Glimpses of the future

Lately, I've noticed that I am starting to see more and more snapshots of what it will be like when our kids are older. Because let's face it, little kids are W.O.R.K. And we are smack-dab in the middle of the Little Kid Years. And as adorable and precious and irresistible as my chitlins are...somedays they are just plain exhausting. Make that most days. And there are a lot of moments where I just wish they would be able to do the cleaning and laundry and wipe their own mouths, hands, noses and bottoms all by themselves. :) But we're starting to see glimpses...

We had our first big party/SS fellowship in the new house last night. It was a hoot! There were almost 50 people here. It was so much fun! And even with the rain which prevented outdoor play and our un-cleared-out basement is still, there still was plenty of room for all of those people. (We are so blessed.)

And I guess I am not a good hostess, because I only got a few pictures, and 3 of them were of the ginormous shoe pile next to the front door...which incidentally was bigger before I took the pictures...some people had already left...










The first party wasn't marked by many photographically-captured moments. But I was too busy having fun! (Or else chasing kids...most of those 50 guests were under 3 feet tall.) In that respect, lack of pictures is probably a good sign of a great party.



Back again to the original train of thought...my sister and my good friend, Stacey did all of the dishes towards the end of the night. (Thanks girls!) And this morning, before Scott and I came downstairs, Lily and Joey had taken the initiative to finish cleaning up the kitchen and family room! They wiped down the table, set it for breakfast, folded up the folding chairs and stacked them at the basement door, and even swept the kitchen floor! I was flabbergasted. In a very happy way. :) So this might just be what it's like to entertain when our kids get older...no dishes or clean-up. I could get used to that!



So then... today was SHED day. I purchased a shed the other day (as our goal is to be parking our cars in our garage before snowfall...we're making progress). And today was d-day. It took almost the entire day for Scott to just excavate the site, level it, carry the dirty to the empty lot behind us (what would we do without you, empty lot?), borrow the neighbor's wheel barrow, pop the tire on the wheelbarrow, send me to two stores looking for a new tire while he kept on excavating using buckets, finish excavating before I got back with said new tire, spread stone, and level the site. All in the misty drizzle. And after I got back from two hardware stores, I got to be the String Girl who held the leveling string while he leveled the pad.



We finally started actually assembling the crazy shed at about 5:00pm...which meant we only had a little bit of daylight left...we scrambled...I primarily read ahead in the directions and kept him supplied so he could keep moving. Then I grabbed the big construction light and we kept building after it got dark.



Meanwhile, the big kids' rest time ended, and Gracie woke up from her nap. So Lily made everyone dinner (peanut butter and jelly) and snacks and took care of watching the kids so we could keep working! We had a lot of interruptions, of course, and the shed didn't get completed(crazy manufacturer didn't put enough screws and bolts in the box!) but it was still nice to continue working, even though the kids were up.

And it reminded me that one day...one day...we will be able to do more projects that take longer than 2 hours to complete. And one day, my girls will be able to make dinner on a regular basis. And one day, my son will be the one holding shed roof trusses up in the rain for my husband.


And maybe one day, I will be reading a good book on a rainy Saturday afternoon.


Maybe.


One day.

Quirky Me...again

I've been tagged by Jen and Joy to do a "6 random things about me" meme again. I think I've done this one several times, but the quirky things about me never cease. :) So here goes again...

Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have.
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each taggee's blog to let them know they've been tagged.

1. I love to stockpile food. It's a sickness, really. My pantry, fridge, and freezer are usually full. Does that make me too Mormonish, and not Baptist, enough?

2. I don't like chewing gum. I think it's not a very polite habit, in public, and I don't like my children chewing gum, either. Oh, I'm so mean.

3. Not multi-tasking is very difficult for me. It seems I always have several streams of thought or work open at the same time. Focusing on just one task is becoming harder and harder for me to do. It's like a bizarre form of adult-onset ADHD.

4. Even numbers are my favorite. I guess it's the OCD in me coming out. Our new street number is almost all odd numbers, but that 8 on the end makes the whole thing just right. :)

5. I have lots of words (my poor husband). It has taken 30 years, but I am starting to realize that I really enjoy writing! (Not that I'm good at it...I'm just liking it!) As I am learning to teach, or rather inspire, good writing habits in my children, I am finding that this is something that I really enjoy. In school, most often, writing was a boring assignment. But now that I am discovering different methods and trying to spark my children's narrating/writing habits, I am learning a bit about myself, as well. Ah, the joys of home education.

6. My kitchen's "junk" drawer isn't messy. But we still call it the junk drawer. I think I've mentioned before that I dislike losing things. Particularly scissors. When I was growing up, I remember going crazy because the scissors weren't where they belonged. So as an adult, I can assure you that there are at least 10 pairs of scissors in this house...and they are always readily available. Which, as I have discovered the hard way, is not necessarily a good thing. :)

I tag Amy, Alison, Rebecca and anyone else who wants to do it, or hasn't be tagged yet. :)

Life...at rapid speed

I've had this empty post box open to write a blog post for several days now. Either time or inspiration have evaded me each time I clicked on it. Life is busy. And my, oh my, is life every much busier now that school has started. I was dreading that aspect of the return to school. But in between phonics and history and science, we have been having a lot of fun, too!

• I chopped and froze a basket of red bell peppers
• Lily had her first science class of the year, at the science center. She loved it, of course.
• Joey is doing wonderfully with reading, writing and arithmetic. :) I am so pleased, as I was fully prepared for him to not like writing neatly, and reading lessons. But he LOVES school and already finished one of his three phonics books! Yikes, I'm going to have to find something else for him. And anything science or animal-related is his absolute favorite!
• I made a meal for a friend who just had a baby
• There has been a lot of cooking going on around here with a party coming up and also a week of revival meetings. I'm trying to plan ahead now so we aren't only eating frozen pizza, chicken nuggets and scrambled eggs next week. :)
• Our lawn is there, but not looking so good. The cheap grass seed that the builder seeded with isn't holding up in our autumn dryness. We planned to overseed the entire lawn anyhow, this fall. So we're having a friend with a landscaping business, aerate the whole thing and put down decent seed. And the watering continues...
• Most of our curtainage is up...or will be up this week. Woo-hoo!
• Lily learned to ride a bike without training wheels and she's been on it non-stop now. We went to a park near my sister's house to ride with my niece, Sophia, who also learned to ride her bike, and off they went! I saw Lily WAY across the field on a bike trail. So neat! I remember the freedom that the bicycle gave me when I was little too. It's so neat to relive childhood through my children! And there are few things more thrilling to this mommy's heart than being present when my children learn something new or conquer some new skill! This is one of the best perks of homeschooling.
• Our new address is finally on google maps. I know this sounds odd, but it gives me express joy! No more writing directions!
• Gracie is learning (learning being the key word, here) to play by herself while we are schooling. I think she is finally starting to see the benefit of independent play...ample opporunity to get her hands on all of her siblings' toys!

And the list could go on, and on. Praise the Lord for a full life and the blessings associated with it!

A boy's delight...

...mowing with Pop-pop!

Totally Stealing...

...my mom's pictures to show you her new wall words that she ordered for over their bed! Aren't they fabulous??! I think they look so awesome!!




My mom shared this verse with me when I was afraid of something at night and couldn't sleep. She said that when we were little and my dad was working night shift for a time, she had trouble sleeping alone. But the Lord used this verse and it has been a blessing ever since.




I think it looks GREAT in their newly decorated bedroom!! This makes me even more eager to paint so we can start hanging things (and applying letters to!) my walls!

She can do it!!!

We tried this idea late this afternoon, and within minutes this is what happened...

Way to go, Lily!! There are few things in life more thrilling than watching your child master a new skill! We are so proud of our girlie...and Joey isn't far behind. :)

It's been a great evening on our street!

Vanity-sizing, schmanity-sizing

Am I the only one who finds the vanity-sizing that is so rampant in women's fashion appalling? I realize that flaunting around a "tiny" number may be appealing to some, but I've never been a "number dropper." To me, it's not about the number on the tag, but how the article of clothing fits. Who cares if the outfit is a particular size, as long as it's well-fitting and looks great.

That being said, I'm noticing that every store, and I do mean EVERY store seems to be vanity-sizing these days. I have borne three children in the last seven years, and suffice it to say, the ole' gray mare just ain't what she used to be. And yet the size of clothing that I am buying is smaller now. I think it's deceiving and I feel like an imposter.

I read somewhere that Lucille Ball was a size 12, in her day. But she would be a modern size 6? Or something like that. That's at least 6 dress sizes that have been vanity-sized away in less than 50 years. So what is going to happen in 20 years from now? Are we going to be saying to one another, "Oh no dear, get me the size -8 (negative-eight) skirt. The -6 is simply too big." :) Bwah! Be honest. My message to fashion-designers: Bring back true and accurate sizing. Don't try to coddle to us to make us feel skinnier by vanity-sizing everything, when nothing has really changed.

Unexpected Visitor

While living in a construction zone may be fun, knowing someone who operates in the construction zone is even better! Today, my cousin stopped by driving this...





I knew he worked for our builder, but he said he usually worked at their developments almost an hour away. Imagine our surprise when he showed up at the end of our driveway! The kids were enthralled...a relative...in a big machine. Thanks Kev, for making our day. :)

M&M Thoughts

A long time ago, our pastor started one of his messages by handing out (or rather throwing) bags of M&M's into the congregation. He wanted us to remember the importance of memorizing and meditating on God's Word, hence the M&M's.

Lately, the kids and I have been memorizing chunks of Scripture, and I can't tell you how much I love the immersion technique of memorization and meditation! Not that there is anything wrong with memorizing an individual verse, or verses topically. We are participating in our church-wide memorization program (and it's great to memorize together!), the kids do topical verses with Scott at nightime, and Lily participates in King's Kids. But when I memorize a whole passage, it blows the top off the meditation possibilities and brings it to the immersion level. I begin to see those verses and that passage everywhere in life.

This week, I clicked on a news article about a motorcycle accident that occured near our former town. A 24-year old young man was killed instantly. I spent two summers babysitting that young man and his sister, when they were little. I was reminded that...

As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
-- Psalm 103:15,16

Life is short. In an instant, it can be gone. One day, for each of us, our place will be empty. And after awhile, those left behind will remember us no more, practically speaking. Our loved ones will go on to remember us fondly, we hope. But on a daily basis, we won't continue to impact the world by our name or anything famous that we have done or said. Because...well, because we will be gone....we will cease to be on this earth.

I was pondering this thought not long ago, and realizing that the only legacy that I really care to or can hope to leave behind, will be the impact and difference I can make on others right here and right now.

Though my words are many, quite often, :) I doubt that I will leave some great quote or speech to be remembered by posterity. My husband thinks my most astounding statement thus far, has been, "If you don't want a boogie on your finger, don't stick your thumb up your nose." That one isn't going to make it into the halls of history. :)

But what I DO and how I LIVE today can change someone else. And they may outlive me, and go on to change the world, specifically people, around them. Of course, I'm thinking primarily of my children. In the tense moments, when I'm trying to sound out words ever so painstakingly slow with one child, while the other child is asking a million questions about her school work or very deep, deep thoughts about life, and the baby is upstairs coloring on the walls, and the phone and doorbell are ringing at the same time, and a pot is boiling over on the stove, sending the smoke detectors (in every. room. of. the. house.!) blaring off...I have the opportunity to impact the world long after I am gone. I have the chance to behave myself in a Christ-like manner, that shows to my children that knowing Christ changes the way ones lives. In a moment, I can make a life-long impact. All of those moments stacked together, will represent either a living sacrifice to God, or a grumpy, self-centered life.

By this I don't mean, that I can live so wonderfully that my children will arise up and call me blessed and remember me all of their days. That is the self-serving kind of love that our Pastor mentioned this morning. I am talking about the "made himself of no reputation, but took upon him the form of a servant" type of example. One that encourages my children and those that know me to become more for Christ...because of Christ! Not because of Abbi, or because of their wonderful Mommy...but because HE changes the way we live. Because of the reflection of His love on a frail life.

The first verse of our chapter says, "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." As I struggled to explain to my children, the "all that is within me" part of that verse, I had to pause under conviction...does all that is within me bless the Lord? Do these six eyes, peering at me right now, the same six, beautiful blues that behold my every move, all day long, see a mommy striving with every ounce of strength that only the Lord can give, to bless and please Him from within? That is the longing of my often overwhelmed heart. Father, let me be a channel that is submissive to You at every moment. One that reflects Christ and encourages others to do the same.

My Computer Armoire Mistreatment- What do you think?? Seriously.

Back in March, I got a new computer armoire to replace the desk we had been using. The armoire fits great in our new living room, as I've mentioned before. I moved all of our office supplies into the shelf area in the top of the armoire that was originally designed to showcase something pretty. But it's valuable storage, placed perfectly for all of the non-homeschool office supplies and notecards. So I had to use it for function, not style. Good "fyle/stunction", you know. :)

Here it is, in all it's "glory"...



And if you must see all of my junk, here is my whole office nook in it's pure, unaltered state this afternoon. Begin feeling better about yourself and your junk... :)



Eventually, I want to purchase the matching filing cabinet to tuck into the corner to hide the rest of my paperwork and make the area look more presentable...but this is what it looks like for now. :)

So last week, when we were at Jo-Ann getting some fabric and trim for other mistreatment projects, I found this fabric on the clearance rack and bought a piece to hide my office supplies.



As soon as we were finished with school today, I went right to the task of trying to mistreat the top of the computer armoire. (The first two weeks of school have really thrown me off-track this year. Although school, itself, is going great.)

Through a series of events that involved ironing, cutting, hot gluing, safety-pinning, attempting to use upholstery tacks and a spring rod, this is what I came up with...


(Sorry for the dark, fuzzy picture.) So what do you think? Most of the time, I think I like it. But then sometimes, I'm not sure. Maybe it's the fact that my brain is zapped from school this week, or the weather, or maybe it just isn't that great, I don't know?? Is it decent, or should I just peel it out (I hot-glued it in there!) and just start over?

After pondering it, a bit, I noticed that the "pleats" I put in there match the pleats on the furniture in the living room, which ties in nicely.

Here's a picture with the flash, so you can see the color/pattern...

Would you leave it or rip it out?? I'm undecided...and it's late. :)

Things No One Ever Told Me About Motherhood: #8,432

No One Ever Told Me:

That I would become an amateur book and toy repairwoman, and would one day purchase one of these out of desperation:





Yes, friends, the Long-Reach Stapler.

What do I, the average SAHM, homeschooling her three darlings need with a Long-Reach Stapler?

Book repair, I tell you. I am frequently being called upon to repair my childrens' books. From paperbacks to church booklets, to yesterday's specialty...the lego instruction booklets, I often find myself needing one of these. In the past, we have taken any booklet we couldn't manage to repair ourselves, to the church office and borrowed the long-reach stapler there. But it's getting ridiculous how often I am needing the thing.

Finally yesterday, in a moment of frustration/desperation, I realized that it would just be better to just purchase one for ourselves. It might come in handy when making crafts and stuff for homeschool. (And my, oh my, it's been a long time since I worked in an office...I forgot how quickly those office supply places ship their stuff!)

My man-child was never happier than when the new stapler, in all it's glory, arrived. In his eyes, I'm a hero because I can fix his tattered lego booklets and a whole host of ragged and well-loved books. What joy an unusual office supply has brought to our house! I never pictured myself as the owner of a Long-Reach Stapler. Motherhood. It is full of surprises.

Definition: Perfect Friday Night

My Four Favorites here:

...having a discussion about something very important, I'm sure.

While these:

...were baking for them inside.

Good times at our house. :)

Living Room Curtainage

Aww, if you girls aren't the sweetest things leaving such nice comments about my curtainage posts?! You know how to make a girl feel great, that's for sure. :) Thanks so much!


Since you are so accomodating, here are some pictures of our living room curtains. I do apologize if the curtainage posts are getting on anyone's nerves. They are the most exciting thing going on around these parts, besides phonics.









These living room window treatments were some of the first windows truly "finished" in our house. And they were probably, sadly, some of the cheapest too. :( I've found some sales and clearance items, but still. Curtains are expeeeeeensive, girlfriend.


The sheers, scarf, and hardware on our living room windows are all compliments of Target, again. Also, curtains are a difficult thing to photograph. First, I'm normally getting around to it, long after dark, and therefore relying on interior lighting. Or else, I'm taking photos with brilliant sun as the backlight. Not a good scenario either. Especially when photographing light, whispy sheers. I used the flash on this picture (sorry) but wanted to capture the lovely mossy, green color of the scarf. It really is prettier than the grayish green shown here, but you'll have to trust me (or stop by for a visit!) on that one. Anyone who leaves sweet comments is MORE than welcome to stop by anytime. :)

Several months ago, I read a decorating post (I think it was by the Nester) and she said when decorating a room, you need to incorporate a plan, almost like a mission statement for the room before you tackle anything. She suggested making a list of a few words or adjectives that you want to describe the room. I thought this was a brilliant idea, and have tried to keep my mental list in the back of my head when selecting anything (curtains, furniture, accents etc) for each room. Of course, I didn't have too much choice with the furniture we got on Craigslist, because it's not like I was choosing directly from a showroom, or anything. But the Lord provided furniture that fit in with my ideas for each room!

My words for our living room are:

Living room (obviously)

Office

Away Room

retreat

inviting

cozy

formalish (as opposed to the rest of our house)

On top of that, my "thing" when it comes to decorating or really choosing a lot of things...clothing, ergonomic choices, accessories, even some things relating to homeschooling, believe it or not, is... "How is style and function married in this item or process?" Meaning: the left-brained side of me wants the thing to be practical, useful, purposeful. But the right-brained side wants it to be as beautiful as possible, as well! (See the William Morris quote on my sidebar.) Would the marriage of style and function produce good "stunction" or "fyle"...I'm still working on that one. :)

So when decorating, I like to think about the uses of the room, not just what I want it to look like. I've mentioned before, that I used to have an aversion to the "dead end" living room...a formal, little room, tucked to the side, normally in the front of the house, which is not open to another room. In fact, if I had chosen this floorplan, from the ground up, I probably would have put french doors in between what is our living room and family room. I am SO GLAD that I didn't have a choice in the matter (our house was a spec home). That would have been the WRONG choice for us. There again, God knew what was best.

I LOVE our living room! What I used to think would be wasted living space, has become my favorite room of the house. I have our new computer armoire tucked in here. Thank you Lord, for giving me the foresight to buy a new desk when we did...it works perfectly! This room has become a cozy, little retreat where it's a little quieter (sometimes). It's the perfect place to spend the evenings with my hubby after the kids have gone to bed. It's very much an "Away Room" for those Sarah Susanka, Not So Big House fans. (I loved her book.) I would like the rest of our house to reflect our casual, fun, relaxed family nature, but this room remains more formalish than the rest. I look forward to retreating here with girlfriends during a loud, noisy party! And this has become in the last week, our "reading room." When homeschoooling, I am able to spend some one-on-one time in here with both Lily and Joey to work on their reading skills. The living room provides the perfect location to get a little more quietness for concentration, but still allows me to be close so as to continue supervising and not lose momentum.

In a nutshell, the Lord gave us this room and we are using it to the max!

The 23rd Psalm...by my babies

The children finished memorizing the 23rd Psalm about a month ago, but I thought I would share a video of them reciting it together. Their personalities shine through...even Joey's hiccups. :)

Feel free to skip...a video of my precious children reciting God's Word may not be of interest to anyone but their mother. :)

60-0?

Joey, circa November 2003

I have gotten myself into the habit of checking in on my sleeping babies each night before I go to bed. And I can't break myself of this tradition, because it is simply sweet! Sweet to behold my now-sleeping offspring, dreaming peacefully, and looking so very innocent and darling. I enjoy adjusting their covers, rescuing Gracie from a near-fall out of bed :), kissing their soft cheeks, and breathing one last prayer over them.

The positions in which I routinely find their sleeping selves, indicate so much about their little personalities. Lily sleeps very conservatively. Never haphazard or tangled up in the sheets, her hands are often folded neatly across her chest or gently tucked in next to her sides. She's often uncovered, but that's because she's hot and her covers are almost never messed up.

Gracie, on the other hand, is always in a dramatic pose, arms and legs sprawled out everwhere, and on many occasions teetering on the edge of the bed, just a few minutes away from a fall. Her blankie is, without fail, wrapped all of the way around her neck like a scarf, where it has been since she was an infant. I never could figure out how she could do that when she was so tiny, but the idiosycrasy has persisted.

And my man-child? He ALWAYS has a sweaty head and a soaked pillow, consequently. He's a little more dramatic with his poses, like his baby sister, but usually he is still draped by his blankets (hence the sweat). And what is with menfolk? How can they fall asleep in a heartbeat? Scott, generally, puts the children to bed, and then I sneak in and give them one last kiss while they chatter about their last thoughts before I close the door. But if I am "temporarily detained" in the verbose girls' room, my boy is ASLEEP already by the time I get in there! How can they turn off their brains so quickly? (Scott is the same way.) I marvel. And the reverse is true, too. In the morning, Joey is the first child up...0-60 in no time. I guess it makes sense that he can go from 60 to 0 in a few seconds, as well. :)

More Curtainage

Here is the sliding glass door in our kitchen. This is about what it looked like when we first laid eyes on our new house. Lovely, isn't it? It could use some curtains to make it look nicer, don't you think?



And while I'm diverting from my original curtainage post, I never posted real kitchen photos yet, have I? Well, here they are...

This is looking in from the family room across the half wall. Again, about the second or third time we saw the house, back in June.

And this is the same angle...only with cabinets, but no appliances...

Better, eh?

Looking in towards the dining room...

And here is some more dust and appliances... (although we did change a thing or two after this)...

And here is the island that I am so thankful for...

Although covered with cardboard and blue tape is probably better than it looks right now! With the exception of a few hours on maybe 2-3 occasions, our island has been covered with STUFF since we moved in. I don't know if it's because we're still not settled, if it's always going to be that way (you island-owners, please say it isn't so!), or if it's just me. :) But I'm hoping to settle into a groove where every item has a home, so my island is clear on occasion. How long can I use the "we're still settling in" card??

The Trip Down Memory Lane is over (and thankfully most of the dust is too!) and here we are with our current curtainage...

This is our sliding glass door, pictured all of the way at the very top of this post.

And that is a picture looking into the family room. Still no current kitchen pictures. Must clear off the island first. :) But in an effort of full-disclosure, this is what our family room floor looked like when I was snapping pictures...

We had been at the science center's Discovery Expo day and come home with bags and bags of free loot from vendors that were there. This was the aftermath. Just keepin' it real.

And the last curtainage picture for today (someone say "Amen") is of the hall bathroom upstairs...otherwise known as the kids' bathroom.

I wanted to do something fun and funky in there, but not a juvenile-theme. I came up with this awesome striped shower curtain and I found the valance at Target (thanks Kim and Katina for the pointers!). Now to put some more color and fun into this room! And shouldn't I get some realness points for now having posted pictures of TWO of our potties on the world wide web??

My hubs has done such a great job hanging up all of our curtainage. It's no small task, we're finding out. Especially when multiple rods and sheers/drapes are in the mix. (and so are three kids!) But he has been so patient with me as I change my mind...and move things to the right, then to the left, then a teeeny bit higher, no back down a little lower.... :)

Bedroom Curtainage

Here are the windows in our bedroom. That's Scott's dresser there and that's a chipped finial on the bedpost of our wrought-iron bed. :)

These roller-shaded windows have looked like this since the night we moved into our house, two months ago. I have to admit that they didn't bother me all that much, because I don't sit in my room all day, and well, frankly, daddy and mommy's room normally gets completed lastly. Isn't that the way it is, universally?

During our great Curtain Shopping Marathon on Monday, my sister and I found these curtains at Target. I will have you know that the vast majority of the treatments on our windows in this house are complements of the Target Corporation. I heart Tar-jhay! (In case you didn't already know that.)

This evening, my wonderful, patient curtain-installing husband hung them up for me. And I think I am going to love them!

The stuff on the dresser is going to be changed eventually. And I can't wait to hang some things on the walls and PAINT!

My curtain-motto (is there such a thing?) thus-far, has been to refuse to iron any window treatment until after we paint. First of all, I want to hang them up and be sure that I like them before I commit to ironing them (because ironing requires such commitment in my book). Secondly, I know that we are going to paint in the not-to-/quasi-distant future. So why iron them now, when they are going to get taken down and wadded up (most likely) by my husband when we paint, right? So you think that ironing them now is senseless, too? Good. I'm glad we're in agreement on that topic.

Here is that chipped bedpost. They have been that way since we had to shimmy past them in our tiny apartment years ago. Within a few months of getting married, they were already wearing. And we've never done anything about them.

Until today. Enter Krylon Fusion spray paint. Which my sister introduced me (or Scott?) to. Scott had those babies off, painted, and back on, in no time.

They look great...I don't know why we wait nine years to do things like that?!

I bought these holdbacks off of my sister who found them on clearance at Wallyworld.

Not only was the price right, but they match the scrollwork on our bed perfectly!

(Sorry the picture is dark and fuzzy. Most of them tonight are!)

So I'm sitting right about here...

...right now....enjoying the fruits of my husband's labors. :) And I'm thankful that this week is almost over! It's been a good, but exceptionally trying week. With starting school and trying to get into that groove...coupled with Monday being a holiday...and lots of other busyness, I am thankful that our first transition week is almost completed. We had a lot of victories this week...school has gotten off to a good start and I am excited about our curriculum choices and some new things that we have implemented. But still...it hasn't been without struggle, and mind-numbing exhaustion most days. I'm thankful for the Lord's sustaining grace! Without Him, I don't know how I would get through the moment-by-moment craziness that is being a mother of three, little children.

Speaking of which, here is a picture of my boy, fresh from the bath. Though not curtainage, he's definitely cuter!

And "straight from the bath" is the only way a little boy can be defined as "fresh"... for the record.

The Highlights of living in a Construction Zone

-Refreshing our "Construction Vehicle" trivia...on a daily basis. Joey is enthralled!

-Watching said Construction Vehicles pass our house all day long. Hearing them rumble by before I even open my eyes in the morning.

-Looking out and seeing busy construction workers all day. Oddly, I find this very cozy. It's fun to look out and see busy workers building and seeing the progress that happens at amazing speeds. And then in the evening enjoying the quietness and the transformation that the neighborhood takes on as the hub-ub of construction dies down and the neighbors come home and out to play!

-Cringing as the builders dangle from rooflines while framing the house. Mommies especially cringe at such sights!

-Watching very full dumpsters being pulled up onto a flatbed truck at a 45 degree angle, and the trash does NOT fall out! My kids stand at the window every time this happens and cheer!

-Large piles of gravel dumped in the empty lot behind our house...producing black-footed children who have played in them...tracking black gravel dust all through my house. Oh wait. This was supposed to be highlights...sorry.

-Free rocks!

-Viewing the progression of a house being built from the first clump of earth being moved for the dig, to the lawn being graded and seeded and the new residents moving it. It's a cool thing to watch. And I'm amazed how quickly it can happen!

And now for the really "fun" ones...

-Having a porta-potty "parked" on your street

-Even better...watching a bulldozer pull up and the driver get out to make use of the "facilities"...the kids think this is great! "The bulldozer driver is here to use the bathroom, Mom!!" Joey wanted to use the porta-potty himself the first week we lived here. (I didn't let him, in case you are wondering)

- Coming out of the house and being accosted by a terrible smell. And then looking down the street and realizing that a septic truck is here to "pump" the porta-potty...eeeewwww!

There are many others I'm not thinking of now (and they're not all related to the porta-potties!) and then there are the down-sides too...like dirt on the outside of the windows, on the streets, in the window sills, on the driveways, filling our HVAC filter... the noise, the unfinishedness etc.

But it's still a lot of fun to live in a construction zone! A place where I never thought I would live. I'm thankful that we are on the tail-end of construction, and I still marvel that we live in a different place than where we ended our last school year. God is good!

Not Exactly...

The kids are learning about the US states this year for "geography"...and they are very excited about it (and that makes me excited too, because I LOVE geography!). When Scott came home, they were all jabbering about their first day and Joey started pointing out the states that he recognized...

"This is where Granddaddy lives. And this is where Uncle John lives. And this is where Mimi and Pop-pop are going on vacation. And this is where Mrs. Jackie G is from and this is where Pastor H is from..."

Next, he began pointing out random illustrations on our children's states puzzle...like the Longhorn cattle in Texas, and the bison in another western state...he especially wants to visit any state where animals are noted. :)

And then he yelled out..."Mom! I want to visit the dead men!"

The dead men?? What state is that?

South Dakota.

He wants to visit Mt. Rushmore.


Look out for the dead men in SD. :)