. Very cute. I wasn't able to watch but heard Michael and Kristen's puppet teams did great too.

I judged Art Says It this morning. It's amazing how many ways someone can reflect Joshua 1:16 in a photograph. I only graded one division of 3rd & 4th grade photography and it was very difficult to choose. We had almost 50 entries in our group. They were all so good. But the winners were fantastic. I wish that I could have looked at all the entries but time and my ankle are preventing me from it.

Michael had Oral Bible Reading this afternoon and tonight at 8pm is the 40th Annual Awards Ceremony for all of the events completed before we arrived for the weekend. They will receive recognition for various things we have been working on for the past year like Good Samaritan, and Know the Books.

At 8am tomorrow is Speech, then Bible Bowl and Song Leading. DH is in his judges meeting now. He will judge 9th grade boys song leading tomorrow evening. I'll post more when I find out the results.

Lads Convention Weekend

2009-04-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes convention. We are so excited to go again this year. We have been studying and preparing for almost a year now. I will post more about it when we return. Please pray for us to have a safe journey.

More Photos

2009-04-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a few photos from Kristen's room

Renovations: Closets

2009-04-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Okay! I think I have closet envy. The girl's closets turned out so good. DH is now talking about redoing ours. It was fast, fairly easy and inexpensive. Although we will probably go with an adjustable rail system. Unfortunately, we have so many other projects in line before we ever get around to our closet.

Kristen's Closet:

Happy Birthday Kristen

2009-04-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today is Kristen's 13th Birthday. For the most part it was a good day. Jessica woke up this morning and made pancakes with fresh strawberries. This afternoon I took Kristen out shopping for a few new outfits. And this evening we went Bicycle shopping. Unfortunately, That didn't go over so well. She wants a new bike just not one with gears... or hand breaks. You know, the old fashioned kind that you kick back on the pedal and it stops. DH took her to a very nice bike shop. The sales man was very enthusiastic about his product too but it totally intimidated Kristen. I think she likes things simple. No frills. So when he started talking about 21 gears and RPMs she started seeing stars. My poor Kristen.

We ended the evening with pizza and crafts at the church building. We had fun. Hopefully we can pick up the bike shopping again tomorrow.

Strength

2009-04-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for my church family! I'm reminded that the Lord gives us all the strength we need when we lean on His word.

(Philippians 4:13) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

(vs.19) But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Several people have unknowingly encouraged me the past few days. I'm so grateful for all of my many blessings! Most of all I'm grateful for my ever-loving savior who died for ME so that I may have life eternal. I want that reward more than anything else. I pray others want it just as badly. 2 Peter 2:21

I'm retreating to the begging place now. Please pray for me and my continued strength and wisdom to endure all of life's trials.

Wooo Hooo We Passed!!!

2009-04-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

We have officially passed our final inspection. Yeah! We only have one very minor fix and that can be taken care of in 10 minutes or so. DH needs to replace the door knob on the A/C access with a locking handle. Not a big deal.

The girls are very excited. Only minor touch-ups and they can move in. We're planning to build out their closets this weekend. Already have the plans and materials list that needs to be purchased. Eventually I'll get back on my task of furniture shopping but that's not a priority.

Planning for 2009-2010 School Year

2009-03-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

About this time every year I begin looking forward to the next school year and evaluating how the current year has been going. This year has been quite challenging. We had a child at every level: High School, Middle School and Elementary. Even with the challenges this has been one of the best school years yet. We have overcome many struggles especially with Kristen and math. I have finally found a program that works and plan to switch Michael to it next year also.

We are very eclectic in our course of study. Some of my favorite curriculum's are Tapestry of Grace History, BJU English, Apologia Science and Teaching Textbooks Math. Some of our extra studies have been Debate, Speech, Song leading, Health, Typing, Music, Lego Club, Home Economics, Web Design, Sewing, and of course, Bible is a daily and continual study.

Next year we will still have a child at every level but we are excited about the challenge. Hopefully we won't face the same obstacles such as sprained ankles and renovation projects.

Renovations: Carpet

2009-03-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

Today the carpet was installed. It looks SO GOOD!!!! The girls even commented that now it feels like part of the house and not just a "scary place". They are so excited to get moved in. We still have odds and ends to finish up. For example, now three of the six doors are too long and won't open and close properly so they need to be trimmed. We also have touch ups on the paint but we expected that. DH needs to put a final coat of paint on the dormer windows. Screens need to be ordered. Spindles need to be painted. Final coat of poly on the stair rail. Hall painted. Hardwood cleaned. Final coat of paint in the bathroom. Caulk bath and hall... Oh, we still have a lot! I'd better stop before I get too upset.

Over 100 Posts!!!

2009-03-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

I have over 100 posts. Woo Hoo! I know that only my family and friends read this but is a milestone for me. It's painfully obvious that I'm NOT a writer... never have been. Thank you for popping in every once in a while to check on us and our crazy life!

Renovations: Fourth Day of Painting

2009-03-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's late! DH just finished his day of working upstairs and it's after midnight. Whew! All of the walls are DONE! The trim is DONE! Jessica and Kristen's windows are DONE! All of the doors are DONE!

So what's left before the carpet is installed on Monday? Just one coat of polyurethane on the stair rail extension. Yippee! DH said he's not planning to do any painting tomorrow. That's okay.

I found a new hobby. Staining Wood! How fun! I'm so happy with the results. You can't even tell that it wasn't installed when the house was built 8 years ago.

I can't believe that this project took 6 whole days. Wow!

Renovations: Third Day of Painting

2009-03-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

I'm thrill to say that we didn't run out of paint and we didn't need to visit Home Depot. We actually finished Kristen's room and the Family room area. We were even able to begin painting some of the trim and doors at least the first coat in Jessica's room.

I am currently planning out the closets. Trying to figure out the best use of space. I want the most bang for my buck. We have those gabled ceilings to work around.

Here's the photos...

Renovations: Second Day of Painting

2009-03-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I had to make another trip to Home Depot. We ran out of paint AGAIN! I had to get two more gallons of paint for the Family Room and one more for Kristen's. Ugh! I should have grabbed a gallon or two of semi gloss for the trim but we'll just wait till tomorrow to see how far two gallons will go.

Jessica's room is DONE! No, I don't have photos. It was dark when we finished so photos will wait till tomorrow. Sorry Daddy!

DH is finishing up the first coat on the Family Room now. He wanted to do the second coat tonight so we'll see what time he ends up going to bed. I tried to find the actual color of the Family room on the web last night to on avail. Think of a latte. Daddy that is creamy coffee. ;o)

Renovations: First Day of Painting

2009-03-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of painting. I left around 9:30 this morning and headed to "Dogtown" with a friend. I'm so excited that I found all the furniture we need for the new space. However, I still haven't purchased it yet. Guess I'll go back this weekend and take the truck this time.

I ended up getting a phone call as we were passing a Home Depot on the way home. "Momma, we need more paint!" So we ran in and picked up another gallon of each color. Plus, painters tape, rollers and additional paint trays. Whew! Hopefully that was our last paint run.

Here's a sample of the colors that the girls chose for their bedrooms. The first two are Jessica's colors. The light color goes above the knee walls and on the ceiling. The darker color is on the knee walls, in the closet and all the other walls.

Kristen chose this blue for her room. All of the walls including the ceiling will be in this one color.

Today we finished 80% of Jessica's room but didn't get to any other areas. We plan to break out the Wagner with the roller attachment tomorrow. I think DH and the kids did an excellent job but it took so long with just regular rollers and brushes.

Renovations: Day of Priming Drywall

2009-03-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

As the title states, we primed drywall today. I purchased a Wagner Paint Crew Plus about a month ago online. Very good buy! From the time DH took it out of the box and assembled it to the time we finished clean up was approximately four hours. Plus, I had to run to town for more primer (20 miles). All in all it was a very good day.

Tomorrow, we plan to put color on the walls. Well, DH and the kids will. I'm running to Dogtown with a friend. Yeah, Shopping!

Renovations: Day of Prep

2009-03-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

It is 9:45 p.m. and DH and the girls are finishing up work upstairs. It has been a LONG day. DH took off all week so we can finish up the upstairs renovation because we have carpet installation scheduled for Monday, March 23rd.

Today was paint prep day. We cleaned out the entire space and wiped down all of the walls. Drywall dust no more! Then we scrapped all of the drywall mud clumps off the floor, swept and vacuumed. All of the nail holes in the trim and window were filled. Then, all of the outlet covers were removed and bags were placed in the holes. DH even took down the ceiling fans and light fixtures. I scrubbed the bath tub and swept the tile floor. All of the windows were taped. They are finishing up all of the caulk now.

That pretty sums up the work that was completed today. We are all exhausted and looking forward to a good nights sleep. Yawn!

18 down, 27 to go...

2009-03-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

I had big plans for this weekend. Unfortunately, things never work out like I plan. You see, DH and the girls are at a youth retreat for the weekend and Michael went to spend the night with a friend. I had the house all to myself. That meant I could go down to the craft room and sew. However, things weren't as I had left them the last time I was down there. The satellite installer needed to get right above my sewing table to hook us up so all of my equipment was scattered along with all of my supplies.

After the mess was straightened up, I was able to spent three hours working on four rocking horse appliques for Alyssa Nichole Designs. Website coming soon... I'm still working on it in my spare time. Ha ha! Tonight I was able to get one fire truck romper done. It was really cute but very labor intensive. I think the fire truck alone had eight different thread changes and three fabrics. But it is adorable! Yes, Daddy! I took photos but left the camera in the craft room. Will have to wait for now. ;o)

Eventually I'll be able to work on my projects in preparation for a craft show coming up in April. But for now I'll keep plugging away at the rompers than need to be appliqued for Alyssa Nichole. 18 down, 27 more to go. They are calling their line of boys rompers "Puppy Dog Tails". As soon as the website is launched I'll let you know first. Very exciting!

Upcoming Events

2009-03-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

You are probably wondering if I've fallen off the face of the earth. No... just busy. Things have been quiet on the renovation front. We are scheduled to have the carpet installed on the 23rd. Yippee!! That means that all of the painting has to be finished before then.

We have a plan! DH is helping with the youth retreat this weekend but then he will take all of next week off so that we can accomplish all of the cleaning, caulking, painting and the dreaded basement clean out.

Why the basement clean out? Well because we have too much stuff and the big yellow dumpster is also being picked up on the 23rd. I would much rather donate all of the kids outgrown toys and clothes but we will see.

Homeschool at Our House

2009-03-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend I spent several hours on lesson plans from now until the end of our school year. We should be done with all of our studies by the 12th of June. Yeah! We actually get a summer this year and it's only 3 1/2 months away.

I'm very particular about finishing the books especially now that Jessica is doing High School level work. But I've always made that our goal. This year has been very challenging for us because each of the kids is at a different level (high school, middle school and elementary).

On the right hand side of this page you will see the various links to the curriculum we use. We have a very eclectic mix of curriculum. This is because one thing may have worked for one child but didn't work for the next. For this reason, I ended up switching gears after Christmas this year and changed up several of Michael and Kristen's books. That was such a hard decision but one I'd definitely make again.

Each week I create a schedule (see below) for each child. Here is a peak into our school week.

Renovation: End of Day 18 1/2

2009-02-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

This morning began with a surprise visitor. The building inspector woke us up. I wasn't expecting anybody so it was not pretty! However, we found out that one coat of paint is necessary to pass the final inspection.

We went carpet shopping this weekend and found what we, I mean I, wanted. They sent the carpet estimator over this morning so we can get the order in and schedule the installation date.

Renovation: End of Day 18

2009-02-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

Ugh! I was really hoping that we would be done with all the trim today but we are waiting for two things... Railing to finish off the stairwell and a solution to finish Jessica window. Evidentally the framers felt that the room was badly out of square so when they firred out the window wall in Jessica's room they kindly squared it up creating problems with the window now being terribly out of square. Now they need to work out a solution for the trim so that it doesn't look "odd".

Here's the photos:

Renovation: End of Day 17

2009-02-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

We're almost there! HVAC is done and trim is half way there. Here are a few photos of the progress.

Mortimer the Cotton Mouse

2009-02-19T11:29:00.001-08:00

I love living in the "country". The kids can just go run and play. Today while Michael was out running around he discovered a new creature living in our wonderful back yard. Let me introduce you to "Mortimer" the Cotton Mouse. Michael named him. And, NO, he didn't touch him. We had a long talk about the dangers of wild animals even cute, tiny mice. Luckily these mice like to live outside and the likelyhood of it deciding to come habitate with us is low.

Here's a little information I found on the Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus) Found statewide in dense underbrush, bottomland hardwood forests, and a variety of other habitats, including old fields, upland forests, hammocks, and swamps. Except for summer, breeds year-round. Gestation about 23 days; litter size averages four. This opportunistic omnivore consumes insects, spiders, slugs, and snails, but also eats seeds and fungi.

Renovation: End of Day 16

2009-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Let there be light!

The electricians were back today to install all the fixtures and lighting. It is actually coming together. Other than that it was pretty quiet. DH came home around 12:30 to take the girls to music lessons and me to physical Therapy.

Renovation: End of Day 15

2009-02-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

The sheetrockers are finally done! I'm so ready to be over drywall dust. DH and the girls have thoroughly swept and vacuumed the entire upstairs. Jessica even wiped down the hardwoods after the sheetrockers made an attempt to mop their mess and ended up turning my floors a milky brown mess. I wish I would have taken a photo. Words just can't describe the difference.

Renovation: End of Day 14

2009-02-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

Today is Saturday. The sheetrockers actually showed up at 8am and left around 3:30. They didn't even take any breaks today. But unfortunately they aren't done either.

For Mom

2009-02-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of the dormers you requested. ;o)

Renovation Photos

2009-02-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

Renovation: End of Day 13

2009-02-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Not much to report today. The sheetrock crew, of 2, showed up around 11:30 and left at 4pm. I did send Jessica up to take photos this morning and she ended up taking video instead. So... No pictures again today. Sorry.

Blah, Blah, Blah

2009-02-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

The posts are boring me so I'm sure they are boring you. Here's a story to break up the monotony.

Yesterday a friend came over to take the girls to music lessons and sat down to chat for a few minutes before they had to go. I don't remember if I told Michael before she arrived or while she was here that he would be going with me and DH to my physical therapy appointment. He fussed a little and left the room. I didn't think twice. A few minutes pass and the girls left through the front door for lessons and the house was suddenly quiet. Unusually quiet.

Remember I'm still on crutches and can't go up or down stairs. So I start calling out "Michael, Michael". Where was he? Phone in hand I hobble out to the back deck. Maybe he's at the pond. "Michael, Michael" The phone rings. Hmmm. It's my friends phone number. "Hello?" Jessica's voice is on the other end. "Isn't Michael supposed to be home?" "Yes!" "Okay, were turning around..."

That little boy stowed away in my friend's van.

I ended up telling them to go on to music lessons since they were already running late. But boy did he get in BIG trouble when daddy found out!

Renovation: End of Day 12

2009-02-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Today was much like yesterday. The sheetrock crew, of 3 this time, didn't show up until 2pm and left a little after 6pm. I don't know what the progress is tonight because I still can't climb up the stairs.

Renovation: End of Day 11

2009-02-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Ugh! It's too dark to take photos!

This morning Jeff, the construction consultant, found a sheetrocking crew to do our job. Jeff and the sheetrock foreman walked thru around 9am and then they left to go assemble the crew. At 11:30 the sheetrock company delivered the drywall and placed it in each room. Then we didn't see the crew of 6 or 7 until 2pm this afternoon and they just left. It is a little after 6pm.

From all reports, since I can't climb up there for a look-see, it looks much different up there. The girls are so excited to see their new rooms shaping up. I keep hearing ooh's and ahh's.

Will try to get photos before they arrive in the morning to float and tape.

Renovation: End of Day 10

2009-02-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

Insulation is in. I didn't have the girls take pictures today because I had photos of the insulation already. Tomorrow morning the drywall will be delivered but no installers have been scheduled, that I know of.

Renovation: End of Day 9

2009-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

Today was very mild compared to every other day of construction. We had one guy working diligently all day to install the insullation. He was over half way done by the end of the day so I guess he will be back on Monday.

Today was also check cutting day. Ouch! It adds up really fast. We also found out that the drywallers are not available next week so Jeff is supposed to be finding someone else. It is so nice to have a construction consultant. He is working out so well and relieving DH and I of the headache.

Two weeks down, One more to go.

Renovation: End of Day 8

2009-02-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

We passed our building and electrical inspections today. We are so happy! This morning the county came out and disconnected our power so the electricians could upgrade our service to 400 amp. It took them about five hours to install the new meter and subpanel. We were without heat for most of the day. Luckily it didn't get that cold in the house. Only 60 degrees. That's pretty good considering it was in the upper 30's today. Burrr!

Tomorrow the insulation installers are going to be here. It's coming together quickly. Jeff may be right. It may only take 3 weeks after all.

Renovation: End of Day 7

2009-02-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

No Photos Today.

DH and kids left before the HVAC installers so no one was here to take photos before the sun went down. All of the duct work and pipes for the AC are in. We are ready for the rough in inspection tomorrow morning.

Surgery Went Well

2009-02-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Daddy called me at 8:30 this morning and let me know that his surgery went well. They gave him 3 stints and he's feeling much better. Thank you again for all of your prayers!

Renovation: End of Day 6

2009-02-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

Today the HVAC crew was here. They were unable to install the duct work on the ceiling in the girl's rooms so they are placing the vents on the side of the walls. Two in each room and one in their closet. The unit takes up most of the utility closet you can see it here laying on its side in the following photo.

Here's a photo of one of the vents installed in Jessica's room. We will also have storage access here.

Today was my first day of Physical Therapy. It was pretty rough. I have another appointment scheduled for Friday. My left ankle is still very swollen and extremely sore so DH helped me prop it up with several pillows. Of course "Princess" Patches thought the pillows were for her.

Update on Daddy

2009-02-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

They will take him back at 6pm today and give him two stints. I'm so thankful that he didn't require a bypass. Thank you all for your prayers! We appreciate it.

Correction: Daddy just called and said his procedure was rescheduled for 7am tomorrow. He's feeling much better.

Renovations: End of Day 5

2009-02-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

Today was quite busy or should I say crazy. We ended up having the framing, electrical and HVAC people here all at the same time. The framers are done unless the inspector says to fix something. The electricians are done until the county hooks up another 200 amp service to our house on Thursday. The HVAC crew just started. Today they built their AC platform in the utility closet and ran the piping and wires from the basement. They still have a lot of work to do. We have the first of three inspections scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

AC Utility Closet Platform

Kristen's Closet

I went to my follow up doctors appointment today. She looked at my left ankle and commented on how bruised it is. Evidently, I have a lot more bruising than usual. When I do something, I do it right! Let me tell you. It is a doosy! But the swelling still hasn't gone down and she referred me to physical therapy. I will go for 2-3 weeks and if I'm not healing then she will revisit the possibility of it being broken.

Plus, this morning I received a call from my mom asking if she should take my daddy to the ER. I didn't know! Besides the only symptom she told me was that he was sweating. There must have been more to the sweating because he called the EMS himself and ended up catching a ride to the ER with my aunt. Please pray for him and my family. It is really hard for me not to jump on an airplane and head down there to help. But I know I'd just be in the way right now because I can't even take care of myself much less help anyone else.

Please Pray for my Dad!

2009-02-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

Saturday No Show

2009-01-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

No framers today! Bummer! I guess that's a good thing. Last night Michael went to spend the night at a friends house and today we are eagerly anticipating a friend from Virginia to arrive. DH ran to Wal-mart with Kristen to stock up on groceries for the upcoming week and Jessica stayed home to take care of me.

Just to let you know, I've been in a dizzy, groggy state since Thursday so I'm not sure that I'm typing correctly or even making any sense. These pain meds are very strong. My right ankle feels a little better but my left one is still numb and in a lot of pain. I can tell when it is time to take my next dose of medicine. I definitely need to go see the doctor early next week. But we are also working around DH's work and the contractor schedules.

Renovations: End of Day 4

2009-01-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

Today we had the framers and the electricians. The framers worked on Kristen's room but they didn't finish. They are due back tomorrow for an hour or so. They pulled up all the countertop flooring and replaced it with OSB and framed out her closet. I think that all they have left is to fir out the far wall. The team of electricians wired everything and even surprised us by putting a light in the storage area off Jessica's room. I believe they will return early next week to upgrade our service to 400 amp (?).

Of course, I'm unable to get up there to see the work myself so I'm relying on the girls to take pictures of the progress and DH to keep me updated. We are hoping to have our first inspection by Wednesday.

Renovations: End of Day 3

2009-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

Well, the framers didn't finish today. They will be back again tomorrow. Here's some photos of what they did. Kristen's room still hasn't been touched. The HVAC guys and Electrician will also be here tomorrow.

DH stayed home today and is off tomorrow. I'm so thankful. I haven't been able to go very far. Just from my bed to the bathroom. There's no way I can even make it to the dinner table tonight. Jessica was concerned that I'd be lonely because we always eat together as a family. Isn't that sweet.

Just Call Me "Grace"

2009-01-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

Last night did not turn out like it was supposed to. DH was in his Managerial Accounting class and Jessica was supposed to have Debate class before bible study. In fact, the kids were already waiting for me in the van when I fell off the back deck. They had no idea what had happened. All they knew was that I was laying on the ground and calling their names. I just knew that I had broken both of my ankles. I'm very proud of how the kids handled themselves. They kept their heads about them and were very mature.

We immediately called my dear friend. She picked us up and calmly drove us to the ER then took the kids with her to bible study. DH left class and made it to the ER before we did. He had already signed me in so I was able to be seen very quickly. Wish I could have a "do over". I am so embarrassed to have caused so much trouble.

Ends up that I just sprained both ankles. Severely. But the ER doctor gave me very strong meds which makes me very groggy.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Renovation: End of Day 2

2009-01-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Today was much easier on my nerves. In my opinion the framers didn't do quite as much as yesterday but it was quite a bit colder too. Yesterday the high was 70 degrees and today it was in the high 30's. No flooring in Kristen's room today, the closets were not framed and the wall between the hall and the family room wasn't removed. But here's a few pictures of what was completed.

Renovation: End of Day 1 / Teen Talk Tuesday

2009-01-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Boy, the fumes are almost unbearable! We all ended up with a headache. I even had the windows open most of the day. I'm so thankful that it was pretty outside but tomorrow it's supposed to snow. The framer said that they would finish up tomorrow and be available Thursday morning in case there was something else. Not too sure what that means.

Almost forgot Teen Talk Tuesday. I went to a fabric store in Tennessee Saturday with my crafting buddies so this story is second hand. Jessica is usually the cook and Kristen bakes but for some reason Kristen ended up making mac n cheese for lunch. She went about the task of boiling the noodles, staining them and then mixing in the cheese, butter and milk. Jessica walks by and notices that Kristen has Macaroni and cheese soup in the saucepan. Soup because Kristen thinks that 1/2 cup milk meant 1 1/2 cups milk. Please bear with me. It's late and we have the fumes... I don't remember how she explained it but it makes sense to Kristen that 1/2 means 1 1/2. Jessica tried to save the day by cooking it down but they ended up with mush mac n cheese. Ewww! Don't think we'll be eating that anytime soon.

Renovations: Day 1

2009-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

Work started promptly at 8am this morning. There were three guys and they were making a lot of racket. At times I thought the ceiling was going to drop. It is lunch time now. Yea for quiet. Just the sound of Jessica playing the piano. I snuck up there and took a few pictures of the work so far.

And the Fun Begins!

2009-01-26T09:44:00.001-08:00

This morning the lumber and the dumpster were delivered and the consultant met with the framer. He estimates 3 days to pull up all of the countertop flooring, replace it with OSB, and frame the walls/closets. Oh, also removing a wall from the hall to the new family room. Fun!

I'm going to be a complete bundle of nerves. Please pray for me!

Pre-inspection Comments

2009-01-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

I tried to answer the comment Daddy left from my last post but couldn't login for some reason. So I'm going to answer your question here. ;o)

The following are the suggestions made by the inspector Friday:

Need Attic Access above family room w/ 36" headroom
36" walk around A/C
No need for access on non storage knee walls
Attic access over master must be insulated w/blue board
Joist hanger missing on attic access header (above Master)
Consult engineer about truss modification
No additional support needed for wall removal in hall (install header)

WE HAVE A PERMIT!!!

2009-01-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

We had a very good courtesy walk-thru with the county building inspector this morning. He gave us lots of good information and helped alleviate some of our concerns. After he left, DH went to the permit office and obtained the permit. We should be starting construction next week. Our consultant said he would start lining the subs up. I'm nervous and excited.

Renovations: Consultant & Plumber

2009-01-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

Today was a big day in our house! We actually signed the contract to begin work upstairs & the first of the contractor parade came through... the Plumber. We actually have running water and toilet facilities upstairs now. Yippee!

DH went by the county inspector's office to get the permit but I think the receptionist scared him off. He is going to call the inspector first thing in the morning to schedule a walk thru before we turn in the paperwork for the remodeling permit.

Instead of hiring a general contractor or doing the work ourselves we ended up hiring a remodeling consultant who will oversee the project but not lift a hammer himself. Whew! I'm so glad that I won't be the one dealing with the daily parade.

Our consultant is estimating three weeks for the job to be completed. I'm looking forward to it being done and I know the kids are too.