30 June 2009

New Haircut


Ok, since a certain someone has been bugging me for a picture of my new haircut...I finally attempted to take a picture of it myself (which explains the horrid pic, LOL) I will have to get Rick to take a better one when we get a chance. But for now, this will just have to do :).

With Love,

Pets in their New Home :)



Oliver and Frannie are enjoying their new surroundings. Oliver loves to look at the views from the living room windows, or bask in the sun coming through the back door.

Frannie LOVES the new back porch. I think she is also enjoying that we are spending more time outdoors. She loves to look in through the large breakfast room window.

Hugs,

The Powder Room


Love,

Our Kitchen





Here's a few pictures of the new kitchen. There's still a little work to do in here. We plan to move our refrigerator in instead of the one that is currently there.

At first I thought that there wouldn't be enough storage space, but then as I began unpacking I was pleasantly surprised to see how much there really was. Believe it or not, I have nearly as much room in this kitchen as I did in the last. It just doesn't look as big.

Hugs,

Views Around Our Lawn




With Love,

My Little Joe






I have never seen a one year old like to wear hats, but Joe is certainly the exception! He LOVES to wear fun hats, I think he feels extra handsome in them, lol. We found this adorable matching pants and hat sets at the Gap, and they are just perfect for him :). I thought they were adorable summer outfits.

Hugs,

The Pool




The pool has been a bit of a challenge so far...When it was first opened we were horrified at the mess that we found! The pool had been sadly neglected and was in terrible condition. It was full of decaying leaves and tadpoles, and we found a 25 lb bag of sand at the bottom. So after many hours of scooping leaves, hundreds of dollars worth of pool chemicals, and much vacuuming, we are thrilled to finally have our pool!

The area around the pool is still a bit of a mess. It has been a work zone for the last couple of weeks. But now that we have the pool in working order we can clean up the area surrounding it. It is such a pleasant place to relax and hang out. It feels like our own little slice of paradise.

Hugs,

The Foyer



Here are a few pictures of our new foyer.

I had been struggling to find a place to hang our painting, and then I suddenly had the idea of hanging at the top of the stairs. I was so glad to find a prominent spot for it because it holds a sentimental value to us. My husband had bought it before we were married, and to be honest, I did not particularly like it at first. And then one day I was looking at it and happened to notice that the title of the painting is "Perseverance". How many times have we been that little boat being tossed in the angry waves? Now, when I look at the painting, it is a reminder that no matter how bad the storm seems, God is in control of our little boat.

Hugs,

Our Dining Room





Here is our new dining room.I still have two small boxes to unpack, but aside from painting or curtains the room is done! I like having the dining room in the front of the home, it is the first room you see when you walk in the front door.

Blessings,

Our Living Room




I am finally able to share a few long awaited pictures of the new house!

This is our new living room. I still have a few little touches to add to the bookshelves, and I need to purchase new taper candles for the mantle, but other than that the room is finished. (well aside from any painting and curtains...but I am waiting to do any of that until the whole house is finished :) )

The room is a comfortable place to be, and I love the view out to the pool. I love the details in the room, such as the wood beams and the fireplace, I think they add warmth.

Blessings,

27 June 2009

Pink Saturday


With all of the things to do with getting settled in our new home, my little pink tool set has come in quite handy. I figure if you have to use tools, they might as well be pink, LOL.



Seriously though, I do love having these "functional" items in pink. It does make the every day tasks a little more enjoyable :).

Hugs,

25 June 2009

Pink...or...Blue????



Well, BLUE, of course! What else would we have but another boy, lol! Everything looked great on the ultrasound, he looks like a big, healthy boy. His little face looks a lot like Joseph. He was active and kicking and for a while refused to show us whether he was a boy or girl, lol. But he finally let us see, and his brothers are thrilled with the news!

We are just so blessed to have another healthy boy on the way!

With Love,

23 June 2009

Simple Woman's Day Book



Outside my window...A bright sun-shiny day, and a green pool :(

I am thinking... I am so sleepy today but there is still so much to do!

From the learning rooms... Jacob showing his younger brothers the different colors.

I am thankful for... My new house. It is going to be just beautiful once we're finished unpacking!

From the kitchen... Still not much, unfortunately. We will be back on track soon :)

I am wearing... My navy exerskirt, and layered tees, white and lime green.

I am reading... sadly, nothing.

I am hoping... That we can get our pool clean and usable sometime in the near future.

I am creating... my new home! I'm having a lovely time setting up the rooms in our new house.

I am praying... That life will soon settle down. It's been so chaotic with moving and such.

Around the house... Stacks of empty boxes growing by the dozens (yay!). But unfortunately every where I look there is more to do.

One of my favorite things... being 5 minutes away from both Target and Wal-mart. Wahoo! Oh, and being able to order pizza for delivery!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Continue working on getting the pool clean, unpack my craft room, hang more pictures, break down boxes...

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


Love,

18 June 2009

Greetings From Our New Home!

It has been a week since I last posted...moving has certainly kept me busy!

The actual move went decently well. It was stressful and exhausting and we were taken aback by how much "stuff" there really was. It ended up being 5 truckloads full. I think we have both decided that we just can't move again, LOL.

We were so grateful though for the help of our friends. We could not have managed without their help. Titus and Hannah even sent two of their sons over the next day to help Rick move the last load of things. Even with the help of Titus and Hannah and two of their children, four movers, Adam, and then two more of Titus' children the next day, it was still an overwhelming task! But everything is finally at the new house, the old house is cleaned out, and the unpacking has begun.

Up until yesterday, unpacking was looking like an awfully daunting and nearly impossible task that would take light years to complete. But suddenly yesterday I began to see light at the end of the tunnel. It is going to take time to get everything just right, but I can start to see the hard work paying off.

This house is just beautiful. And seeing our things in their places is just making it even more beautiful to me. I was worried about space in the kitchen, but once I began the process of unpacking and getting it organized I realized that I had just as much actual kitchen cabinet space as I did before...it just doesn't "look" like it. The one area where I don't have as much as space is the pantry, but we do have a full basement so I am going to set up a second pantry downstairs.

The living room has ended up being bigger than I thought it was, even with our large furniture placed in it. I LOVE the bookshelves around the fireplace. It's a cozy room to be in, it just feels comfortable.

The dining room is very pretty. I was concerned about how to get our large china cabinet and table to fit right, but it all came together. It is the first room that you see when you come in to our house, so I like that our china cabinet has a prominent location.

Even the playroom was larger than I thought it was. We ended up having more room for furniture in there than I expected. I really like having it right off of the kitchen, and I like having a place for all the toys that isn't right where you see it when we have guests.

The boy's room also ended up being surprisingly big, and all three boys' beds fit perfectly. They are really enjoying sharing a room. Joshua made the transition to a big boy bed seamlessly.

Our master bedroom is just amazing. I think we will really like having the adjacent sitting room.

I will share pictures very soon- I promise! Everything is still a mess, but I am hoping that after this weekend it will start to look like an actual "home" :).

Love,

11 June 2009

Jacob and Julia




One of the hardest things to leave behind as we move is definitely Julia. She has been such a blessing to our family. Her help around the house, and the joyful fellowship we have had together has been wonderful!

But as much as I will miss her, I know that Jacob will miss her even more! She was his first "crush". Oh how he loves Julia! From the very first time she came to our home, he knew there was something special about her. She is one of the very few people that can challenge him in "wittiness", and the back and forth banter between them is adorable! She was always equally fond of him. He would look forward all week to her coming on Friday. Thursday nights as we would put him to bed he would ask over and over again, "Is Julia coming tomorrow?". He would rush out of his room the next morning to see if she was here yet. And then he would be coy, at least for the first few minutes, lol. She always made sure to find things he could help her with, and he would follow her around for hours.

We all love Julia, but I know she will always hold a special place in little Jacob's heart. And I am so grateful for the kindness that she showed to him.

With Love,