Home Sweet Home

It's amazing to me how making a place feel like home can have such an impact on your life. We have been in our house for almost one and a half years. The first year we didn't really do much with it. The heating and air went out and the house came with no appliances so that ate up every bit of "extra" money we had. Not to mention all those little things that you realize you need when you buy a house (like a lawn mower). This year we have managed to make a few changes around our home and the impact has been wonderful. Mostly what we have done is paint. The house used to be filled with lots of browns, tans, beige and white. There was a lot of wallpaper border and one cranberry wall. After renting for several years we had really grown tired of living in a place with very little color. So having a house with very little color made us never really want to be in it. We were constantly finding excuses to go somewhere; shopping, eating out, visiting. All because our house just didn't feel like home. Fast forward to now. We have discovered that we are really a colorful family. We have greens, orange, blues, and are in the process of adding yellow and red. I have adopted the new mantra of "let's try it". It's only paint we can always paint over it. With this mantra we are more willing to try bold and different colors. We are also more willing to let the kids have a say. Now Lego has a grass green room (instead of tan) and Wheels has deep blue walls. They love it and so do we. One thing I have noticed is that as we have truly started to make this house our home we want to leave it less. We look for fewer excuses to get out and about. We play Legos, dig in the yard, have family movie nights and more. This is truly starting to become our retreat from the outside world. Another lesson that I have learned is that it doesn't have to be perfect. The walls don't have to be perfectly smooth. The yard doesn't have to be dandelion free. And my postage stamp of a kitchen doesn't need to be gutted and redone. If I am willing to work with what I have been blessed with the results can be better for my family than the latest show room design. As I read on another blog, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."

Spring!!!

Spring has sprung! And with it Lego and I are battling allergies. It's amazing how many kleenex boxes we go through each spring. Aside from the constant dripping and such we have managed to break out of the house and enjoy the nice weather. Dear hubby was wonderful and broke the ground for the new vegetable garden (and has the blisters to prove it). The boys are so excited and have great plans for all the yummy food they plan to harvest. Also, our blueberry plants will be in next week so we can get them in the ground. Yeah!!!




Wheels had his last day of preschool yesterday. He has really enjoyed it and isn't looking forward to summer break nearly as much as Lego. Now all we have to do is survive the last month of school with Lego who cannot wait for it to end. He hasn't enjoyed first grade nearly as much as we hoped. We are hoping for a better second grade year.


As the weather has gotten warmer it has been so much harder to get the inside stuff done. I want to be playing in the flower garden, moving rock for our someday patio, and swinging in my swing. So while mom had the kids, hubby and I gritted our teeth and worked on an indoor project we had been putting off. Painting Lego's room. He has been patiently waiting for this to happen and even asked for it as his birthday present so we could put it off no longer. His room is now a very nice grass green (goes with the rest of our colorful house). Now all we have to do is get all the finishing touches up on the wall.

(This use to be tan with cheetah print border.)

To reward ourselves hubby and I went out on a date and enjoyed seeing all the high schoolers dressed up for prom.

On a side note, check out my new haircut. I love it. It is so much cooler and takes all of five seconds to do.



Have a happy day.

Hanging Out

Two of my younger brothers came up and visited me the other day. They are both on break and we had an opportunity to just hang out for a bit and chat. It was really nice. I try and keep up with what's happening in their lives but some times it is pretty tough. Especially with my "baby" brother. He is thirteen years younger than me so we are at completely different life stages. I am married with kids and he is dealing with high school. I often feel like I have a harder time connecting with him than with any of my other sibs. All of my brothers are awesome and there isn't a single one I don't love or get along with (including my step-sibs). With the youngest though it's hard to find some common ground. That is a complete shame and one I hope to correct before too long. He has a really great personality and is growing into a great guy. One I hope to get to know better in the future. It was great to hear about some of his goals, things he likes to do, and beliefs. Not that we all sat there spilling our guts; these are guys we're talking about. I was also blown away to hear that my other brother would consider a job anywhere when he graduates college. Anywhere, as in even another country. Part of me is going "how cool is that," the other part is going "but he'll be so far away." Guess I need to make the best of whatever time he's around now. After our visit I realized that I have got to make time for these guys. Before long they are going to be busy with jobs and families and getting to just hang out will happen only on holidays. I certainly don't want to get to the point where the only contact I have with them is a birthday or Christmas card. So in the spirit of knowing more about my brothers, anybody know anything about snowboarding?

Rants

Need to rant a moment...I finished my devotion this morning in My Utmost for His Highest and the last sentence really struck me. It says, "Is my master ambition to please Him (God) and be acceptable to Him (God), or is it something less, no matter how noble?" I got to thinking about that and how often we put noble causes, lifestyle choices, careers and such in place of pleasing God. It also struck me how often we judge other peoples' choices without knowing their motives behind them. We feel like they are wasting their talent or resources because in our opinion they aren't receiving enough attention, money, etc. for it. But what if they are using it in a way they feel is pleasing to God? Does it matter if it nets them any worldly gain? My neighbor is an amazingly gifted, caring woman and nurse. She is currently taking care of a very ill relative at her home. Is she getting anything out of this? No. In fact since she has three children and a busy husband, this has made her life much more hectic. Is she trumpeting and blowing whistles and saying look at me and what a selfless thing I am doing? No. She is just quietly and gracefully going through each day and doing her best. She is an example to me of living to please God, regardless of what other people think. Another example is a man I know who is a gifted landscaper who donates his time to his church. I don't think 85% of the congregation even knows he is out there every week making the grounds beautiful for God's house. In our house we try and limit our impact on the environment. We reduce, reuse and recycle. We are trying to switch to non-toxic products and eat more whole and organic foods. We conserve water, compost, and constantly remind the boys to turn off the lights. We are also trying to pass on to our boys a sense of responsibility to what we've been given. Are we environmentalists? Actually no. We are Christians who believe that we are to be stewards of what God has given us. That means taking good care of our environment, our bodies and our finances. Granted we seem to struggle more with the "our bodies" part. The point to this long spiel is don't judge others. Since you are not involved in their decisions and you are not the all-knowing God of creation. Also, take a look at your own choices. Are you holding back on something because you are afraid of what other people might think? If you are a christian, remember who we are living to please.

Okay, I am done with my soapbox.

Family Happenings

Goodness. I had kind of forgotten how hard it is to get things done with a baby in the house. Especially with a puppy creating havoc right along side of him. Today and tomorrow I am watching my friends son for her while she works. He is a cutie pie who is crawling and cruising but not walking. (Thankfully) Mondays I usually take time to slowly get back into the week. Sunday is typically one of my busiest days because I am so involved at church. This last weekend though I was down with a cold and pretty much just wanted to never leave bed. I did manage to go to my Mom's to see one of my brothers who is home visiting from college.

Recently son#2 turned five so we headed off to the doctor for his check up. Of course he was going to need shots. I told him not to worry it would hurt for a minute then be done. Little did I know the poor guy had to have FIVE shots! He was so brave the nurses didn't even have to hold him still. Me on the other hand decided we both needed to go to the local coffee house for a treat after that. A cookie for him and a cinnamon roll for me and we both had a better outlook on the rest of the day. I am dreading telling son#1 that he will have to a shot at his next visit. Last time it took three nurses and me to hold him down and give him the shots.

I am finding myself very thankful for the spring weather that has decided to visit this week. We all seem to be a happier household when we can get out and play for a while. Hope you all have a blessed week.

Welcome to the Family

Here is a picture of Chewie for those of you who haven't met him yet. He is a doxiepoo. His mom was a mini dachsund and his dad was a toy poodle. He is not going to get much bigger than this. Isn't he cute?

Getting Started

Well I have had a few friends suggest that I start blogging so it's easier to keep up with what's happening in my world. So here goes. I will do my best to keep it updated. Hope you enjoy.