drawings

Instead of laundry I have spent the last two hours drawing up plans for the kitchen island I would like Shane to build. Yeah, he's excited.....

We have a three year old house that I love, but the kitchen cabinets and counter space is very limited. We knew that when we bought it and have thought about making some changes ever since. Lately, I have despised being in my kitchen. Not so great when it's suppose to be the heart of the home. But despite rearranging knick knacks and (R Reece wants me to keep typing R's.... rrrrrrrrrr, there you go buddy. He's asking why I spelled his name. He can read!)

Anywho, despite attempting to move things around it just isn't working. I would love the kids to be more involved and don't even get me started about baking. There just isn't room. So enough complaining. I surfed some of my favorite blogs and came up with a plan that is low cost and not a ton of work (at least to me). It also wouldn't involve ripping apart the whole room to get it done.

So here is my list....

1. beadboard backsplash

2. crown molding

3. kitchen island with drawers for small appliances and an electrical outlet with a bookshelf on one end

4. built in bookcase in space between two doors ( there is a HUGE space back there because the cold air return is below so it would be really deep and add a lot to the kitchen's function)

5. granite counter tops

So we'll see..... we need to price things out and visit some restore stores and see what we can find.

proof.....

ellie is a brown haired version of avery.....

Just some ramblings

So looking back a few posts I have apparently gotten lazy with posting pics. That would actually require loading them onto the computer. Yeah, need to do that. So for one more time, just words on this one. I promise I'll make up for it soon.

We've been housebound a lot the last two weeks. It makes for a messy house and a caged in mommy, but otherwise it hasn't been too bad. Shane's been gone all week and it driving home as we speak, or write I guess I should say. And then it's lunch and lego club for the kids this afternoon. Woohoo! What a treat to end the week with no hubby and yucky weather.

Ellie will be 1 in just a couple of weeks. We're trying to plan a party with her BFF Khloe so that should turn out really really cute. I just am in denial that I am going to have a one year old and not an infant anymore. Seriously did time go that fast? How on earth did I get to have a third kid who is going to be one?

I am plugging along with the bible in 90 days challenge. I did get behind one day over the weekend but thankfully caught right back up. It's amazing how much I am craving to read the bible that much. It takes almost 45 min for me to get through the twelve pages a day and especially through Leviticus. I forgot how grotesque and detailed the sacrifices were. Definitely took away my appetite! It made me to thankful for Jesus and that I don't have to constantly go collect birds and goats to kill. I pretty would be doing that all the time. And I seriously want some manna. I wish God put his recipe in there so I could try it. Hopefully we'll get it in heaven. I'm a huge bread lover and can't imagine how awesome that tasted. Shane got me a Nook color for Christmas and I was able to download the bible on there and it is awesome. It's so lightweight and I can take it in my purse or carry it throughout the house. Technology can be great!

New Attitudes

Today was one of those days I wanted to be productive, but was so tired. I did end up getting quite a few things checked off my list. But it seems so funny now to even write a list with kids. I get half of about ten things done and never seem to be able to start and finish something completely. Like today, I folded laundry, two hours later I put some away, two hours later put another pile away. Cleaned the sink in one bathroom, cleaned the toilet in another, but didn't finish either one. Organized two baskets of clothes on the changing table, but two more to go. I sound like I have ADD, nope, just three kids. Most of the time it is frustrating and makes me angry. But I've been reading James MacDonald's Lord Change My Attitude and have been trying to work on my thoughts. So today I just went with it. My normal attitude would be give up and don't do anything. But I really tried to just do what I could when I could. So maybe the next cleaning day the other toilet, a different sink, and maybe the last two baskets will be cleaned up.

What I do to not go crazy.......

Goals

Every year Shane and I write out our goals and I thought I would post them here to help keep me accountable.

1. Spiritual: bible in 90 days, family bible time

2. Physical: lost rest of baby weight and wear my favorite jeans, exercise 2-3 x's a week

3. Relational: date night weekly with hubby, more teamwork and encouraging

4. Personal/Educational: learn to golf, work on being more patient

5. Financial: pay off van, selling stuff on etsy

Bible in 90 Days

I might be a little crazy, but I'm doing it. Reading the entire bible in 90 days. Yes, I am a homeschooling mom of three and attempting to read the entire bible in 90 DAYS. I felt the Lord prompting me to spend more time with him and focus on what matters. I am hoping to see just how much time in my day is wasted by other "stuff" as well. Whew! Today was the first day and I read from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 16:16. It worked out really well today to do it while I had all the kids in rest time. The house was actually quiet. Well, except for when Reece insisted on going #2 in my bathroom. Nothing like hearing that while reading about Noah and the flood! ha ha ha!

I have read Genesis a million times. Well, maybe not a million, but a lot. And today I had quite a few "new" finds. It was so interesting to just read. Not take a million notes, look in commentaries, check references.... just read. Those things aren't bad. I just tend to complicate things sometimes and this keeps me focused.

So here is some tidbits from today....

1. "no suitable helper was found" for some reason it made me chuckle. Did Adam try a badger, eagle, lion to help him with his chores? He was out looking. And boy did he get something awesome when GOD gave it to him. Hmmmmm........

2. "sound of the Lord" I wonder what this is....a swoosh, a gentle rustling of trees, bells, hoping I get to hear this some day

3. animals and people were originally VEGETARIAN and not until NOAH did they eat meat.... interesting......

None of these observations of life changing, theological, philosophical, or even that interesting to other people. But today they just struck me.

School Days

Just wanted to give an update on homeschooling. It's going great. I love how I can constantly change and tailor the day to each child. And yes, Reece has decided to join us. It definitely changes things. We use to sit for a straight hour and a half (just Ave and I), but now with Reece we do school throughout the day to give his little antsy self time to get rid of some energy. Shane made us an enormous chalkboard with mdf, chalkboard paint, magnet paint, and some trim.I have made some curriculum changes. I bought the entire package of kindergarten from Sonlight.com and although I love it, I did see some holes in the curriculum. We added Story of the World, Get Ready for the Code, and Rod and Staff's bible story and coloring books. Avery's becoming a reader and is good at math and Reece is learning his letters and how to write his name.
The actual teaching part isn't what's hard. Keeping them on a schedule and not being distracted by housework and Ellie's schedule are actually the hardest part. They love school and are ready to learn. There are some days where it doesn't go well and we all want to pull our hair out, but overall it's going great.
The best part is that sometimes, as you can see, we have school in our jammies.

A little Teaser

Check back tomorrow to see this plate's new life....

Cute Dress

Today I am completely exhausted and tired of the cold. So instead of whining that I have to take the kiddos in the cold just for Reece to be at school for an hour. Instead, I threw off those yoga pants and 1993 Gap sweatshirt. Put on my boots and a cute dress and am heading for, well, Starbucks and maybe to grab some bananas. But it feels good to look cute even if only for an hour.

I'm hoping for a nap this afternoon. Ellie has chosen to not sleep much the last two nights. I'm pretty sure she's going to pop 8 teeth this week. She's ten months old and still no teeth. They've been hovering under her gumlines for months. I can see the tops of those pearly whites, but they are being stubborn! So I'm hoping Walmart has Hylands Teething Tablets because they worked wonders for the other two.

Avery gets a playdate today and will finally have some girl time, woohoo! She has been amazing playing with her brother the last couple of weeks and deserves some time with dress-up and dolls on the horizon.

Back from the Porcelain Throne

The five of us spent the last three days dealing with the stomach flu. It's always so sad to see your kids go through that yuckiness. Especially Ellie, who just kept looking at me like"what is this?". So sad. Today I am staying in my pajamas and hoping to get a little bit of laundry and the pile of dishes. And besides that, not much else. Blogging, knitting, and hopefully a nap later today.

I will tell you this. The Nester was right, as usual! ;) The Mrs. Meyers cleaning products are AMAZING! I am completely obsessed. I have been cleaning floors (on my hands and knees), cupboards, appliances, you name it. This stuff smells amazing. The labels are adorable. And I plan on stocking up every time I go to Walmart. I wish I had the laundry soap already for all the stinky flu towels that need washed. But dragging 3 sick kids to the store right now does seem a little impractical, although tempting.

Saying Goodbye

We've spent the last two weeks traveling back and forth to Nashville because Shane's sweet Memaw went to heaven to be with Jesus. Her memorial service was so beautiful. She was such a lovely lady that loved the Lord and her life reflected that to all those around her. It was bittersweet as we miss her, but knowing she's with her honey Webb and no longer in pain was amazing. As they lowered her casket into the ground I thought that I would be upset (I've never experienced that before), but it didn't bother me at all. It wasn't her. I knew where she was and was actually smiling inside thinking that it was almost funny that her body was in the ground, but her--the real her--was in the presence of God. That's pretty amazing. (And why is at funerals you want to giggle at the most reverent times?)

She was an avid quilter and we were so blessed to receive quilts from her that she had made over the years when our kiddos were born. Now as I tuck them in at night, surrounded by the hours her hands spent with the needle, made from her very own dresses- I pray her sweet great-grandbabies continue her legacy....

Aye Aye Aye....

You know when you have weeks when you just don't like who you are as a mom.

Have issues with your post-baby body.

Don't have Christmas spirit.

Snap at your husband.

Walk around in a generally bad mood.

Yell at the kids.

Want to hide in bed with the covers over my head.

Grumble, Grumble, Grumble.

That's been me the last couple of weeks. The kids aren't sleeping well at night, traveling, eating crappy food, fighting during homeschooling, laundry piled high......

aye aye aye.

Just those kinds of days. I know it won't last. It's gonna change soon. But right now it's a little frustrating because I want to fix it.

I think it's ultimately because the spirit is working in me and part of me is fighting it. Shane and I have been contemplating downsizing and moving to a farm, purging our possessions, and living a simpler life. And it totally appeals to me. But the thought completely stresses me out and overwhelms me. Not because I don't think it's a good idea, but because I hate how attached to things I am. So I think for some reason this inward struggle is making me short tempered and stressed out. I had to even put the book Radical away for a little bit because I was feeling so completely freaked out by it.

I don't know ultimately what we are suppose to do as a family, but I know that I need to relax and have peace with whatever that is.... and for heaven sakes....find that Christmas spirit.