lest you think i was exagerrating

 My spider story would have been a lot better with pictures.  Yesterday, I went back out there to see if the spider was still there.  You see that it was.  (It is the black spot in the picture above).

 It is also the giant blob in the picture above.  However, in this photo, I focused on the tree branches, not the spider.  Look at what she is doing to the tree!  There are webs all over the tree like this.

 And here is her masterpiece, the one she was on when I was directly below her, looking for a football.  I made these pictures black and white because the detail of the web really stands out better.  Beautiful.  The web, not the spider.

I zoomed out a little.  This web really is high up from the ground.  the thing is, I am not sure what it is attached to.  Yes, the tree but then what?  Our tree is by our fence and then for 5-10 feet there is nothing until the neighbor's trampoline.  I don't know but it looks like it is just floating. 

Scout update:  I think she is doing better!  She feels better but still doesn't really have an appetite and is so smart she knows when I'm trying to sneak a pill into food.  I think she doesn't trust food or trust me with food anymore.  But she is acting like her old self and that is a big relief. 

Update on me:  There are times when I feel guilty staying home, thinking I should do more or that both boys are in school so I need to get out there and go back to work.  But honestly, these past two weeks, I haven't felt that once.  Rhett has so much homework once he gets home (something I am not sure should happen and I definitely am going to inquire to the teacher about come parent/teacher conference-yes, I am going to be that mother, sorry teacher friends and family) and for about an hour and a half, I have to be there with them, helping them with Math and Spelling, and keeping them, especially Rhett on task (another think I need to inquire to the teacher about.  This first, then the homework).  Then there is Scout,  who is takes half an hour to feed and take pills and so on and honestly, I am grateful right now.  I'm not saying I am never going back to work or that I still don't feel guilty (honestly, what mom doesn't feel guilty about something, whether you work or stay-at-home?)  but I do know that I still feel needed and that has restored my faith in being a stay-at-home mom.  Anyway, enough about me.

Have a great weekend and make sure  you look up when you go outside.  You never know when spiders are lurking above. :)

halloween cometh early at our house

Yesterday evening, the boys are playing in the backyard, enjoying the weather.

Rhett comes in and asks me to help him get his football out from behind the bush because he just can't reach it.

So out I go.

I am looking for this football and after a few minutes, see it so I pull the bushes back with a stick and say to Rhett, "Ok, I'm holding the bushes back so why don't you get in there and get your ball?"

Rhett hesitates.

I tell him, "It's okay. There is nothing behind the bushes.  Go fast!"

Rhett says, "I'm just hoping that spider up there doesn't drop down on me when I go by."

I look up.

Right above me is this huge spider (dime-sized is huge in my book) hanging out on his web. 

Of course I scream and jump a mile away from the bushes.

When questioned about whether or not Rhett knew the spider was there the whole time, the answer was definitely on the yes side.  When told to get his own dumb ball, the answer was "but I'm afraid of spiders."

We were at a standstill.  Both of us, afraid of things of the 8-legged variety, were not going in the bushes.

Noah sighs, gets on the fence, inches his way to the football, grabs it and gets out of there calmly.

His face was priceless. 

what we are learning in school

I am distracting myself from thinking of my dog, Scout, who is in the hospital due to heart problems. Apparently, it is a common problem with boxers. Now Brinkley acts lost without his friend and I'm on the verge of tears almost all the time. But I am trying to stay positive and these kids of mine are great distractions. 

Here is a snippet of what Rhett has been learning and writing about in school:

"I wonder why the Nazis just decided to hate the Jews. It just doesn't make any sense. You don't just decide to hate somebody.  It's very very cruel what they did."
-Rhett, August 24, 2010

He is also learning to play 'Hot Cross Buns' on the recorder and every time he plays, I say a silent pray asking for blessings upon the music teacher who has to listen to hundreds of kids play the recorder.

Rhett is also learning about Oklahoma history.  I've said this before, but it makes my heart a little sad that my kids aren't learning about Texas history.  Seth and I throw it in every once in awhile.  Oklahoma has an interesting history too, I guess.  Boomers and Sooners and "Kentucky" Daisy throwing herself off the train to stake a piece of land (now Edmond, OK).  Do you want to know what Boomers and Sooners are?  Yeah, I didn't think so.

Noah is learning how to write.  Coincidentally, he wrote about something he is learning from home:  Texas History! 

The Alomo by Noah Houston

The Alomo was a war Texas vs. Mexico

it all started when Texas was part of Mexico but Texas didn't want to be a part of Mexco so a war began

Sam Houston was the geral. (I'm related to him.)

Texas lost but another war stated and Texas won! and became ther on contry.

Yes, we need to work on a few details but I like that he made sure to add that he is related to Sam Houston.  My kids get such a kick out of that possible relation.

He also wrote about sharks:

Sharks by: Noah Houston

Sharks are insestengig creaturs.

Did you know that dog, cat, even pigs kill more people than sharks do.  Whale sharks are the Biggest fish in the world!

I need to go get the car's oil changed and then go to the vet for an update on Scout now.  I hope you have a good Monday.

the point is, well...never mind

My children do not love Mexican food. They like some of it, they tolerate most of it, but if they had their choice, they would rather eat something, anything else.  This obviously upsets Seth and me because we grew up on Tex-mex food.  Where did we go when we ate out anywhere nice?  Mexican food restaurant.  

(Note:  I was not always happy to be eating at a Mexican food restaurant when I was child either.  I remember throwing quite a fit, at least according to my grandmother, when we all ate at The Plaza for some reason or another.  Then Jana told me to get the quesadilla.  I asked what that was.  Cheese and tortillas?  Grilled in butter?  Sold! And I have been in love ever since.) 

Ok, so now I see that maybe I was not always a lover of Mexican food either (after re-reading my note).  But now I love it and my children don't so they don't want to go.  We went to Senor Tequila the other night and Noah had a cheeseburger.  Rhett did order the taco but decided he should have ordered a cheeseburger too.  (To be fair, I think people go to Senor Tequila for the drinks.  Strong and tasty margarita but the food was so-so). 

I am not really making the point I started out trying to make because of all my (asides).  So I am going to stop trying.  Stop trying to make my point but not stop trying to get my kids to fall in love with Mexican food.  Am I making any sense at all at this point?

unpack boxes: check! Paint gameroom: check!

On Friday, I unpacked our last box.  I was so tired from unpacking boxes that I did not outwardly show any excitement, but let me tell you, inside I was jumping for joy.

In our garage, we have 5 bikes.  One is going to Goodwill (we currently have a big pile for Goodwill in our garage to replace the big pile of unpacked boxes.  Maybe that is why my excitement did not last for long.  Two bikes are broken.  That will change.  Hopefully, soon.  I really want to go bike riding by the river and enjoy the fall colors and weather.  So that means sometime before Fall is over, I need to get bikes fixed.

In our house, the gameroom is painted and pictures are hung and yay for that.  Seth helped me finish and he also taped the hallway for me.  Sweet guy he is.  That is my least favorite part.

That was my weekend.  How was yours?

if all days were like birthdays

I'm 33!  And a day.  I woke up this morning really, really tired.  Maybe I just had too much fun yesterday. Because it was a really, really great day.

Here are my birthday highs and lows:

• My father-in-law thought I had only turned 30.  Yay!
• My sons were hilarious.  Around 6 last night, we head to Target to get a few things (mainly, supper!) and Noah brought his money to buy me something.  So I told him he could buy my cake.  He was excited and picked out the biggest cake he could (out of the choices he had from me).  He was thrilled to do this.  Well, Rhett has been inquiring about what to get me for a week now.  At first, he told Seth he would like to contribute $50 towards a new laptop for me.  When we were at Target, he honed in on a chocolate pie.  I, very nicely, told him we didn't need a pie AND a cake.  He asked what then could he buy me?  I pointed out the lip gloss area and said I really needed new lip gloss.  He happily picked one out and was in the middle of handing it to me when Noah yelled, "The lip gloss is $8?!? Who would pay that for lip gloss!?!"  Rhett froze and very nicely, told me, "Let's see if we can get you something else."  He then picked out two Twix bars and estimated that he owed me $1.40.  Happy Birthday!  I am still laughing at that one.  He is more like Seth than I knew!  Noah then added another dollar to his stash and bought a Hershey's candy bar for him.  He gave me a wad of ones and called it good.  Love it!  Here are some fun pictures from last night.  The first one is funny because we had already blown out the candles and Seth said to pretend. 


• My sweet husband took the entire day off of work to spend with me.  It was so nice to spend a whole day with him that didn't include a "have to" list.  Although, some things managed to work their way in our day, it was really a wonderful day.  One of the stores we went to was Saks Fifth Avenue and if you have never been in one, you really should.  It is a hoot.  I don't know any person that would buy a $400 Burberry vest or a purse that looks like any minute it could jump up and run away (a furry bundle it was!) but it was fun looking around that is for sure.
• The texts, phone calls and Facebook messages I received were an added bonus.   
• Seth and I watched the season premiere of Modern Family last night.  One of our favorite funny shows, it really delivered on laughs.  It is nice to end your day laughing.  One of the characters wears button down shirts that Seth and I saw at Saks Fifth Avenue and we chuckled at that too.

And really, only one low.  Our Scout is sick.  We are not sure what is going on but hopefully will find out Friday when the blood work results are in.  I know that she is old but no matter how much I prepare for it, it still is heartbreaking.  I talked to the boys about it and it will be a hard, hard thing.

One last picture of my sweet boys and me:

Have a great day!

do you see what is coming?

Yes, my birthday.  And before I get a little depressed (because, frankly, turning 33 is as exciting as turning 32, which wasn't very exciting because it is one step closer to 35.  Which means one step closer to, well, you know.) I am going to tell you what the boy in photo has done for me.

Friday:  I looked in his school agenda and saw this in the note section of Week of September 20:  "Get Mom best birthday gift ever!!!"

Monday:  Rhett draws me a picture.  It is of me, sitting on the couch, reading To Kill a Mockingbird.  I asked him how he knew that was my favorite book.  He said he remembered me saying that this past summer. 

Tuesday:  Seth wakes me up and says that Rhett made me breakfast so get up before it gets soggy.  I went in and had Chocolate Frosted Mini Wheats (which aren't as delicious as you would think) and enjoyed every bite. 

And its not even my birthday yet!!  What a sweetie.  I tell you, there is something special about a 9 year old. 

There is definitely something special about Rhett.

In case you needed this today

And the best part?  It is all true!

Inhale. Hold. Slowly Exhale. And repeat.

Even though it was 95 today, I can feel it in the air.  The season is changing.  The wind is cooler.  The sun is setting earlier.  It is getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning because you feel the nip in the air. 

I've started going to yoga classes.  I love it.  Love, love it.  My favorite part is focusing on each breath I take.  I mean, when do we take the time to do that?

We've joined the Y.  Hopefully, the boys will start Tai Kwon Do there soon.  Did I spell that right? Seth is on the ball and is calling people left and right to fix our leaky roof (over the patio), to see about leveling our yard, to get an estimate on tile (to go over the stained concrete that we are not enjoying).  I am going to finish painting the halls and hopefully, the game room this month.  I'm so tired of painting but its gotta get done.  Can't keep the tape on the baseboards forever can I? 

But this weekend?  I hope we just enjoy it.  Spend time together, having fun and cherishing each other.  I hope, especially tomorrow on 9/11, that we take a moment and thank God we've got each other and pray for those who don't have their 'each others' anymore.  I hope we focus on slowing down and just be.

Love all around.  Namaste.

something strange is happening around here

Noah loves school. 

Yesterday,  he got off the bus, gave me a hug and said, "I had a really good day today, Mom."

Last night, he had a 'best thing' about his day, but no 'worst thing'.

Ok, will the real Noah please come forward?

On the other hand,

Rhett comes home tired.

Last night, he had a 'worst thing' but NOT a 'best thing'.

I'm gonna call this one a fluke.  I mean, everyone has their bad days.  And really, the older you get, the less fun school gets, am I right?  And he did have homework, which can ruin anyone's mood.  I hope his day is better today.

And this morning, Noah woke up, grumpy, like normal.

I breathed a sigh of relief.  He's still my Noah. 

wishing we were still on vacation

Friday, we drove to St. Louis to visit our friends that used to live across the street from us in Edmond.  I love these people.  They have two kids that my sons adore and we just have such a great time when we are with them.  These are the friends that we hung out with every weekend for the last year that we lived there. I miss them everyday. They live in a beautiful neighborhood and while we were walking, I took a photo of my view. 

The boys all went to a Cardinals baseball game and the girls (myself, my friend and her daughter) went to get mani/pedis and ate lunch at a cute cafe.  We also ate out (just the grown-ups) one night where I tasted veal for the first time.  I felt guilty eating it, then felt even more guilty when I thought it was the best thing ever.  Luckily, I had only a bite for an appetizer.  Whew.  (I'm normally have no problem eating meat, seriously, my dad owned a feed yard! But eating baby cows?  That's just sad.  And delicious, but still.)

Today it is back to it.  I don't think any of us wanted to get up and face the day, but we all did, even if the boys did miss the bus.  Oh well.  I had to drive to pick up the dogs anyway.  Now, I need to face the big pile of laundry but if you noticed, I did manage to distract myself from that for awhile.  This is my new blog template!  Not as good as the first, but better than the one from the other day. 

Have a great day!

never thought I'd be doing this*

Good September to everyone!  I love September.  Even if half the month is hot, it means Fall is only 22 days away.  And speaking of 22 days away....

hee hee.

Anyway, here is something I've been working on this morning (until it started raining, but thank God for rain...it means it is a little cooler)

These little things are GoGos.  No, not the music group or the boot.  The toy that now has captured Rhett and Noah's short attention span.  My kids love them.  Rhett lost one by catapulting one underneath our kitchen cabinets and was so sad.  They come with names and personalities and even have online games (but that must be a pre-requisite with toys nowadays. (Hey, I have spell-checker again! Yay!) These little things are my photography subject this week.  My assignment is Depth of Field.  So I am shooting these little critters in different apertures or f-stops to show depth of field changes.

Notice how the background changes?  One is softer, the other sharper?  That is depth of field.  And that is how aperture works.  Cool or what?

Here is my sky:

And our moon:

And the clouds that began raining on me...

Hope your Wednesday treats you well.  We have two more days of school and then we are off for a 4-day weekend!! 

*This meaning laying on the wet grass taking photos of my sons' colorful toys.  But I had more fun doing it! I can't wait to see where I'll take these guys next!

hello, good-bye last Monday of August

This is a picture I took for my first assignment in photography class.  Assignment 1: Put your camera in M mode, or Manual, adjust some settings and make sure your exposure is correct (or at 0).  And snap away. Seriously, I never thought taking pictures of things could be so much fun, but I am having a blast.  My dogs probably think I am nutso, going around my backyard and taking lots of pictures of a hole in the fence but I did and this is the best one. 

Also, my dogs like music.  I keep it on for them during the day and Scout barks much less now.  But she hasn't stopped completely.  I hear her right now, barking at our neighbors.  I am sure they are SO glad we moved into their neighborhood. 

Speaking of dogs, I think we have 2 or 3 mastiffs living in our neighborhood.  Those dogs are huge but everytime I see one, I want to cry, thinking of Turner and Hooch. 

I have been reading a lot since getting my nook.  Krista lent me the first two books of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and I loved them and now I don't know if I want to read the last book because what if it doesn't end in the way that I want.  I know it won't because those kind of stories never end "and they lived happily ever after" and the author's endings make more sense than mine ever would but still...

I also have been reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels (True Blood is based on these books) and I find them hilarious and so much fun to read.  I tend to blow through this quite fast though. 

And I am also trying to get through the stack of Civil War books my dad let me borrow.

Rhett and Noah are loving school.  Noah comes home...happy.  Which is unusual but a welcome change.  I am overwhelmed by their school but as long as they like it and are happy, then I am happy. 

Bye for now!

it's good dogs never say no

Tomorrow is the start of my photography class (notes will be emailed to you Krista!!) and I have a new camera and a notebook and new pens and even nerves to go along with me.  I've been practicing with my camera for the past two days and because everyone else doesn't seem to want to be my test subjects, I have picked my dogs to be.  What do you think?  Is that a good looking dog or what?

snapshots from my house- part 1

I have been busy this week.  Painting, hanging pictures, more painting.  Here are some photos of what I've been doing:

First, this photo does not do my framed picture justice. But here it is anyway.  It is a Ford Smith (and no, I never had heard of him either until I went to art.com looking for pictures that would look great above the fireplace.  But it sounds cool to say, "I have a Ford Smith.")  and I just love it.  Like I said, my photo is a terrible representation of it, so if you want to really see it, you must come visit me!

Just some new decorative balls in my glass vase.  Adding color to my life...

Who needs Pottery Barn?  Well, actually I do. I was inspired to do this because I saw something similar in their catalog.  But, I bought nothing new for this and now it is a collection of my favorite things.  (Oh by the way, Sandy and Melissa, I told Seth the next time we all got together we had to get pictures made of all of us. That way I have some to hang on the wall!) (And Mom and Krista, don't you think we need to have our pictures made again?  It has been almost 4 years!)

It is right by the front door, so when you walk in or if you sit in the office, you see it.  It truly makes me happy, it does.

One more picture.  The hallway to the garage is now our "art gallery."  Easy to be changed, but all created by Rhett and Noah.  Sorry about the mess on the floor.  Seems I am always painting or in between painting these days.  I am making my way upstairs...

This week I also drove to Clinton and met Casey on Tuesday.  Cam stayed with us for almost 2 weeks but he has to get back to school, so we were off as soon as the boys left on the bus.  We already miss him!

Last night we went to a Popscicles on the Playground for new families at the boys' school.  We actually met a few people and had a lovely time talking to adults.  (Ok, can you tell I haven't been talking to grown ups a lot lately?)

We have also gone somewhere after school almost every day because we had to get new shirts, we had to fix Rhett's glasses and today we have to get frozen yogurt.  (Maybe that is a want to.)

Tomorrow, we head back to Edmond for some birthday parties and some time with friends.  Even though it will be hectic and I doubt we see everyone we want to see, I am looking forward to this.

And then, Sunday is Seth's and my 12th anniversary.  We have actually been together 17 years (which coincidentally is how old we both were when we got together).  That means that next year, we will have been together longer than we have been without one another.  Wow.

And next week is going to be exciting as well.  I am starting a photography class at Tulsa Community College!  Judging by these photos, I really am looking forward to learning how to take pictures properly.  Seriously, this is something I have wanted to do for so long and I really want the pictures I see in my head to actually be the pictures that come out on the camera.  You know what I mean?  I hope to share my photos with you so be on the lookout!

One more thing:
It was Pop's birthday yesterday!! Happy Birthday Sammy!!

i love it, love it not

I have lots of photos to share (mostly of my house) but I am too lazy to do all that needs to go into a photo post today.  So, rather, you get to enjoy this post of good and bad.  We have been in Tulsa for about three months and there are some things I love, love, love and a couple of things that I, well, don't. 

Things I Love About Tulsa

• My House.  I love that the laundry room is right next to my bedroom.  I love my kitchen and living room.  I love that the boys have their own space upstairs. 
• The close proximity of Target and my lovely house.  Oh how I love this.  The fact that I can get to my favorite store in about 3 minutes is so awesome!  Yesterday, the boys and I went at 4:45 and got back at 5:20.  In Edmond, this would have been impossible.  No way would I have ventured out a little before peak traffic time to go to a store that is one of the busiest in Edmond.  Love it!
• There are other things close, close to us.  The movie theater.  Pizza.  Gas stations. Post Office.  Boys' pediatrician.  I don't want to go on and on about this or seem like I am bragging, but I've never had this before. 
• Cherry Street Farmers Market. I have only been there once so far but it was beautiful.  I can't wait to go back.  My family enjoyed a farmers market breakfast the day after my mom, Jana and I went and I don't know if it was just thinking that this was fresh sausage, eggs and cheese or what, but it tasted delicious. And this isn't the only Farmers Market around. So we'll be checking those out as well...
• The boys' school.  Sure it is big.  Sure it probably is overwhelming.  But Rhett gets to take Spanish.  And they have Art class. Art class!  Woo-hoo!  Noah's teacher is so organized, she sends home an email everyday about what they did that day.  I find that amazing. 

Things I Don't

• The Drivers.  Oh they are awful.  They are rude and don't pay attention.  They honk at you for the slightest thing and are impatient. Blah.
• The weather.  But I really can't say this is specific to Tulsa.  It was super hot in OKC too this summer.  And everywhere. But I haven't enjoyed it.
• Some things are far away.  Like the baseball fields.  And Cherry Street.  Which isn't a big deal, really, because it is only about 20 minutes away. :) (That one is for you Dad!)

Ok, short list.  But I think I needed to get it off my chest.  Especially about the drivers.

the difference between day and night

or The First Day of School or The Very First Day at a New School or Finally! School Starts!...I mean, um, oh never mind.

6:45- Rhett's alarm goes off (I'm just guessing here because I didn't hear it.  I was still sleeping.)

Between 6:45 and 7:20-Rhett gets dressed, brushes his teeth, combs his hair, makes sure his backpack is ready and starts to fix his own breakfast (Don't you wish you had a Rhett?)  He also asks Cameron (who is staying with us for another week) what he wants for breakfast.  Cam chooses Fruity Pebbles because they are so much healthier than Cocoa Pebbles.  Ha!

7:30- 7:50- I go up to wake up Noah.  First Noah pops right up.  Then he frowns.  Uh-oh, I think.  I tell him again to get up.  He says he is way too tired.  I try again.  He reiterates that he is too tired.  And cold.  I hand him his robe.  He starts to cry.  And he cries for the next 8 minutes.  I finally give him a choice:  Get dressed now or eat breakfast first, then get dressed.  I drag him down stairs.  He eats a little breakfast. 

7:50- Rhett is completely ready and restless.  Cameron is ready and wants to know why he can't wear his new school shoes.  I tell him because he is not going to school today.  Oh.

8:00- Noah is finally ready and in a better mood.  He did want to wear jeans but I told him it was going to be over 100 degress today, so no.  Sigh. 

8:05- We go outside and get the first day of pictures over with.  At least that is what it looks like from the pictures.  And good news! The bus stops right next door so we don't have to walk far! 

8:11- Bus comes.  I give them a hug, remind them to drink their water and they are off.  To a brand new school.  To brand new kids.  They are so brave. I hope they have a good day. I  hope they find good friends. I hope they like their teachers and I hope they don't feel lost.  While we are at it, I hope they have a great year, full of fun, surprises and a little learning.

Rhett, a fourth grader.  Noah, in second.  They may be night and day, but I'm so proud that they are mine.

Meanwhile, Cam and I have already been on a walk.  We are going to have a good day, just me and him.  I hope he doesn't miss his cousins too much during the day. 

Have a great day!

Look back on summer, in song

Move to Tulsa, Say good-bye to good friends, Try not to cry
Pack it up, Move it Out, Thank God its not too far to go
Get the keys, change the locks, now its time to unpack boxes
Parents tired, Kids are wired, Up and down the stairs they go

New routine, what routine?, sleep late then watch tv
Rhett wants to play baseball, oh look! a summer league
Its so hot, I cry, help I'm melting, I'm a wimp
Soccer camp, no go, Noah's sad, plays the wii.

Unpack boxes, unpack boxes, are we even getting close?

Friends comes, Mom comes, then we hit the road

Road trip! Krista's house! lots of trees and kudzu

Family time, then good-bye, back on the road we go

Home in time to say so long, much needed girl's trip
Just in time...microwave and television on the fritz!
Lots of fun, Kansas City, Eclipse, love my friends
Get back home to find out I was really missed.

More family time, in-laws come, let's go watch baseball
Still hot, extreme heat, will summer ever end?

Rhett's a pitcher and first baseman, sometimes plays left field

He enjoys it, even loves it, and even  makes new friends.

Uncle Scott comes with his kids, more fun at aquarium

July's over, August starts, only 12 days till school begins

Time for one more visit from the cousins and my mom and dad

Nic and Isa, Cam and boys don't want their fun to end!

Painting Pottery just us girls, boys go to baseball game

Then Surprise! Jana's here! for a mini-vacay

Farmer's Market, Cherry Street, lots of veggies, eggs and cheese

Fun girl-time, bought some stuff, great start to a good day

Saturday night, Balloon Festival, 15th Year in Claremore

Balloons went high, Temp just right, Spirits then went really low

Parking Lot! Bad Business! Stuck in place for an hour

Kids gripey, Grown-ups grumpy, wished we had mojitos.

End of summer now is near, only a day til school starts

Boys excited, like their teachers, both their classrooms on second floor

Song now over, did you recognize it? ode to Billy Joel

Are you thinking this is bad : I can't take it anymore!!

phase one of Repaint/Redo complete

Before:

After:

If you look through the doorway, you will see the entryway into the house. The office is by through the glass doors and the dining room is right where the ladder is. I am painting the entryway and hallways next.

The print I was going to have over the fireplace is being framed right now. I have to wait 2 weeks for it. This is the first time I have ever had something framed professionally. I have learned many things from it and will be better prepared if ever I do it again. (Let's just say sticker shock. I am used to buying frames at Hobby Lobby at half off and if it needs a mat, buy a cheap mat. This wasn't going to work for this print but I am so excited for it.)




I repainted the kitchen the same color (Flax if you want to know) and will post pictures of that as well but I seriously need to clean my kitchen first.  And the rest of the house too.  But that is my life.

My favorite part of repainting is afterward.  You know, when you can sit in your newly painted room and say, "Ahh.  Finally, it feels like home."  And it does now.  No more nail holes that you didn't make yourself.  No more dirty smudges or scrapes that weren't made by your kids.  I know I've got a long way to go to make the rest of the house feel like it is ours, but the one room that we spend most of our time in is finished. We are happy.

before the great living room redo

Behold! House pictures, finally.  So in the following images, you will see our living room.  I will love this room when it is finished.  Very much so.  I like it now.  But paint and more curtains are needed. (I haven't told Seth about the curtains yet).

Oh and eventually, a new coffee table will be there as well.  But that may be a while.  Anyway, what you see on the walls are paint samples of two colors. Two stones, one rolling, one hot.  (Hot stone is the lighter, gray color; Rolling Stone is the darker).  More than you would like to know? Perhaps.  But if you have any opinions on paint colors, let me know.  So far, I am leaning away from Hot stone.  Too gray. 

This wall so far is empty.  I think it will be a good wall for family pictures.  We may also put a table of some sort.  I don't know.

I am most excited for what is going above the mantel.  You'll just have to wait and see....

where in the world am I?*

*Actually, I haven't been much anywhere but my mom sure has.  She is still in Germany, enjoying her world travels with my grandmother.  I have just been a lazy blogger...sorry.

(image from Dvice)

I walked into Barnes & Noble the other day and bought a Nook.  When the whole e-reader thing came out, I didn't want to have anything to do with them.  I can't really tell you why.  But then the Apple iPad came out and I really wanted it.  But because it is $500, I decided that I don't really have to have it.  I decided what I wanted from the iPad, I could also get from the Nook and now I have the Nook.  This really is a long, boring story but I haven't blogged in such a long time, I thought I should blog something. 

Anyway, love the Nook.  Love my cover. 

What else is going on?  Let's see, a lot and not much all at the same time.  We have about 2 1/2 weeks left before school starts and I need to get those kids enrolled! They are getting nervous about school, I can tell, but I am sure they will be fine.  I keep telling myself they will be fine.

I am about to begin painting.  We are going to start in the living area and kitchen.  I promise I will take a picture of the before and post it on here in a couple of days.  Then of course, the after picture when we're done. 

But before I begin, I have to go get paint.  And that means a trip to Lowe's.  With the boys.  Not fun. 

Talk to you soon...