Playing house

                                                                                                                                    Madi's cute toes :)

It's official.    I am playing house  here and having a B L A S T ! ! !   The first week we were here we unpacked bedrooms minimally, unpacked the kitchen (as best as we could) and then concentrated on getting the old house ready to close.  I will let you know that it was overwhelming  to get it all done in that little bit of time.  

But it has been so GREAT to settle in here.  Well,  settle is a funny word.  Does "settled" mean unpacked, decorated and all done?  Or does settled mean home?  For us right now it means home!

Mainly because we don't have all our furniture yet, my sofa is being reupholstered as we speak.  It will go in the family room.   We did buy a new one for the keeping room and it was delivered today, more pics to come.    Taking it slow and doing things little by little.  Like deciding if this picture should go above the mantle.......

Or one of these instead?

You get the idea! :)

XOXO

Last Day

For years I thought about this day.

I know I have been non-existent, but been so very busy.  Our house sold after being on the market for 3 1/2 weeks.   I feel so very blessed that it has sold and so quickly in this terrible economy.   However, I can't help but feel so bittersweet when I see this home (not just a house) empty.  Empty........

So many memories made here, so many firsts.   First visit from Santa,  first steps were taken here,first words were said here.   First place to realize that one of my sons was not developing at the same rate as his twin and to understand why.  First place to overcome the sadness and embrace his diagnosis and realize it was a blessing to us all.  First place we took the training wheels off.  First visit from the tooth fairy.   First place to swing on a swing set, play in the sand and stay outside from dawn till dusk in the summer.   First place to play in the neighborhood and first place to be shunned when someone else had "cooler" toys.    First place to bring home baby sister.   First place that our love has grown beyond what I ever imagined.  

 It's hard for me to say goodbye.  But I know that there are many more memories to be made.   Please come with us for the ride, will you?

XOXO

Little by little....

Things are moving right along, and honestly, it's almost done!  They are staining and polying the floors this week so we have to stay out until it dries.  Then, the kitchen goes in.  Then a re-roll of paint (walls and trim), the counters , plumber  and some "punch out" things (aka-things that get forgotten or need fixing) and we are DONE! 


This part had me biting my nails a bit.  I ordered this out of a stair parts catalog and while I could picture it in my head, I was HOPING it was going to turn out that way!   The stair guy said no one has ever ordered iron newels from him nor the panels.  So I had no pictures to see if I liked it or not.   Just a drawing of all the parts in a catalog.   I'm very, very happy with how it turned out! :)


Progess so far..............

sneak peek of the mudroom!

And this leads to the basement.  We opted to keep it open and put a doorway at the bottom of the stairs.  This of course was before it was stained.  And he had just put it all in , hence the sign!  

XOXO

Happy Birthday Johnny and Kris!

My boys turned 10 on Saturday, TEN!  I can't believe it.  I can't believe that a decade has gone by since we became parents to these beautiful boys.....

Posing on the kitchen floor for a quick picture!

And best of all, blowing out candles with our family!!!

Can you tell the boys like wrestling?!?! 

XOXO

Happy New Year! (and a book review)

Happy New Year!!!  I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas season and New Year.  Ours was definitely different, but we enjoyed it just the same!

Now for my book review.   I just got done with this book and I think everyone with kids or grand kids should read this book.   Despite the title, it is not a Christian book.  It is one mothers view of juggling it all, career, motherhood, activities and etc.  And her active role in learning how to say no and limiting all the things that impact on our true quality time with the limited amount of time we have in our kids lives.  

I have done some of what she is talking about in the book before I even started reading it. 

I think even if you don't agree with everything in this book you will still enjoy it!   Parenting is HARD work!!!

  It's a very easy and quick read.

I just ordered her second book  The Gift of an Ordinary Day.     I believe this is "part 2" of her life when her kids are getting older, teenagers and etc.  And I can't wait to read it!

Things are moving right along at the new house.  This week the railings are going in and I think they are starting to stain the floors.  Will be sharing pictures soon!

XOXO



Getting closer and closer...

I really hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We really tried to enjoy it as much as we could knowing it would be our last one in this house!  Of course 48 hours later an agent wanted to show our house to someone, so the stress is back on! UGH!   But choosing to look at the bright side, tomorrow will make two showings since Christmas!  Hallelujah!

Here are some updated pictures of the house!  Truth be told, they are a lil old!  I didn't mean for that to rhyme either!  But this is what I have to show for today!

The mudroom, which was originally supposed to be the laundry room.  That is until I moved the laundry upstairs and made this little space the "landing pad" of our new home.  Hopefully our little cubbies and cabinets (those shelves will be covered by doors soon!)  will keep us organized.  And below the benches are shelves for shoes! YAY!

This is a shot of the coffered ceiling in the Study.  This will be a multi-use room for our books, games and piano.  It is directly to the left when you walk in the front door.  Small room but cozy and will serve its purpose.

             This is a shot of the Master bathroom shower!  Still have to decide on a
                        shower door!  Nothing like waiting until  last minute!

This is the brick detail in the keeping room fireplace.  Our awesome mason used the same stone he used outside along with the same brick.  He cut them in half to make them the same depth as the stone.  He made me a herringbone hearth too! Vince, you ROCK!

Here is the keeping room fireplace all completed!  I stained and sealed the mantle myself.  Everyone thought I had made a mistake when they opened the box for the mantle.  But I wanted a rustic, non-fussy mantle in here.  Hope it works like I thought it would in my head!

And the beams in the keeping room that our very talented carpenter made!  I originally was going to go with real re-claimed barn wood.  But the sheer weight (and price) scared me.  So he made them out of pine and we stained it and voila, beams!

Here is the family room fireplace which is not painted yet, but will be soon!  They are starting on painting all the trim tomorrow!  The wood floors area all in and ready to be stained.  Things are moving right along!

Those of you that are still reading, in spite of my very long absences, THANK YOU!   I have been spreading myself very thin lately, but I think we are on the home stretch of this! 
XOXO

Merry Christmas and prayers for a friend!

I had every intention tonight to show off my baking and write the so many things I am thankful for this Christmas.

After having an EXTREMELY crappy day.  And trying to make up for it, to my poor children who sadly were at the brunt of it.   I sat down to regroup and catch up on my blog reading, but click on facebook first.  I  then found out that my dear friend Edie from
Life in Grace  had a horrible house fire a couple of days ago.  While I do not know all the details, I do think they lost everything.  But they all got out and they are safe.     I am asking my blog friends to please keep Edie and her family in your prayers.  If you haven't visited her blog before, please do.  She is loving, caring, funny, Christ-loving, southern girl, who can bake up a storm!!!    I am praying for her and hoping she posts to let us know how they are doing!  Again, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

We are hosting Christmas Eve dinner and then spending Christmas Day at my parents house.   So I am leaving  you with this message......