Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Signature

Very excited about my new signature. It will appear at the end of every post. I ran across a lady who put it on hers and added her to my blog roll. She has very interesting view on parenting and homeschools. Don't know if I'll leave her there or not, but I wanted to be able to find her blog easily while I decide if I'll follow it or not.
Speaking of following, I added a followers spot. I guess in your profile, you add the blogs you follow and then your profile pic will show up on my blog. Once again, don't know if I will like it or not, but worth a shot.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Secretary Wanted

Our church annouced an opening for a full time secretary yesterday. They asked us to help get the word out, so here I am.
If you are interested, please send your resume to
Lancaster Christian Church ATTN: Travis Harris P.O. Box 145 Lancaster, MO 63548.
If you MIGHT be interested, call and ask questions...457-3598. Good luck......

Sunday, September 28, 2008

“It pays to plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.”...author unknown

Vance and I purchased our land in 2001. We have been planning and dreaming about our house ever since. As our plans became reality, we would always hear people say, "Good luck, it's a true test of a marriage." I always thought, WOW...I hope we can make it.

I mean, how rough can it be?

Will we be able to agree?

Well, we are a month away from moving in and we've made it.

I always thought it would be the big decisions that would way on us...vinyl vs. cedar, what color of roof, how many windows....

Nope, it's the weight of the little decisions that makes you irritable.

After working all day, going to the work site and having to decide which way the doors should swing, how many outlets, what finish for the faucets, where do you want light switches, etc.

So....after much thought I have jotted down a few pointers...

My two cents if you will...

In case you are contemplating building.........

1. If you think you will building 1, 5, 10 years start dreaming/planning now.

2. As soon as you start building, start ordering. Don't let anyone talk you out of storing things if you have the room. We are waiting on our front door that could have been purchased and stored if only I had stuck to my guns. We also waited on our faucets, b/c we were told we didn't need them yet. If you have the space...STORE.

3. When planning, understand everything! I mean, if you have this size of bathroom, how big will the vanity be? If your bedroom is ?X? how big can your bed be?

4. Understand that once you make the decision for the color of something it will haunt you forever. The color of our window trim made the decision for soffit, facia, doors, etc.

5. Visit EVERYONE's new house you can, you will need LOTS of ideas.

6. Don't save a penny on windows, doors, faucets, and flooring. Those are things you don't want to have to redo later.

7. Don't pick your contractor b/c it's a popularity contest. Choose the one YOU think is best.

Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Memories Made

Thanks to the below sponsors we went on a great field trip on Friday.

We went to a pumpkin patch in LaPlata MO. They had a 45 min. corn maze, hayride, and many more unique things. It was so safe, clean, and full of kind people. We loved how the kids got to roam with no fear for their safety. They had a blast.
One of the funnest things was a straw pit. You climbed up square haybale stairs, ran across a big round bale, and jumped into a huge pile of straw!
Entering the maze, full of muscle and energy.
Halfway through the maze and wilting.


We found the train whisle stop!

Conquering the maze. Go boys!

Meet Johnny Scary my class jack o lantern.

I Think This Is It....

I love it! Lots of bling, some pink, and NO brass.....thanks Corin. AND everyone else who sent me emails and ideas! AND the best part...I can change it's color by just swapping out the shades!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. --F. Scott Fitzgerald
Isn't this called being a mom? teacher? wife?

And the Hunt Continues...

I have been faithfully searching for the "perfect" chandelier for Emma's room. The only light not bought and stored so far. I have the perfect one in my mind, but can't seem to find/afford it. I want something royal, glamorous, whimsical, girly, etc. I don't think that's being too difficult. Do you?

This one I like except the brassy color and the weird egg thing in the middle.
I like the pinks in this one, but not much else. It doesn't have enough bling, bling!

This one definitely has some bling, but looks a little brassy. What do you think?


My favorite so far, but I wish it had a little color.
Before you start suggesting....I am not changing what I purchase. I am not painting, adding, taking away, etc. If I pay for it, it needs to be perfect. No time for alterations. No time I tell you!:) If you stumble across the "perfect picture" in my head, please send it my direction. I am willing to spend up to $150.00 (my yardsale money)! Thanks!
P.S. if any of you are able to tap into my head, you might want to take the rest of the day off!



Wednesday, September 24, 2008

“There must be consistency in direction.”...W. Edwards Deming

Wow...I told you I was going to blog nonsense, but I forgot my day with Colby yesterday. Needless to say, after a rough day at school, I told him his punishment would be no soccer practice. Do you ever feel like the punishment hurts you more than them? Now, I'm stuck at home when I could have visited with ADULTS for an hour! Ughhhh....Anyway, Colby continued on his way down the road of early bedtime and ended up there at 6:00. It killed me to not let him go to practice, b/c he does love it and it's good for him, but when you issue and ultimatum you have to stick with it. Now, don't get me wrong, I am no parenting expert....I just know from my own experience, the more consistent you are the better the behaviour will be the next time around.
Colby and I are going through a rough patch lately. I know part of it is the busyness with the house and hopefully that will get better when it's done. Also, he is at an age now, where everything "boy" is funny and I get tired of it fast. Bree warned me and boy was she right. So when you say your prayers tonight, pray for me and Colby.
Below is a poem I found when looking for a quote. I think I need to remember that my kids learn more and behave better from positive experiences and upbeat attitudes. I feel like our lives are in a rat race lately and can't wait til this house is done and we can settle down again.

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang up my first painting on the refrigerator, and I wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I knew that little things are special things.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I believed there is a God I could always talk to.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight, and I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I LOOKED....and wanted to say thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

Quote for my day

A women under stress is not immediately concerned with finding solutions to her problems but rather seeks relief by expressing herself and being understood.”...John Gray

I do not get stressed out often and if I do I can let it go quite easily.
I let God take over and know that my trust should be put in Him.
I do not have fancy words, nor do I reguarly quote the Bible.
Maybe I should, but everyone has their own talent and that is not mine.
If you start a verse, I can usually finish it for you, but I do not know what book it comes from.
Today I had a feeling of agitation.
After my last post, that agitation is gone and will be discussed no longer.
I do feel very honored to have so many good friends that knew where I was coming from, had been there themselves, and are not afraid to voice their opinions.
I just want it understood that I do not/would not/could not intentionally hurt anyone.
I think of all of you as I type each post, wondering if you could take things the wrong way.
Usually my posts are trivial and an update of my house.
I will try to resume that road of blogging b/c all of this thinking is hurting my head.
Expect nonsense from me for the next week:)

Goodnight friends......

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

“Make sure you have a different opinion and people will talk about you”....Arab Proverb

Ever feel like this is some people's goal?
Like they can't like/think/do something unless everyone else is against it? They like to make waves.
They like to hurt others.
They like to feel powerful by attacking your beliefs.

I may have opinions, but I'm kind enough to keep it to myself until I know how it will effect a good friend, peer, colleague. It is not my goal for each day to see what issues I can dredge up.

Just a thought.....

“True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.”...St. Francis of Assisi

Usually this quote is true, but I feel like the progress on our house happens daily. They have the front of the house, the whole south side, and the east side by the patio door left to do. There are lights wired in the kitchen and an outlet in the kitchen. That is really exciting to me. I picked out interior doorknobs today and Vance and I decided on a color for the master bathroom countertop.
East side of the garage.

East side, walk out basement.
North side of garage.
North side
AND THE BEST NEWS.....
Yep! Garage door openers! I was so excited by that...the guys were a little amused. I immediately put mine in my van. I feel grateful that I will appreciate these little things that most people take for granted. I have never had a garage door, dishwasher you don't have to roll, garbage disposal, laundry room, more than one bathroom, etc. I will feel more appreciative toward these little things. Sometimes waiting is hard, but for the best.

The Best is Yet to Be......

Monday, September 22, 2008

Do you ever wonder....

Do you ever wonder..........

How your daughter manages to never get both socks in the dirty clothes at once?

Why your children cannot make the connection from the sink to the toothbrush cup and leave their toothbrush just sitting on the counter? It's just a 6 inch gap!

How your girl gets dirtier than your boy? She's not even accomplishing anything!

Why time goes so fast after work?....but drags on and on during work! (Actually, time goes fast during work too, but in a different way).

Why the weekends go faster than the weekdays?

How your husband neglects a shirt for years and then totally notices it when your contractor wears it to work b/c he bought it at your yardsale? Oooops....

This weekend was packed FULL. Friday evening I got my stuff ready for the yardsale and went to Memphis for coax wire. Bree and I tried out the Mexican restaurant there.

Saturday started bright and early with the yardsale and then setting up the soccer foodstand. I was pretty proud of my organizational skills b/c the soccer games only ran about 10 mins behind. Then back to the yardsale and packed up around 2. I was miserable Saturday, my allergies were doing me in. After we packed up, I headed to KV to price things at Home Depot.

Sunday, I went to the early church service. There were only around 25 people there. Totally strange. Bree and I then went to Ottumwa and got presents and more stuff for the house. We stopped on the way home and let our kids feed the ducks. Too fun!

I finished my laundry tonight, which I never do. That totally stresses me out, b/c it is ALWAYS done before the work week. I just got it all put away. I only wash laundry on the weekend and then let it pile up throughout the week. Don't know if I'll do that in the new house. I know part of my problem is being in that yucky basement.

Can't wait till we move. It's getting more real everyday. I picked out the towel rings for our bathrooms and got the shower curtain rings. I also just picked out interior doorknobs and we're working on deciding on the m. bathroom countertop. This weekend I bought the kid's sinks and my kitchen sink which I'm totally excited about. Up next? Sanding and finishing the hard wood floor. Picking out carpet and laminate for the bathrooms. Finish insulating. Not sure what else........

Happy rest of the week!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

BLT

Nikki (hope I spelled your name right) and Annette this is for you. A little BLT family...how sweet. I think too cute for our family!
Annette I think you should be the pan and Nikki should be the bacon. Now all you need is the scrambled eggs...........

Colby

I feel like I need to update Colby's story. He is really falling into a groove with 1st grade. He loves his teacher and she does a good job of caring about "him." She's a farm girl too, and enjoys his stories of farm life. He has started soccer and seems to be doing quite well. He really loves the challenge and how he's always "playing." Baseball is a lot of waiting. Either on the bench or in outfield.
Colby and I's relationship is rocky. Somedays he just wants to please me and we get along just fine. Somedays he is way too much boy for me. I don't get that sillyness. Constand noises, silly talk, etc. I thank God for only giving me one boy to deal with. I do love him bunches and enjoy his company.
I know some of his negative behavior has to do with the busyness of our schedules with the house and everything. Colby and his dad haven't done something "fun" in a long time. Colby is very habit forming and doesn't like things messed with. He also requires A LOT of down time. Hopefully, we can muddle through until the house is done and then sit back and enjoy life again.

Emma....I just don't know!

So my dear, precious daughter.
The daughter, who at the age of 2 could spell her brothers name.
The daughter, who could recite her telephone number at 3.
The daughter, who has been writing her name for 2 years!
The daughter, who can verbatem recite anything Miss Lynne or Jeannie from the Health Dept. teaches.
The daughter, who can retell any Bible story every taught.
The daughter, who pays attention to EVERY, Big, tiny detail.................
Cannot remember her letters.
Yep, that's right.
Letters
As in A is for apple, B is for Bear
Nope, what does A say Emma....uhhh...hmmm...."buh?"
No Emma, A says "ahhh"
Oh yeah.
She could tell me word for word Judy's lesson on the 5 senses. What they were and what they did.
She can go into great detail on how metamorphosis works during the change from catepillar to butterfly.
Ask her what A says.
Uhhhhhhhh?
Vance and I just laugh and shrug.
She'll get it.
It's just not important to her.
She has bigger things to learn.
Colby, however, is quite concerned.
He will be tutoring her in the evenings!

Update

A House Update:
ALL of the windows are in, siding is stained, and most of the insulation is done. As you can see in the below pics all of the windows have trim around them and the corners of the house have trim. Hopefully tomorrow they will start putting siding on.

South side
East side. The patio door and two windows. I'm a little frustrated b/c all of the cladding/door color/window color etc. is just a little off. I think it's just too hard to match such a vague color. I think it will look fine, just not perfect and if I would shut my mouth none of you would notice!

It's slowly drying up!

West side...you can see the trim up on the dormers.
North side. The big windows in my dining room!
Insulation in the dining/living room. We've done all of that ourselves.
Our kids pitch in every night too. Colby holding a pipe for Jerry that is down below.
Emma sweeping sawdust in the garage.

Kelly told us he needed 1 more week outside and 3 more weeks inside to be close to being finished. I can't believe how quickly things have gone. I feel like things have just been pushed into fast forward. Today I made phone calls about vanity tops and ordered the toilets. We made decisions about cabinet doors and I still have to pick out interior door knobs, finalize bathroom countertops and order kitchen countertops. I also need to look at carpet and some kind of floor covering for the bathrooms. Any suggestions? I know I do not want hardwood, just b/c of the moisture factor and I do not want linoleum b/c I just don't. Not fond of tile either, just b/c of the grout and such. I think I'm going to go with some thing vinyl that looks like tile, but it's not. I also need to finish deciding on paint color and pack everthing in our house except the bare essentials! The good news is the faucets are all ordered, light fixtures bought, and doors ordered. Vance is making the trim, so hopefully that will go smoothly.

So dear friends, stand by for a painting party (AND I MEAN IT)! I will call you! Also, we should be moving sometime in the first of November!

How exciting!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Strange But True!!

So my son wants to be a tomato for Halloween. Yes, a tomato....actually a tomata! I have asked him many times for about a month and he never wavers from a tomato. After the great white sweat suit hunt last year, I'm a little afraid of another homeade costume and not really sure how to go about making it. I'm thinking....can't you just be a cowboy, pirate, etc. Nope....TOMATA. O.k, O.k. I kind of put it on the back burner b/c that's what I do when I'm avoiding a situation and lo and behold, what would come in the mail. The October issue of my Parents magazine with a tomato dressed toddler right on he cover! Who would have thunk it? I know, I know....strange but true. So I'm sure as I mumbled prayers/thoughts to God on "How in the heck will I pull off a tomato costume while working on a house." He steps in and send down step by step directions disguised in a Parents magazine. Thanks, God! I appreciate it!
Even stranger....the directions include the whole family who can be a BLT. Mom and Dad are the toast and siblings are the lettuce, tomato, and bacon. Yep....but you never thought about that!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Ready, Set, GO!!!

The Amazing Race starts September 28th! Can't wait!!!!!

From the mouth and thoughts of Emma

The Flood

So, it has been raining a lot...and lots of places have been flooding. Emma reminds me that God flooded the Earth once. Then He sent a rainbow to promise us he would never flood the Earth again. I thank her for that Bible lesson and move on about my duties. She then says, "Mom, do you think God remembers that promise." I'm sure He does Emma.
Last night when she was praying, she reminded God about his promise. I'm sure He appreciated that!

If you can't be content with what you have received, be thankful for what you have escaped”...author unknown

I chose this quote b/c I have been without water for 3 days. Even though it stinks, it could be lots worse. I could be in Texas without water, electricity, a house, etc! I am thankful that I have water to haul, places to shower, a sister to do my laundry, and lots of worker bees at my house.

Friday (well Friday).....hmmmm.....WET! That's all I have to say. The parade was wet, the game was wet, and I did not take advantage of my last opprotunity to use my shower after all of that!
Saturday was wet!, but productive. We got almost all of the siding stained with help from Mom and Chance. Vance got a lot of insulating done in between outages too. I crawled into Jenn's shower with totally disgusting feet after she made us supper and brought it out to the farm.

Sunday was cold. We did not go to church, Vance was out almost all night, and we needed to regroup. After a strange attempt at fixing lunch with no water, I went to the farm and Steve and Corin came to help insulate. O.K....Steve more than Corin!, but in her defense, she was chasing Levi. We got all of the basement insulated and all of Emma's room. Also worked on the main level. Steve and Corin came over for supper and we also made our showering stops on the way home...boy am I tired of that!
Today...no water and after I get to school I notice my shirt has strange spots all over it. It looks like laundry detergent stains. So....I am wearing my new curves shirt even though we're not suppose to wear t-shirts. Pray for the administration that asks me why I'm wearing a t-shirt, b/c I might just unload on them!
I usually am a glass 1/2 full kind of girl, so I'll just be thankful for a t-shirt at all. Right?

Thursday, September 11, 2008

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”.....Gloria Steinem

I'm starting something new, where all of my posts start with a quote. I think this one sums it up b/c our house would just be a big pile of wood, if we hadn't been planning all of these years. It has definitely taken some imagination to plan and even with the best imagination, I haven't always known what was coming.
Today, the beam was put in, along with two sets of doorknobs, soffit, and a reinforcing beam on the porch for a porch swing.

I love my doorknobs, simple but pretty. I looked through a 56 page catalog to pick those out!Emma is very happy b/c she can reach them AND open them. Bree will also be happy b/c her and my current doorknob get in a fight every time she stops by!
The electricity hub of our house....all I can say is WOW!



The beam....all I could say at first is Hmmmm..... We have to wait for it to dry out and then sand. After sanding, we will try to stain it to match the rest of the pine and then varnish. It is very white now and very, very big! I think it will look cool after all is said and done.

On another note, we started soccer practice today. Interesting....is all I have to say. Emma was very excited and already quoting her coach. Colby, well Colby got a big spanken after practice and that's all I have to say about that!

Tomorrow is Homecoming and it's suppose to rain. Colby is riding his pony through the parade and Emma is riding on the senior float. She is a panther.

Stay dry and enjoy your Friday!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

"I get by with a little help from my friends." ...John Lennon

Title pretty much sums it up. Seems like I'm always saying this and someday I hope I can really repay them, but thanks Bree and Jared. The day started with good vibes and pretty much stayed there. Yes, I had a huge blister and yes, I had to play dumb games with grown ups, and yes, I found out that the relay for life got moved to the Q.C. park which is infested with mosquitos, but really is that something to complain about? I think not!
My mom took my kids home, did homework, fed them, and then filled in my place at Sonlight. Bree brought my kids to the farm, went home and changed her clothes, and then continued to seal even when I was talking to the surround sound guy! Like I said, what have I got to complain about?
So today.....two of the doors were hung, and 7 windows..I think. The windows are totally awesome and I'm really excited to see them up. Tomorrow they are suppose to put the rest of the windows up and soffit and facia if the weather allows. If not, I'm not sure what they'll do. All of the porch ceiling is sealed and two more bundles of siding. If soccer practice is cancelled tomorrow, I will be sealing more...in an enclosed shed...with fumes. Fun times!

While I was sealing, Vance brought the log to the farm and stripped the bark off of it. Glad I didn't have his job! Jared came and helped him too. It's going to look pretty awesome...I"m thinking.I'm sure someone is wondering what poor fool dragged part of their car down the road!

While the adults worked, all of the kids picked up the bark. They made a HUGE pile...good work kids.

good vibes

I don't know why, but I'm feeling good vibes today. You know when you just have that lighthearted feeling? That's what I've got going today. Who knows what is around the corner. I think things are coming together with the house and I'm feeling confident that we're all on the same page. We are meeting with a surround sound expert tonight. I hope he doesn't overwelm us and squash my light hearted feeling. Also, hopefully our sealant comes in tonight for our siding and we can get back to work on that. Other than those things...were heading on down the road of our journey.
Our front door came in yesterday and it was wrong. I didn't get too upset b/c there is nothing I can do. The company messed up, so their going to start another one and the lumberyard is going to lend us a loaner door until then. We have to have one to side around and to keep the weather out as we start insulating and sheetrocking.
Vance cut down the tree last night that we are going to use for our beam. That was kind of neat. I just sat in the vehicle b/c it was cold and lots of thorns. Can't wait to see what that looks like all put up!
O.K....off to work.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Rain, rain, go away....

DEEP BREATH....AHHHHHH....
I'm sitting at last. Whew, do I feel like I'm rushing from here to there and sometimes meeting myself on the way! I am getting SO excited about my house. I've been excited all along, but it is becoming more and more real. I'm over feeling overwhelmed about the lighting situation. We have it under control. What will be next? Wall color, carpet...??? Who knows. Right now, the guys are just working inside until they can finally get outside. Then they will hang doors, install windows, and put up siding. I am excited to see how that will all look together. We will still need lots of help to seal the siding, so we'll be calling on friends.

Vance does not have to go to Lousiana anymore so that was a big relief off of my shoulders. I know the money would have been good; along with the stories to tell and the experience to gain, but WOW what a week that would have been!

We still have to cut the log that will be the exposed beam through the middle of our living room and get the outside lights, under cabinet lights, and the plain jane closet lights. After that, I think we're good. I have to make a trip to Ottumwa to take back the door bell and get a few more things up there.

On to more "deep" subjects. So far, Vance and I have not fought about this house. We have discussions, but have been very supportive about most of it. I am kind of surprised by this, but it seems that we have a good ability to compromise. I know this is scary, b/c if you know us at all, you know that we pick and bicker all day long. I guess when it comes to the big stuff, we know what matters.

Also, I have really enjoyed teaching 1st grade. I'm glad to have an easier class to deal with and to have such caring co-workers. They have really been helpful so far and it's nice not doing everything myself. We are planning a field trip and each one of us is doing part of it, not one doing it all. It's SO nice.

Well, I'm going to lay on my couch, b/c I CAN!!

Stay dry..............

What most of my house looks like now. Scrawled notes that would mean nothing to anyone but us!

These two tiny wires will open and shut the doors to my garage! YAY! I can't wait!

Those garage doors mentioned above:)

Switches, Switches everywhere!

Thermostat wire....just thought it was a cool picture.

Two More Things....

I forgot two things in my post...
1)My husband won his roping on Saturday and won a 2nd place and 3rd place on Sunday. Good job Honey!!!
2)You have to read the most current Stretch Marks post and if you don't get tears in your eyes...you have no heart!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Catching Up

This week has been crazy. We ended last week with our school's Grandparent's Day. Colby is blessed to have all of his grandparents and 3 great-grandparents. Those who visited him on Friday were: Grandma Joyce, Grandma Cindy, and Papa Curtis. He got to go home with Grandma Cindy after school! Below is a picture of the awards that they made for each other in his classroom. I thought that the "new" grandparent's day format was very cool. I loved them going into the classroom and seeing what a day is like. My class made awards also, and used glitter. I overheard lots of grandparents saying how much fun they were having!


After school, Emma and I went to the farm and talked with Kelly. This outlet and light fixture thing is overwhelming me! I am VERY excited, but looking forward to being pass this "phase." After Kelly left, Emma and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. We burnt lots of boxes from the garage doors, garage door openers, and other things. I am very excited to have things like a garage door opener and such! Can't wait to not scrape my van every morning and not walk out in the rain! That evening, I went to the high school football game. This year is my sister's senior year. I stayed until half time and then headed home for bed.
Saturday, I got up with a phone call that our pork was done at the locker in Bloomfield. I drove up there and picked up mine and my uncles and then dropped his off and then unloaded mine into the freezer. Then, I headed to Downing to see Vance and let Emma ride Fancy since we missed the parade. After that, I took Emma to Jenn (bless her) and went on a light fixture shopping spree with my mom. We were at Menards for 2 1/2 hours! A van load later....we had almost everything we needed. I stopped at Target..."just to look" and ended up with a shower curtain and rug for Emma's bathroom and new washclothes for everyone else. (It was a good sale!)
Sunday I went to church with Emma....Colby and Vance went back to the roping pens. I would not usually let Colby miss church, but he needs to spend as much time as possible with Vance since he's leaving Thursday. After church, Emma and I went to KV to get the ceiling fans at Home Depot that I like more. We also got a cool doorbell. We had fun just hanging out uand had lunch at Pizza Hut, just the girls. When we came home, we stopped and saw Bree's new puppies and then met Cindy at the farm. She helped me decide about outlets. It really helps to talk to someone...while thinking. Vance came out later and we really got down to business about can lights and other fun things. It's really hard to picture while there is no sheet rock, windows, etc. When we got home, we quick got the kids ready for bed and tried to get ready for the week to come. I know this post is really boring and I will try to get some new pictures up soon. Things are going to get really crazy for us with soccer starting tomorrow, church Wednesday, and Vance leaving Thursday. That means I will be the sole decision maker at the house and I need to be there everyday before Kelly leaves. Right now is a really important time where he has questions for me EVERYDAY! So off to lunch...I typed this during indoor recess...YUCK! Happy Rainy Monday!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Ahhhhhh.....

So this is how this week goes....
Tuesday: 2 vomitting students by 8:30, AWESOME...what a great way to start the day! 105 degrees (maybe overexaggerating a little), made supper, husband gets called out....stupendous!
Wednesday: Brrr.....55 degreees (NOT exaggerrating!), pick up 3 kids: bathe, supper, homework, and back to church by 6:30...GO ME! 101 kids at church (WOW)....that might be a lot, YEP...that was a lot!
Thursday: Husband gets called out at 4 AM, no Curves. Double Brrr.....another day of indoor recess, BOO!!! Spend 3 hours discussing light switches and outlets with Kelly. All I have to say is, WHO KNEW....not ME! Mad dash to KV for a few essentials. Husband and I discuss lighting preferences, most ideas the same, WHEW! Find out husband is leaving for LA on Thursday for 12 DAYS! That could be rough!
Anyone who can help seal siding, will be very welcome next weekend and any days after that. Thanks in advance!
Tomorrow: Grandparents Day=50 extra bodies in my classroom....all with a hearing problem...YAY!!!
I would love to show you pics of my house, Sonlight, etc. but I am simply too tired. Maybe tomorrow:)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Emma's Room

A house update....Emma's room is all studded in. She has a bathroom, closet, and lots of storage that is really for me! They also closed in both gable ends with OSB and started putting on plastic around the whole house. That made it very hot in there today! It will also help keep rain out, so they can work in there even if it's raining. That will be nice when they work everyday! Soon, they will begin putting in the windows and doors and then siding. Speaking of siding....we have to seal all four sides of every piece! YUCK!! Lauren came and helped us on Sunday and we used up 7 gallons of sealant. The lumberyard is ordering us some more...hurray! NOT!
On the home front, I have been cleaning closets, and other corners of my house for a yard sale Bree and I are going to do together. Stinks now, but will be totally worth it when we move! Off to lay on the couch...Happy Hump Day Tomorrow!
A view of the loft from the living room.
Emma's bathroom.Emma's closet and storage behind.
Emma's dormer.
View from loft. It looks different with that wall closed in.

Outsides with OSB.