Silly Pirates

Now that it is finally cool enough to play outside without the risk of heat stroke, we have been taking afternoon trips to the park. Sometimes we pack dinner in the cooler and Michael meets us after work for a picnic. I am hoping fall lasts at least a month. You never know here in the south. It could be in the low sixties and breezy one day and ninety and humid the next.

Anyway, we went to the park the other day and I took these pictures of the boys pretending to be pirates and making silly faces.

This was their attempt at an action shot. It is the most posed action shot in history. I think Judah was walking the plank and Caleb was making sure that he would actually walk the plank by holding a cork pop gun on him. Jeremy was the lookout guy. Doesn't Judah look pleased to walk the plank? They make me laugh.

My cutie pies . . . and, YES, I know they need haircuts. After we left the park, we went out for burgers and then for haircuts.

Judah is always wanting to make silly faces for the camera. He's too cute.

The park has this really cool thing that you crank like 6 times and after you hear a bubbling noise, you talk into it and then it repeats what you say. In true boy fashion, Jeremy was having the machine repeat all sorts of bodily noises back to him and then laughing as though there was nothing funnier in the world.

And here's my oldest angel. Soon he won't be interested in going to the park and playing pirates. That makes me sad.

We have alot of projects going on at home. I am hoping to show all of you my new fireplace wall. It has taken alot of spackle and paint but it looks good enough to eat. You'll see what I mean.

Tagged!!!

I've been tagged! I feel so special! Mom in High Heels tagged me today. So, here are 7 completely obscure things about me that you probably never wanted to know but I am going to tell you anyway.

1. I hate the feeling of newspaper. It gives me that creepy, tooth hurting feeling like nails on a chalk board.

2. I don't like drinking out of plastic cups. Id' rather have a glass. . . especially at a restaurant. Maybe it is a cleanliness thing. I don't know.

3. I love octopus. It is delectable and reminds me of Christmas Eve.

4. I was in college before I had a driver's licence.

5. I firmly believe that there is a right way to load a dishwasher and it kills me to watch someone fill the dishwasher in an inefficient manner. My mom calls it anal retentive. I just call it doing things the right way.

6. The hangers in the closet have to hang a certain way. The clothes have to all be facing the same direction and everything has to be color coded and stored with like items. My husband calls it psycho. I call it organized. Everyone can always find what they are looking for in their closets and draws.

7. I am a compulsive toilet paper fixer. If I am anywhere and the toilet paper is not hanging over the top then I have to fix it. I have done this at church, in restaurants, at friends' homes, . . . OK so maybe I am a little crazy.

And now I have to tag 7 other people. Please leave a comment here if you participate.

Our Dental Fiasco!!!

OK, so the boys are all in bed and I thought I would share with all of you what has been going on with our family since Tuesday. Tuesday was my brother's birthday so we went to my mom's for dinner and cake. Whilst we were there, Little Man

decided to run into a wall and knock a tooth out.


At first, we couldn't find the tooth but, then Michael found it.

We called the dentist's office (which, of course, was closed) and the recording told me to put the tooth in milk and go to the ER. We went to the ER and they took us back right away. The doctor came in and checked his mouth to make sure nothing else was loose and told us that they don't reattach baby teeth. He said he thought that there was still a piece of the tooth in the gums but that we would need an x-ray. He told us that we should go to the dentist first thing in the morning and gave the boy a Popsicle. I paid a $75 copay for a red Popsicle!!!

The next morning at 7:30, I called the dentist and they worked us in for 9 AM. They took and x-ray and confirmed what the ER doctor told us. He didn't knock the tooth completely out, he cracked it below the gum line. She referred us to the pediatric dentist. They made the appointment for 11:30 today because they didn't want his gums to close over the broken tooth.

So this morning, we go to the pediatric dentist and they point out that he broke the root into a few pieces and explained how he would remove it. Upon further examination, said dentist informs me that Little Man has 2 other cavities that needed to be filled. I was grateful that they didn't have to put him out . . . they just gave him some nitrous oxide and Novocain. They were done in 20 minutes. The boy was drenched in sweat and tears but recovered as soon as we left the office. This traumatic experience was brought to you by the number 223 (as in dollars that our dental insurance won't cover).

All in all, I can't complain. It could have been worse and Little Man was back to his crazy, rambunctious self within an hour. Tonight, right before bed, he said, "Hey Mama, watch this!" I cringed as I watched him run and throw himself on the floor like he was sliding into 2nd. Will he ever calm down?!?!?!

Yes, I know he needs a haircut!!!

Guilty Feelings and a New Layout

I just thought that I would post because it has been a whole week since I've written. I feel bad for all 3 of my readers . . . guilty even. They must have missed me. Well, I am still here. We have had a very busy week. After the kids are in bed, I will sit down and type out what has happened since Tuesday. But for now, I just wanted you all to know that I am still alive and all is well . . . finally.

I did add a new fall layout to show my excitement for my favorite season and to celebrate the temperture being below 80 degrees for the past few days. YAY!!!

Join in the POOPIE Fun!

The Nester over at the Nesting Place is having a Mr. Linky party for all the POOPIES in blog world. For those of you who are new, POOPIE stands for: People Opposing Objectionable Pretend plants In the Environment.

So I thought I would start out with violation # 1 . . . Ivy atop the cabinets in the Master Bathroom. I kind of like it up there only because the ceilings are so high and I feel like it needs something. Plus it goes with my wallpaper and I wash it in the shower once a month so it is not all gross and dusty. It used to cover the tops of my kitchen cabinets but, I took it down to wash it and decided not to put it back up. Here are my two faux pas:



Here is one of those trees in a basket that has two-tone leaves. One side of each leaf is dark green and the other side is burgundy. Not very realistic looking but I wrapped some clear Christmas lights on it and it has become a great night light.




I love this arrangement. I purchased all these flowers at AC Moore. I tried really hard to find flowers that looked realistic. It is very springy . . . not very fall-like but, I love it.

This is another simple arrangement that I like. It is pale pink roses and some greenery in a really cool pink vase. I love roses and the real ones never last. I've tried drying them but they always look so sad . . . and dead! (P.S.- Notice my Tobacco Road wall behind the arrangement. I just did that yesterday!)

This wreath is one of my favorite fall/winter decorations. I purchased it from Princess House when I used to be a consultant for the company. I pair it with this silver bowl fuul of glass stones and a pillar candle. At Christmastime, I have a crystal bowl that I set in the center of the wreath and I fill the bowl with Christmas balls.




I had this old grapevine wreath. It is heart shaped. It used to have some eucalyptus on it but it crumbled off. So, I threw this together but I hate it. I think it's the shape I hate or maybe it just feels too "country" with the raffia bow. I don't know. Maybe it's the leaves on the burgundy flowers. I think they look shiny in the picture but they are not shiny up close. I think I will be making a trip to Hobby Lobby for a round wreath and something more autumn-y (that's not really a word) to put on it. The daisies and burgundy hydrangeas were the most autumn-y things I had to put on there and I hate it. I need to go shopping. Help!!!

Finally Finished . . . Well . . . Almost!

I have been so busy with getting back into the full swing of homeschooling, and moving rooms around, and sorting through old stuff, and doing outside work on the house, and . . . and . . . and . . .

I feel like life needs to slow down a little bit. Anyway, I finally finished a project that was bothering me. I just couldn't figure out what to do with my huge, pain-in-the-neck living room windows. Here is what I posted when Nester had her Mistreatment Par-Tay:

I had asked for help and many of you had some really great ideas. A couple of days later, I tried this:

I took down the panel from the middle window and added panels to the 2 end windows. I had all 3 toile panels up but it just didn't look right. So, I took them all down. I liked the way the bottom of the windows looked but even after I removed all of the upper panels, it still looked unfinished. I figured I would take a break and come back to it later. Maybe if I distracted myself with a different project, the answer would come to me . . . and it did!

We went to a birthday party for the daughter of dear friends. When I walked in to the kitchen I noticed that she had taken her blinds down but the room was still cool even thought the sun was setting into the windows. She told me they had bought this film for the windows at Lowe's that blocks out 99% of the UV rays and 80% of the heat that comes from the sunlight that shines in the windows. It looked so good! I couldn't even tell that there was anything on the windows and they had done it themselves. It is about $32 and I would only need one package so I have decided to leave the top of the windows naked and get some of that film. I will leave the blackout fabric in the windows until the summer is really over as it has helped with our cooling expenses. Thanks Kevin and Heather!!!

So, I returned from the party with renewed inspiration. I only had to put the finishing touches on the bottom half of the window. I dragged my mother and my sister with me to Hancock Fabrics and we were there for like 2 hours. Everything I LOVED was $24.99 a yard and I knew I needed 6 or 7 yards for this idea I had in my crazy head. There was NO WAY I was spending $150-$175 on those windows. I could have gone and had custom drapes made for that!!! After a little while, the lady in the decorator fabric department decides that she was going to help me. I guess I was getting on her nerves. I kept taking all the rolls of fabric and draping them over each other and walking across the room to see if I liked it. She was clearly getting annoyed. So I showed her the fabric that I had used to make my panels for the bottom of the window and explained my idea to her. She leaves and comes right back with a steely blue chintz for $4.89 a yard. It goes perfectly with the blue stripes in the panels. I think she was just happy to be rid of us. She recognized me the other day when I was in there to buy some fabric for a valance for Jeremy's room. She looked a little nervous. Anyway, here is what I've done:

I purchased some curtain tieback pegs on clearance at Target and 2 yards of brown satin ribbon. That paired with 2 safety pins and 2 tea cup hooks and I had successfully achieved my vision for this window. I successfully covered the awkward break between the windows. SO HAPPY!!! I also took the 2 side panels from the upper windows and covered the pillows on the 2 chairs. I love them!!! The only thing I still want to do is to add the trim in the following picture to the 2 hanging edges of the valance. Here are my fabrics all together with the trim:

I will have to take a new picture when I get the window film put up. Let me know what you think.

Quality Time and Deep Conversation???

OK, so I had to run some errands this afternoon. You know, the bank, Target, Aldi's, Sam's to gas up for the week . . . things like that. So I decided that I would take the boys out to one of their favorite place for lunch. They love it because this restaurant has an all you can eat pizza buffet for lunch. I don't know why they call it "The Pizza Buffet" when they also have fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, spaghetti and meat or meatless sauce, mac and cheese, sausage and peppers and salad bar. But anyway, I took them there for lunch and they ran to their favorite booth, got their food and asked the waitress to change the channel from CNN to Cartoon Network. Tom and Jerry was on and this is what I got to look at while I ate my lunch:

There was total silence except for the occasional burst of laughter. I guess I should appreciate the silence but, a little conversation isn't too much to ask for is it?

My New Drug of Choice

This has nothing to do with homeschooling or decorating or anything except that I have to tell all of you about my new drug of choice. I love to browse the organic section of the grocery store and last Thursday I found it:

Good Earth Organic White Tea with Sweet Citrus

It makes the most delicious iced tea. It has orange peel and lemon grass in it as well as some spearmint. It is quite possibly the perfect cup of tea. I even staged a pretty picture for you with a table cloth and my Princess House crystal pitcher and iced tea glass. SEE!!!

You must try it. Caleb said it was "Delectable". Jeremy said it was "the most delicious cup of sweet tea he has ever had". I just plain LOVE it. If you live near a Food Lion, They had it for $3 a box.

A Busy Weekend

OK, so it has been a little while since my last post. I made it through the first week of the new year of school and we are right on track. We had a busy weekend. We are doing some fix-ups to get our house ready to be sold. I just finished painting the front door . . . Yes! I know it is after midnight. We have to leave the front door open over night so the paint has sufficient time to truly dry well. I didn't think of that but, we'll be fine for one night with just the storm door closed.

Any way, this coming week promises to be just as full. Tomorrow we are going to the pool as it is the last day of the season and Judah's Preschool is closed. Tuesday and Wednesday, my dad is coming to help with some more outdoor fix-ups and we will be pricing laminate to replace the carpet in the public areas of the house. It is 10 years old and has seen a lot of traffic. We are leaving the carpet in the bedrooms. It is still fine . . . although I will probably shampoo them. The hall bath is keeping its vinyl as it is neutral and in good repair. The Master bath has carpet. Please tell me who thought this was a good idea. Last summer I took a razor and cut a line in the carpet so I could remove the carpet from under and around the toilet. With 4 people of the male persuasion living in the house, you could only imagine what the carpet was like in that area but that is a whole 'nother post. I put vinyl tiles in the toilet corner and nailed a thresh hold over the cut end of the carpet. It looks fine but the best part of this project is the smell or lack thereof. The rest of the carpet is pretty worn especially right in front of the sinks. We may just lay a solid sheet of vinyl throughout the room. I am excited for new floors.

Other things I'd like to do that would not break the bank are:

1. Replace the bathroom sinks and faucets as they are the very cheapest money can buy and are really kind of dated. I saw plain white porcelain sinks for $24 each at Home Depot and nice chrome faucets with 2 handles (instead of the acrylic ball handle) for $29 each. I have 3 sinks to do so that's not too bad ($159 plus tax). I would love to do what the Nester did in her bathroom but then I would have to paint the cabinets and we have A LOT of cabinets!!! Check it out here: http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/2008/08/high-heels-for-bathroom.html

2. Actually plant live plants in the ground in front of my house. I am a city girl and not that good with plants but we have a huge front yard and in all the years we have lived here, we have had nothing but a driveway and a mailbox in front of our house. It is a great house and it is pretty all by itself but it needs some curb appeal. I just put some pretty potted plants on the porch but I think it needs something more. I also just painted the shutters Black (they were brown) and as I mentioned before, I just painted the front door black tonight. I wanted red but couldn't find a red I liked that didn't totally clash with the Autumn-Colored (Dark ORANGE!!!)roof. I have new black exterior light fixtures that Dad will be putting up for me. The old ones are bronze but not in a good way. The address numbers were falling off the house and swinging around on their nails so I invested in some quality brushed nickel house numbers.

One thing that I would really like to do is paint all my moulding. In the late 90's when this house was built, stained wood mouldings were the style of the day, so we have cherry cabinets in the kitchen and both baths plus matching crown throughout the entire house. I love dark wood and especially cherry stain but having the mouldings that color limits what colors I can paint the walls (or at least in my mind I can't get past it). This would not be an expensive project. It would just be extremely time consuming. I just want white semi-gloss mouldings. Sort of related to that would be to remove the popcorn texture from the ceilings and have smooth ceilings. Our youngest sleeps in a loft bed and he likes to pick it off the ceiling. It is not fun to clean up.

So, I thought I would end this post with some pictures of a few things I've done inside the house.

I used this ribbon to mistreat some fabric scraps for a valance for the sliding glass door in the breakfast room.

Here is a close-up of it tacked to the wall (notice my cherry moulding). I didn't get close enough but, the fabric is white with rust, sage and 2 different purples in a grid pattern. I found some ribbon (the ribbon from the previous picture) in the closet that matched 2 of the colors in the fabric and hot glued them on the bottom. The colors coordinate with the wall paper.

Now you can truly appreciate the popcorn ceiling and cherry moulding situation. Pay no attention to all of the hand prints on the glass. My children do not understand the purpose of door handles.

This is a set of sheers that I already had and a remnant from Hobby Lobby. I love it and the colors in it are the same colors as are in the couch. Again love my moulding!!! I think it needs something more and I have some khaki linen that I was thinking of using as panels on the ends. What do you think?

Here's a close-up. Notice that I left the frayed edge showing in place of fringe. I kind of like it that way.

So, I also did a lamp for Caleb's room and the window in Jeremy and Judah's room but they are sleeping as it is after 1AM now. I will snap more pictures tomorrow. Maybe I will do a showcase of the boys' rooms. I will also try to find some before pictures of the front of the house and then I'll take some new ones and you can tell me what you think and what else you think needs to be done. I could use some good landscaping ideas.