House or a Home . . .

I haven't posted in forever! Any way, lots going on. Some one in the family has been sick for weeks! ARG!

Went to Lela's 100 day field trip, she loved it. I thought it was ok, but kind of wish we had went to the cosmosphere instead. But, oh well. The upside is we did get to meet her teacher in person for the first time. Then we went to Yoder and spent the rest of the day, thrift shops, gift shops, hardware stores, quilt shops, a ton of fun, I need another whole day there, ran out of time to go to a few more of the antique shops, the art store or the furniture store. I told Vince I want to spend one of our anniversaries in the B&B there. But, we did eat lunch there, oh so yummy! mmmmmm The tollhouse pie is just over the moon amazing! The fried chicken best ever!

But, it's still been a fun few weeks. Finally thanks for Dollar Tree, Craig's List and Freecycle my home is finally coming together to look better then the refugee look we had for so long!  Almost every thing is organized, I have some awesome bedroom furniture, I've even been able to decorate a little bit. I am quite sure I'm going to refinish a old dresser I have this week. I took off two of the nobs that the screws were stripped and replaced them with really cute ones, but left all the antique knobs that were still in good condition on the dresser, next I'm going to tear off the rest of the veneer that is already peeling off horribly and oil up the wood underneath it and see what I have when I'm done. I'm just so happy that my house is actually starting to look like a home....in NY the only room I was happy with decor/furniture wise was the kitchen. Now my bedroom is coming along, ALMOST done, I need a few picture frames and some artwork and new nightstands I will be having custom made this year, a coat of paint on the wall, and I'll be HAPPY with it. The living room, needs a coat of paint and custom made book shelves done. School room I'm pretty happy with, but want to add more storage and a coat of paint! Lela and Belle's room, I want Lela a new dresser that my mom said she would give me one if I can get to it, will match Belle's other then that a little organization in there too, and art/pics and boom it will be done too. The bathrooms I would like to paint, but other then that I have art from dollar tree in them that look amazingly good for a dollar! I'm going to add a shelf I already got from Craig's List in the small bathroom, maybe a little more art work in there and it will be so done!

Any way, super excited that the house is coming along. After this year, the only thing left to work on will be the study. But, it doesn't even look bad, just would be nice to personalize it and spruce it up. But, other then that I am just so excited to finally know the whole house is going to look like a home and one I want to live in this year!

New Classroom Art

New art display for our classroom.

Glory School Days. . .

Whew, been busy!

EVERY one in my family has been sick. Just over and over again. ARG!

Me at my Aunt Gerry's 1976.

My aunt that I was super close to as a child died last week. She and I looked a lot alike. In some ways Lela looks like she did as a child as well. Her and I even had the same birth mark in the same exact spot. A lot of ironies between us. Funny it's the same for Belle and my sister Amber, they have the exact same scars, etc on their faces. She used to always com and get me and I would stay many weekends at her home. And summers in Alabama with her as well. She loved antiquing and entertaining. And....she was my first introduction to JoAnna Lund! A real life changer for me and my diabetes. I can't wait to see her again, when she will be healthy. She was the second of my mom's siblings to die. It's really shook her up. She has one sister and one brother left...that's it.

RJ's desk and new dollhouse bookcase

I went thrifting weekend before last and found RJ a desk! I would like to get Belle a different desk, I got hers for free on freecycle, and it's not as nice as RJ and Lela's. BUT, for now they each have their own desk! I was also able to find a bookcase I have been wanting for Lela for 5 years! It's a dollhouse and so cute! So all that meant I had to redo the classroom so that it could fit. Well, I'm in love with my make over. I was even inspired to print new labels for all our boxes of school stuff. And now I'm going to redo my sewing drawers, which a bonus when I reconfigured the room I was able to get all my sewing drawers into the classroom which is also my sewing room! I am going to do a make over on the drawers too with scrap book paper a idea I seen on pintrest. Then I will print some more vintage labels for them as well. I just love this site I found such cute vintage images and vintage inspired labels.

New Labels

I made Lela her first lapbook last weekend as well, it was on Moses, I liked it so well I am going to design some of my own. I want to make one on all the books of the Bible, paradise, and so many more. Lela put in a request for one on Jonah, her favorite Bible person! haha A sister already sent me a Jonah worksheet as a jumping off starter for the Jonah lapbook. So far it's a whole lot of fun. Kind of like scrapbooking but doesn't have to be as perfect. So it's working out even better for me. However, it has pushed me to buy more scrapbooking supplies, like cutters and such. Man these new paper cutting systems makes it so much easier to cut things to look so nice. I used them in cutting the new labels for our boxes too, and will use them for cutting the scrapbook paper for my drawer makeover as well. I was looking online at other lapbooks for ideas, when I seen another classroom that was so cute, now I know exactly the direction I want to go with ours. I have things in my ikea cart right now! Can't wait for our income tax return to come so I can get the stuff, and really bling the classroom out. haha.  I want shelves in the closet too! And I think I will have Vince take the closet doors off and spray paint them with chalk board paint too. Then I seen these renovations of old school desk that I just have to do. Glitter spray paint the metal, and make cute little fabric covers for the seat and backs, I want to make the pocket backs so they can put little treasures in them too. Oh so much stuff I want to do. But, it's fun!

Aunt Gerry Died

My mom's second oldest sister died today. She was 15 years older than my mom, and had a daughter my mom's same age. She was my favorite aunt. I was her mini me. We even shared the same birth mark, we looked so similar. She would always have me with her when I was little. So much that many people thought she was my mother. I will miss her forever, til we are reunited in paradise!

New Diapers

ok ordered new diapers. pretty sure I accidentally threw one away last night...but trashman has already came. grrrr. ordered more Snappis too, was down to the last two. arg.....New song for school today, really liked it- Song 41...a good one.

New Colored Pencils

I'm exhausted, but we did get the Bible study done. Kids are coloring King Solomon dot to dot pics now...and fighting over their new colored pencils from Calvert....lol

No Teef, Knock Yourself Out!

Belle: Mommy, my baby needs to go to the doctor, she has no teef!

Things you don't want to hear from the children in the other room, here hit yourself in this head with this pan, maybe you'll knock yourself out. Um, think I need to go check on the kids....

Eric Carle Artwork

We went to a Eric Carle workshop yesterday at the MVPS building the kids had so much fun making tissue paper art work. Then at the end all the kids got to bring home Calvert art supply packs. Pretty cute little art supply canvas zippered bags, with paint and colored pencils. I really hope they will sponsor some more workshops like that soon. I missed the glass bottle painting and wish I had went to that. Every one said they had a ton of fun doing that. Some from our old congregation went to it. Any way, I forgot the camera so I don't have any pictures. But, Julie took one so as soon as she sends it to me, I'll post it. We were a little late, and Belle had vomited on the way, so I was in the bathroom cleaning up Belle during the instructions of what we were supposed to be doing. I think I'll probably do a few more projects like this with Lela here at home, so I can get in on the fun of creating fun things with painted tissue paper too.

I'm sick as a dog today. Lela's been coughing directly into my face for days, so I knew it was bound to happen. I just hate being sick. I'm hoping it passes soon. 

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

Outside my window. . .gloom.

I am hearing...Vince getting ready for work.

I am thinking. . .we had a really nice meeting tonight.

I am thankful for. . .another awesome congregation.

I am remembering. . .childhood friends.

I am hoping. . .to get my wet bags made for the dirty diapers soon!

I am creating. . .wet bags.

On my mind. . .studying with Lela.

Noticing that. . .I need to fold clothes.

From the kitchen. . .a quinoa dish.

One of my favorite things. . .a organized home.

A few plans for the rest of the week. . .Going shopping for fabrics, and food, buying some new diapers!

What I am reading. . .fb.

Growing Up . . .

For some reason I hadn't thought about trying the simplified edition of the WT with Lela till a friend suggested it. So I decided we would do that with her. Last night for pre-study she able to answer all the questions completely on her own! And she quickly got the connection between what we were studying in the WT and the stories from the My Book of Bible Stories, even adding in a lot of extra comments to the answers, about the subjects. So she was able to give two comments that were completely 100 percent her own at meeting today! Usually we kind of help her with a few of the words and have to remind her of what "her" comment is. But, today she did hers completely 100 percent all on her own. We were just so so proud of her! And she was too. Things are getting exciting!

We were able to get another school day done today too. Trying to make up for all the missed days during all the illnesses we had for a few weeks there.

Still seen more sisters in our congregation that I knew as a kid. It's so much fun to reconnect.

After meeting we picked up Casey and Hunter and went to eat lunch. Then I helped my mom by cleaning her house till we filled the trash cans completely full. Vince is going to work on getting a dumpster so we can completely clean the whole house. I hope we can get one by the end of the week. It's going to be a major job.

Catching Up. . .

I have been extremely busy! Whew. My mom was released from the rehab center and the children were able to go back home with her. A relief for us.

I am just LOVING the new JW.org site. Belle is loving doing her "assignments" on there as well. And I think the comic book series is way cool! Very nice addition to our curriculum. Next month we are going to a Eric Carle seminar and art field trip. Sounds like a lot of fun!

I am just oozing with excitement right now. I've been trying to get the game The Tree of Knowledge for years. Twice I almost was able to get it, but once Stoops was closed when I tried, and the next time they had stopped selling it! UHG! Well a sister has offered to give me her's! I can't wait to start playing it with my kids. We plan on going to Stoops in May too and pick up a few other games for Family Worship Night as well. I had so much fun with those games growing up, I can't wait to start playing them with my children.

I'm also pretty excited to plan our home schooling weekend at Silver Dollar City next year. It sounds like they will have a lot of neat classes for the kids. Lela sounded excited to enroll in all the classes they offer over that weekend.

I'm working on getting ahead on our schooling. We got behind between my mom, my own and Lela's illnesses the past few weeks. Thankfully the school is having a long closing for winter break, I think we'll be able to get completely caught up during that break.