Wordless(mostly) Wednesday...

less than 2 hours left in this day but it still counts!...



(my dad's works)


(old flame)


(new baby)

Painting is DONE!!

We have hemmed and hawed for months and months about painting our dining room and kitchen. I just could NOT find the right color even though I knew what I wanted. Lowe's started carrying a new line called Creative Ideas with Color and **Finally** I found the perfect match! Its called Gecko and boy is it ever green! Like the new growth on our holly bushes or newly leafed out oak trees. GREEN! We need to add some artwork and I really want a pot rack. I'll just bask in the green-ness for now though!

Christmasy Stuff...

But first a product plug!! My bloggy pal Autumn posted about a lip balm challenge over at Great Cakes Soapworks and I was chosen to test out one of her lip butters!! We opted for the Coconut Mango flavor and it is fantastic! It stays on forever, doesn't melt and slide off, it tastes great, doesn't make your throat dry(I can't be the only one to experience this with lip balm can I?), it smells SCRUMPTIOUS, and feels like silk! I plan to order an assortment of the yummy flavors she's got available(Vanilla Latte, Orange Creamsicle, Cinnamon Bun, Limeade,...) for stocking stuffers.
I think I'll even get one of the Lava Lip Gloss rollers because I would LOVE to be 13 again!

Now, onto the weekend...

Mark told me to wear shoes I could clomp around the woods in so I put on my Vasque hiking boots for the first time. They are a bit stiff but otherwise very warm and sturdy, LOVE them!



We drove over the river and through the woods to Danville Farms. We've been getting our trees from them for several years now and are never disappointed.



As luck would have it, I forgot to take the camera on our tree search but here is the shaking and binding station.



While Mark and Ryan were doing this...



Sarah and I warmed up by the fire.



Then it was time to go.






I managed to get the lights on and the girls put a few ornaments on late last night.


(its about 10 feet tall)



Before I forget, I got crafty last week and made some cone trees!! I don't know why I decided to do these, can't recall where I'd seen them. I figured out a pattern, found some online to look at and went for it! They turned out pretty cute, in my opinion! Hopefully the craft bug will continue to bite me, I have some ideas...






In other news....

Sarah rudely interrupted my "meeting Lisa Whelchel" dream with her barfing this morning. Mark and I have the queasies so it looks like the stomach bug is paying us a visit. Hopefully it will be short-lived and mild. I'd much rather have the crafty bug than the oogie bug. Sigh.

Carpetless...

And loving it!! There are small pieces from 3 closets left but the rest is gone, gone, gone! Mark took up the tack boards in the living room but they're still down in the hallway, our bedroom and the girls' room. We are still not sure if we want paint or stain. There are some major dark chocolate stains in the living room, probably from woodwork my dad did when building the house. If it doesn't come up we'll just have to prime over and paint. We are also trying to decide if we want to take up the linoleum in the kitchen/dining/utility rooms and entry hall. It makes more sense to do it all at once but it is a lot of work! It would be nice to have this all done by Thanksgiving but I'm not holding my breath. With Mark working an hour away our evenings are kinda short, weekends are pretty busy too. Furniture will have to be moved out, the entire area will need swept, mopped, vacuumed, and the concrete will need prepped with chemicals. I'll try and get pictures from each step and post our mishaps as well.


In other news...

My brother has been learning to kayak over the past few months and has bought a camera to film his adventures. Here's part of his latest trek.



It is raining like crazy here, expecting up to 2 inches, more in some areas. I'll be willing to bet we've already had our 2 inches here! I can't recall a wetter autumn that didn't include a hurricane or two. Our front yard is a lake and was yesterday too!

I'm working on a new crochet project, another afghan! Just plain half-double stitches but in gorgeous fallish colors from I Love This Yarn put out by Hobby Lobby. Pix later. I'm also working on basting a quilt so I can get started hand quilting it in November.

Saturday-ish...

No time for coherent posting today! Pool party with tons of teenagers, hot dogs, and so forth! But, I did want to share these loverly sites/blogs/what-have-yous.

Go NOW and read this!! Autumn is soooooo very wise!


Look here for beautiful inspiration.

My friend Sadira had the most magical of Mad Hatter Tea Parties!

And last but not least, here are some quick pics of our kitchen paint colors. It took forever but we've finally settled on most of the colors. The very farthest wall(above the doorway to the utility room and next to the fridge) will either a burnt orange or a rosy red magenta for an added pop. I'm very excited about these colors, they all just meshed this morning for some reason. Hopefully we'll hop right on this and finish by the first of September!


(kitchen view from the dining area)


(soffit color, a banana pepper green- this didn't photograph well, it isn't quite as intense as it looks here but is more yellowish)


(kitchen wall color, Chardonnay Bottle)


(dining room color, a Kilz color, Garden Glove, that I'll have to match in Valspar)

Fun Project for Summer....

I wanna make a Terrarium!! Aren't they COOL?

My mom had one in a large glass bottle when I was a little girl but the bottle got shot by a bb gun(I think) when I was about 11 or 12. There was something magical about looking inside and see the plants, ceramic critters, and moisture, kinda like a mini rainforest. Lately I've been seeing them here and there on a few blogs. There is also flickr group. It looks like a nice thing for the kids and I to do together. We will be hunting the thrift stores for the perfect containers and researching what kind of plants do best.

You can add animals such as frogs or other amphibians, or lizards to your terrarium, although I'm pretty sure ours will just be plants, at least for now. This one is getting ready for a newt! And another really neat one! There is even a Terrarium Museum with some awesome pictures of Victorian style terrariums.

I've invited my homeschooling group to pool our resources and have a group Terrarium-fest but I'm not sure how many will actually participate. It would be a great kid-friendly project for the summer, in my opinion. If anyone has a blog post about their terrariums, please share it in my comments! I'd love to read about your experience.

A few more terrarium sites:

The Magic Terrarium

Inhabitat

How to Crochet a Terrarium Hanger(or something like that)

Cool colors and less clutter...

I bought this shelf sometime last year and just love the shape of it. There used to be sliding doors on the front but they weren't with it when I found it.


(picture taken when I first brought it home and cleaned it up)

We stopped by Lowe's on Wednesday night after we dropped the girls at their church activities and I bought a "mis-tint" pint of this wonderful minty green. It is SO brilliant it almost sparkles(but its a satin I think). Anyway, it was just enough to do the octagon mirror from the thrift store and the inside of the shelf. I love how it turned out!


(look next to the white shelf, but don't you dare laugh)(you are laughing aren't you?)(I told you not to laugh!!)(its the same box)(quit laughing)



I spent most of Saturday and Sunday thinning out books. If there is a thing that is harder to part with I've not found it. So far I've got two stacks over 30 inches tall. First I'm taking them to my homeschool park day to hand out and what is left will go to the thrift store.


(There isn't an after picture yet because I'm not finished but there is a cleared path to the door now)


In other news...

We stopped by the pet store to see how our kittens were faring only to learn that 3 of the 4 had passed away about 2 weeks ago. The rescue/foster mom said they just never gained weight and seemed to get sicker and sicker. They had trouble opening their eyes and trouble eating. It makes me wonder if they weren't a bit premature or suffering from an illness(I hope not). She said the survivor was very small still, about 2 weeks behind in size, but had a good appetite and they were hopeful she'd make it. They've decided to keep her and named her Fiesty.

Their sad sad situation just drives home the point that people need to spay and neuter their animals(and keep them inside to curb the spread of disease). If you haven't done so, please do. And, if yours are all taken care of, consider donating to a low-cost provider of these services like the one we use here in Longview, S.N.I.P.-Pets so that others can afford to do what is right.

We are doing VBS this week for Sarah, starting this past Sunday. Its at 6:15 til 8:45 each evening and lemme tell ya, that's a major pain. Having to have Ryan here there and yon and now Sarah, EVERY night, I'm a tired mama. This morning I woke up about 6:40, ate, got online and decided at 8am to go back to bed. I slept til 10:34. Apparently I needed it, to be fair I did get up at 5am Sunday morning when the boys left to go fishing.

Anyway, Sarah loves VBS and tonight she brought a friend. She'll go to the friend's VBS on Wednesday morning to return the favor. So, tomorrow Ryan to work at 9am, pick up around 5:30ish, Sarah to VBS at 6:15-8:45. Wednesday, Sarah to VBS(friend's) at 9am, home at 12, back to her VBS at the usual time. Thursday morning is homeschool park day, 9am-2pm usually, Ryan to work at 6, Sarah to VBS at 6:15...I'm not sure how I will pull this off, they are on opposite sides of town, Sarah out at 8:45, Ryan off at 9:45. Friday Ryan to work at 11pm til 7am Saturday(for a Lock-in). Oh My Heavenly Stars, I'm going to be freakin' exhausted as I am the designated driver to and from all of these events!!! So, there may not be as much decluttering going on as I would like.

You all know where I'm headed as soon as I hit the publish button...zzzzzz Hopefully I won't dream about strange men breaking into our garage like I did this morning, that was a scary, very real dream. ugh.

Because I'm missing the gene....

That allows me to follow rules I will be doing the One a Day 9-patch-along one day a week and not every day. Tomorrow is my day and since I'm going to try and do two quilts(I think), I'll be making 14 9-patches! That's a LOT for me in one day. Hope I can handle it. I will probably also use a different setting than the sashing she has but I'm not sure yet.

In other news...










We went here yesterday and had a blast! It was chilly and the wind was fierce but the kids didn't seem to mind at all. They bounced back and forth from the spray pad to the playground thing and wore themselves out. We arrived at 10:30 and stayed til 3:30!! I forgot to take pictures of the water until everyone had left!



If anyone is considering getting a pet, a cat specifically, please get two(littermates if possible). Several years ago we adopted sisters Ruby and Rosie together from our cousins and they are perfect together. I can't imagine how either of them would have gotten along without the other! Rosie is the most hateful animal I've ever known, we all would have been miserable with her alone. Ruby came with her because she'd had an accident and lost part of her tail. I felt bad for her and wanted to help her heal. She is the sweetest, most loving cat we've ever had and has bonded deeply with Sarah. However, if she'd been the only one we took I think she'd be very neurotic and a pain to deal with. Bringing both of them home has given them the best of both worlds, they have us and they have each other.



We adopted Jasper and Gypsy last January and again, I couldn't imagine either one of them without the other. Jasper is a scaredy cat and would have hidden under the furniture for months if he'd been here without Gypsy. She is the more loving of the two but he can be very affectionate at times. They, like Ruby and Rosie, spend hours sleeping side by side and grooming each other. Jasper has taken up the role of "mama" to Tallulah and now to Tibert(not Buster, sigh). Neither of them had siblings to come with so it is wonderful that Jasper has stepped up to nurture them.

And last but not least...

I found THIS in the cabinet above the microwave! I think it is a sweet potato.



And for Pit...

my colorful world...

Remember to enlarge for better viewing, especially the caterpillar!



(azaleas along the walking trail)


(our oak tree at night from the trampoline)


(caterpillar I met on a walk at the park)


(new microwave)


(red kitchen carts-same color as the microwave-it shows a bit bright)

Simply Sunday at the end of March...

I cannot believe its the end of March already!!! Wasn't it just Groundhog Day?? I swear it was!

We're having a very relaxing day after our Hundred Mile Drive yesterday, all in town I might add. I'm not sure if we actually drove 100 miles but it sure felt like it with all the hauling and collecting of the various children. After all that driving, I came home and made a huge pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup to take the chill off.

3-4 bnls/sknls chicken breasts, in 1-inch cubes(or smaller)
1 green pepper, chopped small
1 onion, chopped small
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil.

Combine the above and cook til chicken is mostly done. Add the following:

2 chicken broth cubes, dissolved in about 6 cups hot water(I think I may have added more water than this total)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained or 1 cup frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup salsa(or more to taste)
1-2 teaspoons each: cumin, chili powder, oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Simmer for about 30-45 minutes and serve over crushed chips and a handful of cheese and sour cream on top.

We hit the sack early and slept well.

Today after lunch the men went fishing at Lone Star Lake and the womenfolk are here at the house. The younger ones have been outside all day long, enjoying the 65 degree sunny weather, and I've been inside deciding on paint colors. I posted a while back about wanting to use orange in our dining room and kitchen but after reading about how reds can raise blood pressure, that's NOT what I need. I'm 99% sure now that we'll be using a light yellow-green, the shade of these beautiful leaves.



I had a nice relaxing bath with salts, soaps, and conditioners from my friendPatricia's online store, Herbal Grace so now I smell fantabulous. We've nibbled on chips and hot sauce(our favorite is a mix of Albert's Hot Sauce and Herdez Salsa Verde). We're about to make Blondies from SpruceHill's recipe. YUM. Our microwave gave up the ghost today so we're having to wait on the butter to soften the old timey way.

Right now girls and I are watching Planet Earth and Africam at the same time. Over the past two years we've seen 30 different types of animal at the watering hole, including a cape buffalo being caught and eaten by lions, rhinos fighting, wildebeasts, hippos, snakes, bugs, zebras, baboons, turtles, antelope, cheetas, elephants, hyenas, giraffes, warthogs(so cute!), cervals, porcupines, and all kinds of birds. I would LOVE to visit this place!!

The men will be home shortly after dark and, after showers, we'll heat the leftover soup and sit around being lazy for the last few hours of the day. I wish all our weekends were this restful.