Getting it Done

I have missed you all!!
There are not enough hours in the day, lately.
I thought maybe today I'd breathe, brew some coffee, and check out every body's pages. Also, I wanted to share what we've been up-to.

LadyBug picked Orange Slice by Glidden but painted in Behr (not sure if that makes a difference in color turnout...) She also loves seaside cottage things. Remember this group we picked up for her room, back when it was going to be a gray-white?





Hmmm. Well now her room looks like this!



However orange this may look on here..... be assured, it is much more vibrant than that!!
That is where the problem lies. But, a most amazing thing happened.... DIYideas.com solved my problem!!!




It is perfect! She wanted citrus colors...hence the Orange Slice! And the art work is just a piece of MDF covered with decorative paper and card stock shapes on top!! I can totally pull this off! And get this, her 3-D chalk set came with perfectly sized stencils of sea animals!!


In other news, my kitchen is really taking shape! I'll have to snap a few pictures Wed. when I go back to sand the cabinet doors and drawer faces. I bought the appliances the other day from Home Depot. They were having a 10% off no interest for 12 months and the fridge was a perfect floor model on clearance. Are you ready for this?? $2300 for the range, fridge and dishwasher!!!!
The fridge is LG's french door top with drawer freezer on bottom, the range is LG's convection oven with smooth top (something I'll have to get used to- going from gas), the dishwasher is Maytag with all the goodies, all stainless. I was so excited! The fridge being a clearance item had to be picked up and is in this kitchen until we move and the other two will be delivered when we are ready for them.



I have some huge questions. Number one: What finish do I do on the concrete floors?
Number two: Should I paint my cabinets or stain them? should I stain the cabinets and paint the pantry and island?


Oh, I can't remember if I told you but my Master bed and bath are painted French Silver by Behr. I love this color. It is a cool blue gray but is shaded enough to be relaxing at the same time.
The main room colors are Natural Linen by Glidden and Crisp Linen White by Glidden. The crisp linen white is also in the laundry/craft room and I painted the hallways in the Natural Linen. The guest bath is called Fresh Guacamole. Yep, this may have been a bad idea, but I'm going to try and make it work. I love the color it is just a little much for the small space. Other than the girls crazy rooms, I wanted a natural and neutral tone in the house.
So, that is how far I am.
The siding is going on Monday week. The septic is going to be put in tomorrow or Thursday.
Any comments, questions or ideas are welcome. Thanks for making it through this lengthy post!!


My baby will be registered for big girl school Thursday.

COMMENTS WANTED

I rode by this little junk place over and over, day after day and kept seeing this chair. I wanted it and found myself looking to see if it was still there every time. So, finally I stopped. No one came out to see if I needed help and to be honest I was starting to wander if this was some sorta pile of stuff the homeowner had collected, maybe major pack-rats or something....
I drove by two days later and it was still there. I stopped again, this time someone peeked out their head and asked if I needed help.
Yes, how much for the metal chair?? "$5", he replied. Hmm, I thought. It needed a lot of work, but I want it. SURE! "There's more inside." He said. An open invitation to scope out some more cool stuff! I found antique glass door knobs, also $5. And I'm thinking of going back for the old french doors to convert to pantry doors.
I need a little help. My kitchen, living, and dining rooms are all together in a big 30 x 32. The first thing you will see when you walk in the front door will be the island. I want to do something super cool. I am going for a minimal with rustic antiques look... any ideas. I'm thinking Natural Choice by Sherwin Williams for the walls, Greek Villa white for the trim and cabinets, the floor will be stained concrete and the counter tops are either concrete or wood, I haven't decided yet.
I want clean lines, serene feel, with wow, that's cool, where'd ya find it antiques here and there.
My plan for this chair includes attaching casters to the legs and using it at my Roll Top desk as a sort of dressing table/writing station in my bedroom.

Here is LuLu's room color as promised






I kicked but and pulled a 8 hour grout job by myself yesterday and finally finished my shower (except for touching up the ceiling and sealing the grout)







If there are any professional shower tile layer people reading...... just remember this was my first!!! And I'm darn proud of it!!!!

Comments are definitely welcome. I need help PEOPLE! Ideas!

What I've been doing

I have been thinking about how simplicity makes me feel calm, relaxed and ultimately happier in general. This picture is a kitchen that says to me "I'm simple but rich in experience and detail, I may not be showy but I am efficient, relaxed, easy going. I can handle hustle and bustle of rush time or I can sit back with a warm cup of joe." I like that in a kitchen. I also like those qualities in life.

Our days have gone like this: (not so simple and relaxed)
During the week Bobby is at work and most days comes to the house to work after that as well as some side work. Our weekends are always at the house working.
My day looks like this......
7am~ wake up, feed the kids, get dressed, change over some laundry, take out the trash, pack lunch, fill water containers
9am~go to Home Depot, bank, pay a few bills, swing by McDonald's for a Caramel Iced Coffee, go to 'the property' (that is still what the kids call it)
10am~work on tile, prime, paint, rethink and plan on kitchen layout because I'm never satisfied with it, referee the girls, check up on the girls because they are curiously quiet, make time for tic tac toe, listen to LadyBug's newest book-now second grade level :0), throw LuLu up in the air until my arms feel like they are going to break, talk about colors and sing the alphabet song.
12:30~ eat a sandwich, some carrot sticks, a V8, a Powerade
12:45~get back to work, being a referee, scrape the tile down again because I made a huge mess with the adhesive, reinstall the corner caddy thingy that LuLu used as a step before the adhesive dried. Scrape off the adhesive that LuLu iced the tile with while I was gone to cut a trim piece.
5pm~ eat a few Fig Newtons, drink another Powerade, get back to work. Check out LadyBug's newest invention outside in the dirt, push LuLu around on the bike.
7pm~ go home
8pm~ bathe the girls, cook and eat dinner, clean up, put the girls to bed
10:30pm~shower
11:30pm~sleep, glorious sleep

This is the color LadyBug picked for her room. Orange Slice by Glidden, we used Behr paint. The ceiling is about 2 shades lighter. Far from the previous description of relaxing simplicity, but you are only a child once. LuLu's color is Pink Peony also a Glidden color. I will post some pics of it soon. It is dusty pink with a lilac undertone.




With the help of my little sister I have been tiling my master bath shower. The opening you see here will be a solid piece of tempered glass. I finished laying he tile and cleaned it up for grout yesterday. As soon as it is grouted I'll post the pictures. I'll have to get a better picture. You can't see it here but a rain can is in the center of the shower ceiling and a handheld is on the wall. The clawfoot will sit right in front of that.

My two little sweet girls get as dirty as humanly possible every single day that we are there! But again, you are only a child once.

My Family~ This is Why I love him Thursday

She painted.

She painted.

We painted.

They may be completely covered in dirt, primer, and sweat........ but they love each other.

Learning math can be fun.

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And this is just another reason why I love him!!!

anxious questions

So... I've been neglecting my blog among other things: such as laundry and dishes and home cooked meals......

I have been stressed...no.... anxious, yeah, anxious.


We have been so busy on our forever home that I've neglected everything else.
Bobby seems to think that I haven't neglected the girls or him, maybe the house we are in, but not the family. I can only hope that the girls feel the same way. School is starting soon, in another district, and we are not finished.


Will LadyBug be OK with a new school, new home, new life??
Will LuLu turn out OK even if I haven't been able to take all the necessary time to do the one on one that LadyBug had when she was a toddler??
Will I ever feel the same sort of balance that I felt before a second child and house building??
What is the real reality of a New Home, New Town, life??
The thing I have begged for and hope for and prayed for is drawing near and I somehow feel anxious.


I give God all the glory and praise for His grace and works of love in our family, for all the things that have been done only through Him. I am grateful. I am humbled. I am undeserving. I am blessed.

I am not complaining. I am just talking to some good friends, who just might understand.

A nugget. Some fire. A load of Stuff.

I've been extremely busy with the house and summer life that I haven't had time to do more than a quick look-see of what has been going on around here! I am glad to see that everyone is doing well and have wonderful things going on. I have to run again but I wanted to share a few pictures first.
AND We start priming the drywall TODAY!




My camera was on fireworks setting. I thought this was a pretty cool picture of LadyBug with her sparklers. Click on these two to enlarge them!


Here is a close up on the same setting of a sparkly something, I don't know the name of but it was pretty and my camera picked up some really neat streams of fire from it.






Here is the load of drywall scrap after the hangers (?) were done.




Here is my LuLu giving everyone 'the tour'.





Here is the patio. Well almost.


I am going insane trying to pin down my paint colors. Seriously. I wish I had an interior designer friend. I will be bald before this is over!

Apparently I'm a Super Hero in the shower...

When my hair is weighed down with conditioner and my legs are half shaven.....
I apparently become a super hero.

My children are tired from a busy day, I'm awaiting my husband's arrival from work, The movie Ice Age the Meltdown is put in the DVD player and everyone is happy. So, I think to myself, I wooonder if I could get away with a shower if I leave the door cracked slightly and LuLu isn't told what is going on??? I of course tell Big Sister because, if she needs me she will know where to find me. So I say, 'hey, this is a funny part!' cheerfully and then sneak away. I wash my hair, soap up, put conditioner in my hair and think.... Oh, yeah! I get to shave too!! So I quickly start to shave and all of a sudden LuLu rushes in and the most unspeakable, terrible, awful, thing has happened and I am the only Super Hero to be found that can right the wrongs of this unforgiving world!
I don't come out right away so she pulls the curtain up over her head allowing a rush of cold air to hit my legs, at this point finishing on chill bumps will be impossible so I quickly close the curtain and bump up the heat in the shower. She lifts it again, either she wants in or wants me out but either way I'm not going to finish shaving today. 'What's wrong?' I finally think to ask. She points to the living room. I give in and get out. It turns out Scrat is having a hard time with those Paranas again...
I did manage to rinse my hair and noted to myself that her bedtime really is the best time for my showers. Because, Super Heroes should always be available.