I'm thankful for opportunities to pay it forward, regardless of what "it" is.
What's something that you're thankful for?
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
DEMOLITION MEN
The next step in the main bathroom was for corner shelves and silver towel racks to come down, but I could never seem to find the time to do it. Yesterday the boys wanted to watch a movie or play outside while the other kids were napping, but neither one was a good option at the time. So I sent them to the garage to get their tools and had them tackle the bathroom. Four shelves and three towel racks are now off the walls. I'm thankful for kids who are willing and able to do some manual labor!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
DECORATING THE LIVING ROOM
Welcome! You've just walked in my front door. This is what the living room usually looks like, though we don't always keep babies on the floor. Feel free to poke around and tell me what you love or hate about the space. Most things are where they landed the day we moved in and nothing has to stay where it is, so I'm open to suggestions.
My biggest requirement about my living room is that it's not centered on a TV. I also seating areas to feel cozy, but don't like the general feel of the room to be crowded. Some open space is needed for my sanity and the kids' wrestling, dancing, and stunts.
There's no budget for furniture right now and I don't necessarily want anything new anyway, but feel free to give me ideas about possibilities. If I love an idea, then I can start saving and looking for the perfect piece.
Let me give you a tour of the space. Ready? Let's start by turning you around to see where you just came in from. Front door, coat closet, hallway (except it's only a hallway for about two feet).
The desk/bookcase was given to me by Granny and I looooove it! The bottom glass pane got broken in the move, but I'm going to replace it with tax refund money. Right now Tim has some stuff sitting on top of it, which needs to be somewhere less visible, but otherwise I'm not sure how to use this piece of furniture. I'm not a knick knack collector, so I don't have treasures to put in it. Maybe book storage or pictures on display in the glass covered part? The slanted part opens up to a desk space with built-in organizers and the bottom cabinet is just more storage. I actually have a chair that matches it, which I also love, but it's in the garage with a desperate need to have the seat replaced.
Attention!! We interrupt this post to let you know that Beep was in town for a night and helped Bethany figure out how to arrange the living room. Due to this new development, the living room doesn't look like these pictures anymore and your help is no longer needed.
That's right, folks, I now like the arrangement of my living room and have a few projects to tackle as we finish the room off. When it's all done, and I have no idea when that will be, I'll show you pictures. Meanwhile, I have to share one cool bit of living room news with you.
Do you remember when I told you about the map of my dreams back in the fall? I ordered it yesterday!!
Our apartment didn't have a wall for it and I wasn't sure if our house would. Of course, I was gargantuanly pregnant when we moved in and things like measuring walls for dream maps just wasn't at the top of my priority list.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. Devon checks the mail and there's an envelope with my name handwritten on it. A non-junk mail, non-bill envelope without a return address. I open it up to find an anonymous note from someone who had remembered my love of the map and wanted to secretly order it as a housewarming gift. They couldn't find the exact map, though, and so they sent me cash to buy it myself. So thoughtful and generous!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, oh mystery person!!
I measured a couple walls and discovered the one I wanted to put the map on was the perfect size. Yes! I ordered it yesterday and it shipped today. So excited!
It's going to take up virtually all of this wall.
I'm going to copy Cathy, whose map I originally coveted, and wallpaper it to three sheets of plywood. That will allow me to take the map with me if we ever move and have the option to put something different on that wall in the future. I've never wallpapered anything before, so if you're local and a whiz at that kind of thing, then I'll bribe you with food of some sort if you'll come help me do the job. Yes, I'm begging for help. I'm fairly confident my skills don't include expertly attaching giant maps to giant pieces of wood with little to no room for error.
Anyway, that's that. The room needs paint, the map needs to get taken care of, I have to cover the now exposed side of a piece of furniture that's intended for a corner, and the mantle space needs some attention, but we've got a plan in place and I think I'm going to love it when it's done.
My biggest requirement about my living room is that it's not centered on a TV. I also seating areas to feel cozy, but don't like the general feel of the room to be crowded. Some open space is needed for my sanity and the kids' wrestling, dancing, and stunts.
There's no budget for furniture right now and I don't necessarily want anything new anyway, but feel free to give me ideas about possibilities. If I love an idea, then I can start saving and looking for the perfect piece.
Let me give you a tour of the space. Ready? Let's start by turning you around to see where you just came in from. Front door, coat closet, hallway (except it's only a hallway for about two feet).
The desk/bookcase was given to me by Granny and I looooove it! The bottom glass pane got broken in the move, but I'm going to replace it with tax refund money. Right now Tim has some stuff sitting on top of it, which needs to be somewhere less visible, but otherwise I'm not sure how to use this piece of furniture. I'm not a knick knack collector, so I don't have treasures to put in it. Maybe book storage or pictures on display in the glass covered part? The slanted part opens up to a desk space with built-in organizers and the bottom cabinet is just more storage. I actually have a chair that matches it, which I also love, but it's in the garage with a desperate need to have the seat replaced.
Attention!! We interrupt this post to let you know that Beep was in town for a night and helped Bethany figure out how to arrange the living room. Due to this new development, the living room doesn't look like these pictures anymore and your help is no longer needed.
That's right, folks, I now like the arrangement of my living room and have a few projects to tackle as we finish the room off. When it's all done, and I have no idea when that will be, I'll show you pictures. Meanwhile, I have to share one cool bit of living room news with you.
Do you remember when I told you about the map of my dreams back in the fall? I ordered it yesterday!!
Our apartment didn't have a wall for it and I wasn't sure if our house would. Of course, I was gargantuanly pregnant when we moved in and things like measuring walls for dream maps just wasn't at the top of my priority list.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. Devon checks the mail and there's an envelope with my name handwritten on it. A non-junk mail, non-bill envelope without a return address. I open it up to find an anonymous note from someone who had remembered my love of the map and wanted to secretly order it as a housewarming gift. They couldn't find the exact map, though, and so they sent me cash to buy it myself. So thoughtful and generous!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, oh mystery person!!
I measured a couple walls and discovered the one I wanted to put the map on was the perfect size. Yes! I ordered it yesterday and it shipped today. So excited!
It's going to take up virtually all of this wall.
I'm going to copy Cathy, whose map I originally coveted, and wallpaper it to three sheets of plywood. That will allow me to take the map with me if we ever move and have the option to put something different on that wall in the future. I've never wallpapered anything before, so if you're local and a whiz at that kind of thing, then I'll bribe you with food of some sort if you'll come help me do the job. Yes, I'm begging for help. I'm fairly confident my skills don't include expertly attaching giant maps to giant pieces of wood with little to no room for error.
Anyway, that's that. The room needs paint, the map needs to get taken care of, I have to cover the now exposed side of a piece of furniture that's intended for a corner, and the mantle space needs some attention, but we've got a plan in place and I think I'm going to love it when it's done.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
TYLER'S DEDICATION
In keeping with the Biblical model of Hannah dedicating Samuel to the Lord, (well, except for the part about having your child live at the temple/church) we stood before our church family today and had Tyler dedicated. For those who aren't familiar with the practice, it's basically a time to publicly say that our children are a gift from God, that we will do our best raise them in a way that honors him, and that our desire is for our kids to be available to serve God in whatever way they can.
We came home from church and saw my dad's blog post about the dedication. Then we got on Facebook and saw the following comments from people.
* Snipped a quick photo of Tyler's dedication for ya! What a sweetie. But my fave was Naomi, sweetly waving to all her friends out in the congregation throughout the prayer. So cute.
* I got a kick out of Devon giving her the elbow every time she waved, she persevered anyway!
* Naomi was hilarious. She was smiling and waving at people during the prayer.
Oh my! Judging from this picture, which my sister took on our camera, Naomi was waving to Aunt Beep. Silly girl.
I'm thankful for a church, both corporately and the individuals within it, that stands by families and encourages them as they do their best at this gig we call parenting. And I'm thankful for Tyler. He's pretty fantastic!
For those who weren't at church and didn't see the video someone posted on my Facebook page, here is a video of Tyler's dedication ... and Naomi's waving ... and Devon's elbowing. You can click the icon in the bottom right corner to make the picture full screen.
We came home from church and saw my dad's blog post about the dedication. Then we got on Facebook and saw the following comments from people.
* Snipped a quick photo of Tyler's dedication for ya! What a sweetie. But my fave was Naomi, sweetly waving to all her friends out in the congregation throughout the prayer. So cute.
* I got a kick out of Devon giving her the elbow every time she waved, she persevered anyway!
* Naomi was hilarious. She was smiling and waving at people during the prayer.
Oh my! Judging from this picture, which my sister took on our camera, Naomi was waving to Aunt Beep. Silly girl.
I'm thankful for a church, both corporately and the individuals within it, that stands by families and encourages them as they do their best at this gig we call parenting. And I'm thankful for Tyler. He's pretty fantastic!
For those who weren't at church and didn't see the video someone posted on my Facebook page, here is a video of Tyler's dedication ... and Naomi's waving ... and Devon's elbowing. You can click the icon in the bottom right corner to make the picture full screen.
Friday, February 17, 2012
THE SIBS
We've tried taking this picture multiple times on multiple days, but the odds of having everyone facing the camera at the same time and not having any fakey smiles, wiggly bodies, closed eyes, or spewage decrease with every child you have. This is our best shot so far. Works for me!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
2/16/12 THANKFUL THURSDAY
I'm thankful that Tyler is sleeping through the night.
What's one thing that you're thankful for?
What's one thing that you're thankful for?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
BATHROOM PROGRESS
I'm working on a living room post that I'm hoping will go up tomorrow, but I thought I'd give a little update on the bathroom project today.
I now have something to hang above the toilet, towel hooks, toothbrush holder, soap dispenser, and a rug. The rug is neutral, though, and I'm thinking about exchanging it for one that's brick colored. So incredibly not a color I'm normally drawn to, but it would add a punch of coordinating color and I don't use that bathroom anyway. Hmmmmm ... we'll see.
My last dilemma is about paint. I want to do a neutral color, something kinda beige. However, we have some neutral paint in our garage that was left by the previous owner. It's what they painted the master bathroom with - not a horrid color, but a little too much on the peach/pink side of beige for my taste. But it's free. And I don't even use that bathroom. Another "hmmmmmmm" on that one. I'll decide soon, though, because I want to get the room done.
Anyway, we're making progress.
In fact, here's what happened a couple nights ago.
This ....
... plus this ...
... equals this.
No more wallpaper!!!
I now have something to hang above the toilet, towel hooks, toothbrush holder, soap dispenser, and a rug. The rug is neutral, though, and I'm thinking about exchanging it for one that's brick colored. So incredibly not a color I'm normally drawn to, but it would add a punch of coordinating color and I don't use that bathroom anyway. Hmmmmm ... we'll see.
My last dilemma is about paint. I want to do a neutral color, something kinda beige. However, we have some neutral paint in our garage that was left by the previous owner. It's what they painted the master bathroom with - not a horrid color, but a little too much on the peach/pink side of beige for my taste. But it's free. And I don't even use that bathroom. Another "hmmmmmmm" on that one. I'll decide soon, though, because I want to get the room done.
Anyway, we're making progress.
In fact, here's what happened a couple nights ago.
This ....
... plus this ...
... equals this.
No more wallpaper!!!
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