On Keeping a House

I know, I know.  Writing about this makes it seem....well...like I am just a boring housewife, who only thinks of her children and homemaking things.  But.  It's not true.  And I really have something to say about this.  So. 

Why is it that no one really talks about homemaking in a tangible way?  It seems to me anyway, that you either hear about the Marthas who talk as if they have it all together and their houses never are in disarray.  Or you hear about the women who talk about housework only if it is to complain.  Or you hear about taking care of one's home, in a decorating sense...you know...like about how to pick out the exact right color or have the cleverest idea for storing your shoes.  And it should be noted that this last one of the three usually involves spending money on some elaborate system or overpriced product.

What I would like to know....is how to keep a home that is clean and tidy and beautiful, without spending money or contacting an interior designer.  I would like there to be a magazine that is about housekeeping when you have a brood of children and making a room artisitic when you only have ten dollars!

I would like to read something that reminds me that taking care of my old bookshelf that has no paint and is not quite big enough, is better than spending money that I do not have on one that is fashionable and more useful.  I really would.  Because then I wouldn't have to spend so much time convincing myself that these truths really are true.  I wouldn't have to work so hard at stopping the comparing that happens in my mind every time I see a picture of someone else's living room.  I would look at what I have and see what a gift it is, instead of wishing it were something else.

I read once that "Comparison is the thief of joy."  And I really believe that.  The tricksy thing about it is, that I can stop comparing and feel fine and joyful and content, but then a friend comes over and I worry that they are comparing!  I worry, that although I am fine with what I have or don't have, that they will feel bad for me!  Oh to be truly content with the things that matter.  To be deeply rooted in them so that the little things are just that...little things.

Family Organization Center

Aka the Giant Chalkboard in my dining room. :)

Oh dear. I'm afraid you can't see it very well. It's much more colorful in person. I guess that's what happens when a tired person tries to take a picture after 10pm. Is this picture any better?

See, there's a place for each boy, and one for J and for myself. I intend to also add a magnetic photo frame with a fun picture of each of us in our own "square". And a clipboard for J and myself. And I want to perhaps find a few little containers for chalk that actually sit on the shelf instead of chalk and dust being everywhere. :) I got this fun idea from this website. (go on, check it out. You know you want to!) Hers is a little neater than mine, but I'm determined not to spend any money on it, so I'll have to wait until I find or make what I need for the rest of it. My favorite part are the little clips to hang artwork or other pretty or important things. See them at the top?

My sister-in-law made those! I am going to let the boys help decide what to hang on them. Fun times. :)

How do you organize things for your family? Do you have a place to keep everyone's ideas and plans together?

Learning to Say No

Well....there was a huge struggle this weekend. In my mind. See...we had plans to go see Grandma and Grandpa. We haven't been there in a good long while and we really wanted to go. We had plans to go. But last week was a little stressful. Like the kind of stressful where everything is fine on the outside....things seem normal....but the mama of the family starts to feel a little "off" and then suddenly one day wakes up super grumpy. Yeah. That happened Friday morning. I was grumpy. Ask J. No. On second thought, please don't.

The reason for my grumpiness?....that there were soooo many things that needed to be done. But no time. With baseball three nights a week and four boys to shepherd all day there just is not time for things like finishing painting the ceiling or disinfecting the sewer water dishes from the basement. (oh, i didn't tell you about that, but it involved the sewer backing up during the remodel and all the kitchen stuff that had been packed away in the basement getting all icky. As of last Friday there was still one box left to clean) When things get busy around here I usually can't tell what I need right away. I know I'm feeling unsettled, but I can't always see an answer to resolve the feeling. Especially, when that means making time. Especially, ESPECIALLY, when that means saying "no" to someone that I love. *sigh*

So Friday night, J and I were up way too late working on things....and not even making a dent. I mean, who can really see well enough to paint the ceiling at 11pm anyway? So when J suggested we not go to see the Grandparents I admit I felt relieved. But then I realized there was no way I could do that! Grandma would be so disappointed! But J lovingly insisted.

Saturday morning I woke up thinking maybe he would change his mind. I knew he was right, but I was really dreading having to tell my mom we weren't coming. The first thing J did when he woke up was hand me the phone. So I took a deep breath and called her. She was, of course, totally understanding. We settled in to breakfast at home and then got started with the list of things to get done. I finished the painting! We moved in the rest of the furniture! We organized the homeschool and art stuff. J mowed the lawn (which takes longer than you'd think)

Saturday night, we took the boys out for pizza to celebrate. Sunday we got even more done! And today, Monday, has been an awesome day. Very little stress. Lots of time to spend with my boys. *sigh* I'm so glad.

June 1

Have I told you how incredibly awesome our kids are lately?  Well, they are.  I'm pretty sure it is through no fault of my own, by the way.  I just am so impressed with how laid back they have been through this whole remodel process.  For the most part they have just gone with the flow, helped out when needed, gone without clean socks, etc.  And considering these things would've been quite a challenge for them just a few months ago, it is quite amazing.  I'm so thankful for this, because the last thing I wanted to worry about during all of this was whether or not they were still thriving.  *sigh*  And now we are almost finished so yay!  We are all still well.

This little guy, however, continues to give me a run for my money every single day.  Oi!  He just is so busy and social and busy.  He wants to be right with me every second of the day (and night) and being in the carrier isn't enough.  He needs to be talked to continually or he hollers.  Seriously!  It is a challenge for me to be sure, because sometimes I like to have private thoughts. LOL.  

Also in the news....Lavender  shed her skin!  SO exciting!  We have plans to look at it under the microscope.  

And here are a few recent pictures of the remodel. (yes, I know...super random post...at least you can count on me for something!)

The cabinets are still not done and for the most part that is my fault.  I am frustrated with myself about this, but really what can be done about it?  Not a whole lot.  The time alloted me at present to work on these things is after the kids go to bed and by then I'm sooo tired.  I'm thankful that I got a few days of uninterrupted time to work last week.  Unfortunately each cabinets needs the equivalent of 5 coats, which is part of the deal.  Anyway..I hope to get them finished this weekend.  (Someone please tell me it's possible for me to finish these!)

The stove is all hooked up and ready for use!  Now where ARE the pots and pans?

Lunchtime at the new counter.  So fun to see their bright faces excited about the new space.  One of the things I have learned about having more than three kids is that space counts.  You might not have lots of room, but you can still create many spaces.  Especially for learning at home, it works well for us to have lots of different spots to move through throughout the day.  I'm so glad for the new space this remodel has made for us!

Tomorrow....the plummer hooks up the sink and faucet!!!! Oooo and dishwasher!!!!!

Today I took pictures....

Aren't they sweet?  Two days old now....

There are quite a few of them this time around.  30 meat birds...to be shared with our friends.  We are going to brood them for the first three weeks.  Then they will be raised on our friends' land.  Then we butcher them together.  Yeah....it's not as bad as it sounds....and it's important to know where your food is coming from.  An assortment of 12 laying hens.  Some of them are Auracanas....like the two darker colored ones in the picture below.  Aren't they beautiful?  The brown striped one actually has blue eyes!  They are such pretty hens and they lay blue green eggs.  
I love this little black one.  She is really friendly and will come right up to any of the boys.  She also is the first one to the feeder when it is replenished.  I like this picture because she fits right into one of the slots in the egg carton.  :)

It's been really hot here lately.  We've been doing alot of this.......
This picture is just funny.  So I thought I'd show it to you.  Nothin' like a doggie kiss.

Here are two pictures of Hen and I in our jammies. 


We are tired.  So there have been plenty of mornings lately where we have been hanging out in our jammies till lunch.  We've been reading a lot and building legos and planting potatoes.  Today I started priming the kitchen.  It's taking me awhile since I am tired and painting ceilings is not the job for a tired person.  But I am determined to finish in a timely fashion.  So here I go.....a little painting before bed.

Walls!!!

Do you remember what it looked like before?  (In case you don't you can check out the "before" pictures here.)

The Great Kitchen Remodel, part 605.  (okay maybe it hasn't been that long but it's gettin' there....)

Walls

They have a few more coats to do on the drywall.  Then the texture. I'm thinkin' orange peel, but I'm not totally convinced.  Then I get to paint.  I can't wait!

In the picture below you can see the beam that was placed in the ceiling to hold up the roof now that the wall is gone.  I like the different levels of the ceiling.  Somehow it makes it more interesting and helps with the flow of the room.
Here you can see the orange door that is the side entrance of our house.  I want to have an umbrella stand by that door.  I've always wanted an umbrella stand.  

And last but not least....here you can see a very dull picture that probably holds very little meaning for you....but it's my favorite part of the kitchen so far!!! This is the new pantry closet.  Well, it's going to be that anyway!  The plastic you see in the picture is the basement door...for those of you that know my house....Anyway....I'm looking forward to having a place for all the nice little jars of jam and such.  

It's supposed to be 90 degrees here this week.  It started today actually.  I'm really not looking forward to being home with the boys in this construction phase while it's so very hot.  Ick!  But on the bright side the garden is growing really well.  :)  I hope to post some pictures for you soon of all the green loveliness.  And be sure to check back tomorrow....something fun is happening tomorrow here at the farm!

Progress

Time is flying.  Flying right by.  Whoosh!  There it goes.  See?

And I am here.  We are here.  I wake up in the morning and each morning seems fresh and new and I sleepily smile a prayer to my Creator.  Thank you God for another beautiful day.  For another chance this day.  I climb out of bed.  My feet hit the floor and off I go!  The days are full.  :)

Here's a big "Thank You!" to those of you who have helped us along during this "adventure". The meals, visits, offers to come play, help painting, help watching the kids, and prayer are so very, very appreciated.  We love you.  

Here is the update about the house and crew.  (I've decided to narrow it down to 5 things so that I keep it short and sweet.  My tired self needs that.)

1.  The electrical, plumbing, heating and insulation are roughed in.  (If you are new here...you can check out past posts about the remodel here)  It's great!  They have temporarily hooked up the washer and dryer!  Hurray!  The next step is drywall which is scheduled to start next week Tuesday or Wednesday.   I am very grateful for the progress, but it is all going soooo much slower than we were told.  Please continue to pray for us....for our spirits to remain patient and for our bodies to remain healthy!  (I can't wait to be able to cook real food for my family!)

2.  Little Owl has a birthday coming up! The little man will be 4.  Hard to believe right?  We have big birthday plans.  Check back in with us this weekend!

3.  The boys are doing well.  Really well.  See?

4.  How am I doing with the painting all ten billion cabinets?  Oh, just fine.  And...well...it's more like 18 cabinets, give or take a few.  The thing is they are turning out "differently" than I had anticipated.  Painting has a way of doing that.  So instead of being fresh and white and new....I decided to rough them up and make them look "aged".  They look good, but now I think the whole "design" of the area may need to be rethought.  Just what I have time for right?  :)

5.  We are making music.  This is the best part of the past week.  Besides, just the daily wonderfulness of our family.  The new guitar is awesome!  J and I play and sing together and it's just the best thing ever.   I've started helping with the music at church and that has been really good.  (and challenging too!)  It's really good to be able to use my ability to serve others.  

I'm going to steal a line from Badger's Dragon Newspaper.  Every edition ends with ...."And that is that."   

ps. Badger would like you to know that an edition of the Dragon Newspaper, featuring our daily "doings" is available to you for the low price of just $1.  :)

Receiving Blessings

These days......these crazy, messy, beautiful days....

There are so many things I could share with you about these past few days.  The part about finding the courage to call the plumber yet again.  The part where we found out that no worker men would be here for several more days.  The part about going outside for the umpteenth time to fetch something from the fridge for the ever hungry children...in the rain.  The part about the bat that has taken up residence in the unfinished kitchen.  You get the idea.  Lots of challenging parts to these days.

Yet, the part that has grabbed my focus is how every day for the past few weeks people have reached out to us.  To offer friendship and fellowship and.....well....help. :) I'm sooooo thankful that some of you love us enough to offer help and offer again and again until I finally say yes!

I've really been thinking about why I am so hesitant (stubborn?) to accept help.  And I'm not sure there is some really deep reason.  It's just pride.  Yeah.  Pride is stubborn.  It doesn't budge for anything.  It has to be melted away.  It is the Love of God that brings us to Him.  It is Love that opens us.  It empties our cup enough to let something actually get in there.  (if your cup isn't a little empty then anything being poured in just runs right out!) 

We have so many blessings around us.  It just seems that many of us, myself included here, often are too "full" with other things to reach out and accept the blessing, whatever it may be.  (a friend's help, being provided for by someone other than yourself, or even forgiveness)  I'm so glad to be learning this right now.  

The boys have been learning it too, each in their way.  We've been playing alot more at friend's houses and having many shared meals too.  It's been so amazing to see them stretching and growing and thriving during this time.  They are so much more capable than I sometimes realize!  And I'm learning to trust God a little more with them as well.  Afterall, His love is for each of us.  For them too!  And He surely looks after them as well as He looks after me!  How silly of me to worry!

Anyway...today is our first quiet day at home in a long while.  I hope to find time to post more pictures for you.  We'll see..... The big bed upstairs and the new library books seem to be calling me.....

Picture Window

Pictures of the Picture Window.  The photos do not do it justice.  It is 4feet x 4feet.  Yeah.  And my favorite part is that it is up high on the wall so I can see the sky!!!! And the towering Norwegian Pines out back!!! It's so very beautiful and I find my heart just sings whenever I catch a glimpse of it!  Hurray!
The sink will be under the big window. :)  
Do you see the new boards in the middle of the picture?  That is the framing for a very little wall which will be dividing the wee laundry area from the rest of the big room.  The washer and dryer will be up against that wall in the corner there.   Next to the little wall going out to the left, will be the cabinets and breakfast bar.  It will seat 4. :)

No wall!  It feels really open.  (and freezing!)  I am starting to feel the space differently and I am eager to see how it feels when the drywall is in!  Progress!

5 things about Today

1.  They are finally cutting the hole for the window today.  Finally.  Phew.  This is the last phase of the ripping out that needs to be done before the plumbing gets roughed in.  Hurray!  I am still trying to get enough courage to ask the plumber about hooking up the washer once things are roughed in??? Please oh please!!!??? See, once, a while ago, when I was very pregnant, dear plumber came to our house one wintry morning during our bathroom remodel.  We had been waiting and waiting for the toilet to arrive.  (it was backordered or something)  And I was having to drag my tired pregnant body down the stairs during the night whenever I had to pee.  Which was a few hundred times a night.  So when dear plumber arrived that morning to tell me that "it still had not arrived!"  I think I may have bitten his head off.  Or perhaps I cried.  I can't exactly remember because I had a cloudy pregnant brain at the time.  But either one is really enough to scare any man far, far away.  And now when I see dear plumber for the kitchen remodel he just has this look in his eyes like he remembers.  I know, I know.  I'm probably crazy.  But still.  I am nervous about asking him about the washer.  Poo.

2.  The two oldest boys are sleeping over at Grandma and Grandpa's tonight.  Yep.  They are excited.  They are packing their bags.  Badger is writing down important things to remember. (ha ha.  his idea honestly!)  Cricket has mentioned more than once that he hopes there will be plenty of time to play with Papa's legos while he is there. (yes, J has saved all his legos from childhood in their original boxes and the boys adore them!)  I honestly have very little "feelings" about this.  I think Grandma and Grandpa perhaps thought that I was not too keen on the idea because I didn't jump at it when it was mentioned awhile ago.  It's true I didn't jump at the idea.  But that's only because truthfully it doesn't really benefit me at all.  (selfish I know)  I think lots of parents would admit that the real fun part of letting your kids stay at Grandma's is that they get a night off!  But with 4 littles you just don't get that very often.  So papa bear and I will still have two littles to spend time with.  I suppose it will be a little quieter.  But in my experience, when a few of the others are gone, the ones left behind are all the louder. ha!

3.  Owl has decided what he wants to do tonight on his "special night" with mama and papa.  He wants to go out for icecream.  That boy has a sweet tooth!  But I'm totally in!

4.  A while back I posted on buying things in bulk.  Remember?  Well after talking with a few of you I decided to go the next step up in peanut butter.  Instead of 5lbs.  I ordered.......35lbs!  That's a 5 gallon pal!!!!  of peanut butter!!!!!!! HA HA HA HA HA!  I'm going to go pick it up today.  I know it's a little crazy, but I bet secretly you wish you had a 5 gallon pal of peanut butter too!

5.  Today I'm planning on starting to paint the unfinished cabinets.  I'm going to set up shop in the garage.  I love love love love love to paint so I am quite excited about this.  :)

That's all.  

Hope your day is filled with things that bring you Joy!

Spring Blooms

We've finally gotten into the "swing" of things regarding the remodel.  It goes something like this.  Wake up super early (before 6am).  Shower.  Read and pray.  Pack lunch in cooler.  Make supper by loading crockpot.  Make sure there is enough drinking water.  Make breakfast.  Then go on with the day from there. :)  This all has to be done before 7am when the worker men get here because the room that has the refrigerator and pantry is closed off to us once they are here.  (for lead and mold issues.)  

Anyway....we feel like we have finally gotten used to all this and have settled into it quite nicely.  The boys are doing well with it too for the most part.  There is definitely a struggle with the noise of the construction being over stimulating for all of us during the day, so we try to escape when we can to the great outdoors whenever possible!  The only time we are indoors is for Hen's nap or for a little break from the windy chilly Spring that we've had for the past several days.  Little Hen is an awesome little napper these days and sleeps right through the hammering and drilling.  I'm sooo thankful for this!!!

We are working away in our flower and vegetable gardens.  We made a worm house last week and released our worms in the garden yesterday.  (they had made babies! while in the worm house!) Today we are hoping to have enough time outside to actually get the onions and spinach planted!  Here are some pictures from our outside times.

How to Survive a Kitchen Remodel

by Reba

1.  Plan ahead.  Specifically, remind yourself that it always takes longer than they say it will because...well...it just does.  Tell yourself that it will take at least two weeks more construction time than "they" say.  Then you will feel more prepared and able to handle the chaos a little longer.

2.  Get a crock pot and figure out how to use it to make everything.  No.  Really.  Did you know that you can make breakfast in your crockpot while you sleep?  You can.  :)  French toast while you are curled up in bed.  :)  Just think how nice to wake up to a warm meal and a great smelling house!

--just a note here...be careful what kind of crockpot you get...one with a stainless steel insert is the way to go.  I had no idea about this until last fall while "shopping" for one for my SIL.  They are a bit pricey, but worth it!  You don't want to eat a side of yucky chemicals in your baked oatmeal. 

3.  Remind yourself often of your blessings.  I keep thinking about how my house, in its current chaotic, messy, plaster dust filled state is luxurious!!! compared to how real people live in other parts of the world.  I still have more than I need to feed my family and to live here everyday and I'm really thankful.  So what if I have to wash the dishes in the bathtub or go outside around the house in my pajamas to get to the refrigerator or coffee pot?

4.  Take pictures of the process.  This helps see how far you've come and that makes everything seem worth it. :)

5.  Be nice to the construction workers.  Tell them they can use your potty. (they won't ask usually)  Offer them coffee in the morning or ice water at noon.  Ask them how they are doing and show respect to them by letting them work without being in the way.  Happy workers do a better job. :)  

6.  When all else fails....and the day is going horribly....when you can't stand the noise and dust anymore....and you have only enough energy to do one more thing....then go put some lipstick on and comb your hair so that when your hubby comes home he will see you put some effort into looking nice for him and realize how sweet that is considering the chaos you've been in all day.  Then he'll take you out to dinner. (away from the mess!)

----------------

They are taking the old windows out and putting the new giant one in today!  And the weight bearing wall is gone!  And the new ceiling beams are up!  I hope to take picture this eve and post them for you. 

*and a big thank you to those of you who have helped with laundry and meals.  we love you! and are so glad to have good friends like you. :)

The End of Day One

What the kitchen and dining room looked like after the worker men finished yesterday. 

That darker spot on the floor shows where the sink used to be.
This was taken standing in the "new" dining room looking into the kitchen.  No wall!

This was found in the wall in the laundry room.  A wasp's nest.  Yellow Jackets I think.  It is hard to show you how very large it is.  It was about 3feet x 3 feet and as you can see is several layers thick.  Wow.

They also found in the walls an old comic book, an old betty crocker recipe card, lots and lots of walnuts (squirrel?) and a few dead birds. (ew!)  

They are putting up supports so they can take out the weight bearing wall today.  I can't wait to see it!  I'll post more pics soon. 

Eek! Get going!!

Yeah, talking to myself here...but get going Reba!!!!

You see....today we were informed that the construction crew is coming to rip out the walls next week already!!!! HURRAY!!! and EEEK!!!

So there may not be alot happening here on the blog for awhile because we have tons to do before they get here.  Like.....

finish packing up the dishes in the kitchen and finish setting up a makeshift kitchen in the spare room....

rip out the cupboards in the kitchen....

rip out the tile ceiling in the dining room....

clean out the laundry room and figure out where to store the machines....

take down the trim around the windows.....

take down the light fixtures....

order the cabinets....(at least we have them all picked out now)

buy the primer and paint....

prime and paint the cabinets.....

pick out a sink and faucet....

figure out what water filter to go with....

figure out how many and what kind of light fixtures and buy them....

and somewhere in there paint all the new drywall, repair the floor, and CELEBRATE CRICKET'S 6TH BIRTHDAY!

phew!  i'm tired just making the list.  

so...if you think of us in the next couple of days/weeks....pray for us!  My prayer is for us to get through this whole process with thankful hearts, calm spirits, and healthy bodies. (and perhaps a little money left in the savings too?!)

well...papa is putting the boys to bed....i'm going to brew a pot of coffee, put on my monkey pants, and get out the crowbar.  (huh...is that how you spell that? spellcheck says yes but it just looks so funny...)  i think i'm going to enjoy the ripping out part.....

It's starting!!!

This morning just as J was hopping into the shower for work we got a phone call.  I was having a leisurely morning.  In fact, I was still in my pajamas.  So as I went to answer the phone, I definitely was wondering who on earth would be calling us so early in the morning?!  (it was actually already 8:30. heh.  like i said, leisurely morning.)

Hello? It was our general contractor (for the big remodel) asking if they could come and rip the chimney out.  Um...today? Yep.  Like...right now? Yep.  Uh....um......sure!  

Now, you have to understand that they weren't supposed to come for two more weeks.  And the kitchen was still filled with dishes.  Dirty dishes actually.  And pots and pans and tables and things on the wall.  And it all needed to come down and be packed away before they started knocking down the two story chimney!  They said they'd be by in an hour.  OK! READY GO!

Somehow we got things packed away rather quickly and got everything ready before they arrived.  And it really was quite exciting to see them pull up with this giant cherry picker truck.  The boys were excited about that part too.  They worked all day today, pounding and drilling away the old chimney.  It was loud and messy.  And at one point there was a giant hole in my house!!!  But the work has begun!!!!!!!!!!!  How exciting is that????!!!

We took some before pics.  Here is a glimpse of what the kitchen looks like now. 

 Lovely isn't it? That empty spot next to the sink was where the fridge used to live.  Now it is in a different room so we can use it during the ripping out process.  

Here you can see the chimney.  It is inside the wall there....see where the wall sticks out a bit and is all rough looking?  Yeah....that is the part that is getting ripped out right now as I finish typing this.

This wall that you see between the kitchen and dining room is going to be ripped out.  In it's place will be a cabinet island and breakfast bar.  :)  

And here is the color palette that I've chosen.  

Starting from the left: The kitchen color, cabinet color(white), dining room color.  And then on the right....that darker green is the color for the dining room table (which I'm planning on painting) and the other bright colors are for the chairs. :)  I also will be painting all the unfinished cabinets!!! I'm not sure how I'm going to find time for all of this, but I am excited about it.  I LOVE to paint!  So so much.  It's one of my favorite things to do.  There is just something so relaxing about smearing the paint on with a brush.  And having a freshly painted wall with just the right color is such a great feeling too!

Well...I'm off to do some more schooling with the boys, despite the pounding happening presently in the kitchen.  Oi.  I think we'll head outside and plant some onions......

Things we do this time of Year

Last weekend was the annual "Apple  Tree Pruning Weekend".  It is way more fun than it sounds.  I admit, we didn't get as much done as usual.  Why, you ask?  Oh....because there were even more fun things to do.  Like walk around downtown and get a hot chocolate.  And check out our new local shop which has thirty different kinds of bottled beer, caramel corn, and little handmade wooden train car toys all at the same time.  And the weather was springlike! ....which causes one to wonder a bit more than usual....and so we will extend our annual pruning "weekend" to two weekends this year.

We also are preparing for our new batch of spring chicks.  We will be ordering from Murray McMurray Hatchery this year.  What kind are we going to get?  Oh....you will have to wait and see! :)  But, I will tell you this much....the boys are each going to choose three of their own this year. (well not Hen...who is too young for a hen of his own..ha ha) Stay tuned to see what they pick out!

Also we are continuing to work on getting ready for the big remodel.  The toy room and laundry room are almost totally empty now.  The kitchen has nothing on the walls anymore.  The pantry is empty and moved into the temporary kitchen (the orange room off the kitchen) and last night J and I moved the refrigerator to that room too! Phew!  It's starting to look really empty in there, which is sad looking. (because the room itself is in such bad shape, and one notices this more when it's empty)  But it's totally exciting that we are approaching this new phase!  Tonight we are planning on meeting with the builder to firm things up.  How exciting!

I'll post some pics soon.  

love to you.

- us

Weekend Projects

Putting up wire shelves in the bathroom closet.  The boys helped hold the shelf while papa cut it down to size.  

No that is not our bathroom rug.  That's the dog lying there.  She has to be by her boys.  I was impressed that J got anything done with the whole gang in the bathroom while he worked.
Owl learning about the level.

The finished project.  I love it! Thanks boys. 

Papa also hung up the swing in the now empty toy room. (soon to be ripped up so we thought we'd enjoy the hooks on the ceiling while we can.)Hen LOVES to swing.
We changed out the swing with the rings.  Good times.
Cricket twisting on the big swing.  See Badger's feet are not on the ground. heh.

And so it goes.  A bit closer to the remodel, and enjoying each other during the process.