Do you all know that I LOVE to paint? It truely is one of my favorite things to do for several reasons...
1. it gives me another creative outlet
2. it's a fairly inexpensive way to alter a room
3. it gives me a great excuse to be a perfectionist...b/c it matters!

For the first time in our marriage I have decorated our bedroom. My friend Lindsey, who is also a perfectionist and I painted my room green back in May. Finally I got to the stripes. They add just a little something to the room that really dresses it up. I am in love!! Also, for the first time in our 12 year marriage we have a headboard/footboard. (chris and I put it together without even arguing.) I can't believe how much I love my bedroom. We should have done this years ago!!

Tomorrow is our "house warming" party which I will tell you more about AFTER the fact. Anyway, I have loads of work to do today. No, all the boxes are NOT put away. No, I don't have stuff up on the walls in most of the rooms. No, my kitchen doesn't look the way I want it to. Yes, I am crazy for hosting 40+ people for dinner. :) It'll be fun and I can't wait to see the surprise we are going to unvail tomorrow evening. (No we aren't expecting!)

I had the most fabulous weekend with several friends. We ate at all our fav spots, stayed up super late, slept in, had total peace and quiet all night, and scrapped our little hearts out. Really, this side of heaven, could ANYTHING be better than that? I got 18 LOs done which is an alltime record for me. I haven't uploaded any LOs yet, hope to get to that soon.

Until next time: My prayer for you is to feel the Peace of our Lord and Savior in the midst of your chaotic life!

Around the Lake

Good Morning. As of late, I have been so lazy. It's driving me crazy. This morning I got up, rode my bike down to the lake and along the path part way and then up hill ALL the way back. That last mile almost killed me. Everyone is showered, dressed, fed and playing barbies while I do the laundry. Ok, it's time for me to get on the ball. There's stuff to get done.

Today is the last day of Patriot Softball camp and the hubby will be home soon.

Have a fantastic day!

God Bless America

Wow, is that ever an over used statement! I would have to say God HAS blessed America...over and over again. It's amazing how everyone gets so patriotic the first week of July and then what? Oh well, I do feel so blessed to live in America where I have religious freedom and the right to publically say what I want to. Hmm, thanks to a large number of men and women who have put their life on the line, even died for what they believe. Was that a soap box moment or what?

We spent Independence Day with some dear friends back in GI. The kids had a blast and none of the men blew off any apendages. That's how you know it's a great celebration. The greatest timing of the night was the low flying jet over the house right as we asked the blessing over the food. Rod said he planned it that way....WHATEVER!!

Look at these cuties.... E and Olivia were so excited to see eachother after being apart for 2 months. They had great coversations about potty training and tattle tailing on older siblings.And here are my older two darlings, with sparklers.
I've been trying to get the house put together. Next week we are having a "house warming" party. There's still lots to do and yet I must fulfill my need to scrapbook and socialize as much as possible. It's a rough life here. Who knew the maid service wasn't part of the deal when we bought this house?

One little side note here...Olivia dropped Emma's new headband in the toilet today. Chris thought we should just wash it. EWWW!! So I ran back to The Children's Place to buy another clearenced headband. Oh, they were all gone but the store is stocked with yummy new fall duds. OMGosh, I wanted it all. The girls talked me into buying 3 new headbands for $8, so much for my $1 item. :)

Peace Out
(don't know why I just typed that)

Ok all you scrappy friends out there, have I got a fun little adventure for you. I am a bit of a scrapbooking and ScrapLove addict. ScrapLove is a website with some of the coolest scrappin' ladies around. We're doing a little challenge which will help get you scrappbooking momentum going ...come over and check it out. You might really wanna join us. Click below and join the insanity of it all! :)

http://scraplove.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36966

See you around. Have a fun safe day today!

Garbage in ... Garbage out!

We've all heard that before, I believe it. Last night I stayed up late to journal and decided to focus on my most recent blessings. I was shocked to see so much written down and then I stopped to think about what has been negatives in my life lately. Really only 2 things. SO isn't it obvious that I should be flying high...jumping for joy...in the groove? However you wanna say it, life is treating me good and I shouldn't let a couple negatives bring me down.

With that said, today I had the best day in a long time. Chris even asked me what was wrong, he went so far as to take my temp. Funny guy, huh?

I know I was fearfully and wonderfully made. God wants me to rejoice and live life to it's fullest. Today IS the first day of the rest of my life and I am going to (with your help) thank God for my blessings and lift up those around me.

Hey Happy 4th to you all. We are going to see our buddies the Foley's (and others) and blow up all kinds of fireworks. As always when explosives are around, please pray for my hubbies safety! :)

A Sunny Sunday!

Look at this pic. Hm, it's June and 80 plus degrees yet what is that white stuff on the ground? Remember that terrible wind storm we had, it brought hail with it. This is just a little that was left over hours later.


Happy Sunday my friends! It's been a great day. This morning we stopped in on a new church. I have a good feeling about this place. It's small which means there's plenty of places for us to volunteer. The music was good, obviously they practice and come prepared. Their mission statement is good. What they call their list of essentials is right along with what we believe the bible says. It will be fun to learn more. In our adult lives Chris and I have been involved in two churches. There were positives and negatives at both CCV and TCCC, we'll draw on those experiences and pray that God leads us where He needs us to be. I am so ready to get plugged in somewhere. The girls enjoyed their classes too. They are coming from a church with a top notch children's program (thanks Lora) so I was happy to hear their satisfaction.

It's off to watch fireworks with ext. fam. tonight assuming the weather doesn't get all crazy again.

Happy Birthday to Michelle.

This and That

Remind me why Reagan wanted to quit gymnastics 2 years ago. She's such a natural!

Finally some scrapping again. Oh how I have missed my bazzill CS, white gel pens, glue dots and alphas. The house isn't put all together but some of my scrappy supplies are out and so happy to see me. :0

sorry these aren't cropped...deal with it this time.

It's hard being this cute! but don't let it fool you and I am going to give my parents gray hair. :) The girls had so much fun at Aunt Angie and Uncle John's wedding. Olivia was the last one on the dance floor but by the time we got to the hotel everyone was sound asleep.
Today was the last day of a 2 weeks session of swim lessons for both Emma and Reagan. They both learned so much and did a great job!

This afternoon we just missed another serious weather event. About 4:30 the girls and I decided to go for a bike ride around the lake. We got about 15 minutes from the house when the tornado sirens began to sound. It was a little stressful, trying to urge the girls to hurry home and yet keeping them calm. We got home just as the terrible rain and wind began. There are houses with broken windows, missing roofs, and no power. We have none of the above and plan to go watch fireworks somewhere downtown. All is good.

New Phone numbers

Hey, just a quick note. Chris and I have new phone numbers. If you didn't get an email from one of us just send me an email and I'll call you or email the number back to you.

I would love to say more but I've gotta run.

House is getting better.
No storms for 2 days! YEA!!
We're about to get our cable and internet!
Olivia is still trying to potty train.
Life is pretty good.
We haven't found a church yet but still shopping.

Have a wonderful day.

Wuv, Twoo Wuv...

...is what bwings us togedda

I hope you can see these pictures. I may haveto go back later and change the size of these pics. Below you will find Angie and John, married on May 31st. Each wedding that I attend takes me right back to the day Chris and I made that same commitment. I always cry during the vows and want to renew the vows we made. I'm such a sappy dope. You know, you don't have to agree! :) John, we are so happy to have you join our family. It's my prayer that you will feel welcome and loved. Take good care of our sister. There was a "no clink" rule during the reception. In order to make the bride and groom kiss you had to stand and sing a song about love. What a riot! You may be asking yourself, "did anyone actually do that?" Standing infront of a bunch of people and singing (usually off key) is not something that scares off anyone in this family. Below you'll find Chris and his cousin singing "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You." That was shortly after all the cousins sang "Love Shack" and the little kids sang the "Barney Song". It was a great party!

HOUSE UPDATE:
The carpet should be done in 2 hours. I have all the clothes packed and ready to move out of the inlaws house and into mine!!!
I'm so excited
I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control
And I think I like it.

Oldies but Goodies

Last May my family got together for the first time since my oldest brother's wedding in 1997 (I think). We had a great time and even managed to get some pictures taken of everyone. I am so proud of my brothers for not wanting to strangle me. Here's the end result. It only took 12 months to get these pics from my sister's camera to my hand. :) Thanks Laura for taking the pics and putting them on disks for eveyone. You are the best! This is one for the record books too. A picture of my immediate family. Really, it almost brings tears to my eyes. I love you guys and pray for each one of you EVERYday.

Just this past weekend was a wedding weekend in KC. I will soon have pics from Angie's wedding. What a beautiful bride...the groom was a close 2nd. haha

Just a positive note on the house situation. Hard flooring is IN and the carpet is being pulled out as we speak. YEE HAW!!!

Happy Friday

Finally, today is te last day of school for Emma and Reagan. They are watchng the Bee Movie. you know, so important that they go today! :)

Right now I am suppose to be packing all the clothing for the weekend but I just had to peek in and say HI! Chris' sister is getting married tomorrow to a great guy. We are so excited to invite a new member into this crazy clan. Hope I get some cute pics this weekend to share.

Update on the house:
As we "speak" there is a contractor at the house fixing the toilet/ceiling problem and the floor guys should be there any minute. Hopefully they can put in a little more time today than yesterday. Working 70 minutes a day will really stretch this project out.

God is good...I've had some geat coffee this morning...Olivia has been going potty on the potty chair. How could anything go wrong? Hugs to you all!

Under Construction

Here FIL and Hubby are taking down the cedar beams from the family room ceiling. I tried to paint them. YUCK! Notice I said "TRIED" it was ugly. The room is much bigger without those beams up. Notice the dark/wet looking spots on the ceiling between Dean and Chris. It gives a location for the next picture. Yep, that's a big old hole in th ceiling of our family room. It's a long story but the inspector missed a leaky toilet and now we have a hole in the ceiling and a rotten floor in the bathroom which explains the next picture. I'm sure it'll all work out but we really don't need one more thing to pay for or be stressed over.
This is the bathroom floor upstairs. Chris took off the toilet and 3 layers of flooring to find rotten subflooring. UGH! The boss of the inspector was suppose to come by today but didn't. The carpet in the family room doesn't go in until Monday. Hope it's all taken care of by then.

All the Glamour and Glitz

...of a beautiful dancer!

The dancing queen with her ma and pa.
Wish I had some pics at the recital but our dance company is a what you could call control freakish. No pics or videos without paying THEIR professionals who charge an arm and a leg. UGH!

Where's the Ark?

Holy buckets!! I guess the drought is over. It has been raining for 2 days solid. I know God said he wouldn't flood the earth again, the rainbow is his promise so I'm sure it will stop within the next 37 days. ha ha

Ever been to the Henry Doorly Zoo? It's a nationally recognized zoo and we were lucky enough to be there yesterday. So fun, even with 100 kindergarteners and pooring down rain.

Today we are back in our old home town so Emma can participate in her dance recital. I can't wait to post some pics. This morning we spent some great quality time with Emma's friends at the mall. Tomorrow Reagan and company are suppose to go to the park/lake to feed the ducks, play and eat pizza. Obviously, we may have to take a boat where ever we go and it probably won't be the park. I doubt Reagan will tolerate going to the mall. :)

Painting is truly fun for me however, I think when I'm done with all of this I will put away the paint brushes for a while. I have painted 2 rooms with 13 foot ceilings, 2 hall ways, one bedroom and almost all of the ceilings in my house. OMGosh, that's enough!! This would have been impossible without my MIL taking care of Olivia all day and then the enlisted help of Susan, Holly and Lindsey. Thanks guys! Still I can't find the cord for my camera so I can't upload any pics to my blog. I'll get to it one day soon.

Dig out the umbrella and get outside. Hugs to you all!

Nothings the Same

One week later and we all find ourselves in very different places. Ok, so Chris is still teaching in the same school but living with a co-worker and really without his family.

The girls and I are living with Chris' parents which is a great place to be but there's nothing like being in your own home.

Emma and Reagan are in a new school and it's tough. The very thing that Emma loves about being the new girl is what Reagan hates....attention from people she doesn't know very well.

I miss my friends too! To make things a little worse...my cell phone has terrible service inside my own house. Nice. So chatting with the girls from home proves to be difficult not to mention, painting is difficult at best with a phone between your ear and shoulder. LOL

Here's the break down of this week...
Sunday
Brett, Rod and Ryan were over helping move heavy furniture into the garage and then we discovered a slight plumbing problem which lead to midnight. UGH!
Monday
Too many friends to mention came over to help pack the truck. What a blessing to have great friends who want to serve God by helping others. We weren't able to get everything in the truck, thanks Packers for your garage.
Tuesday
It was rough getting the kids into school. Closed on the new house but forgot the proceeds check and paper work in GI. Nice one Mel. Praise God, it all worked out. Unloaded the house into the garage and basement. Chris went back to GI.
Wednesday
Big shopping at Lowes then I worked on the house, cleaning and unpacking.
Today
I painted almost all of the ceilings...back breaking work. Put together some beds and did some more unpacking. The best news, Uncle Lynn mowed and put chemicals on the lawn. Oh DH owes him big time.

Now you are caught up... If I can find my camera cord, I'll have pictures in a few days.

Knock Down Drag Out Boxing Match

Stacks of boxes, stacks of clothing, stacks of who knows what all over the house. Who can live like this? I am so ready to get moved and one day settle into a new home of our own. Why does that all feel so far away right now?
Look what has become of my scrapbook room!!! It's just not right!!!
Now, where the heck am I going to put all this...what about all the hair bows????
Empty cabinets and boxes in the middle of the kitchen floor have pushed us right out of the door at meal time. We gotta eat out. Ok, so that's not all bad!

A happy side note.....just read that one of Chris' previous softball players, Heidi, is the Big 12 Player of the Week. We are so proud of you!! Love you H20...oh i mean H2! :)

This is a bragging moment!

If you can't stomache hearing a mom brag about her kids you better just skip this post all together. Here I go....Reagan went out with a bang in her last soccer game of the season. This girls scored 9 goals in 2 games.

Here Reagan is in the 2nd game about to score again. I just love the look on the face of the defender.
Here she is in action again.
And this is Reagan with 2 of her dear friends Calyn and Christy, too bad Kamryn plays in a different league. They are 3 go getters on the soccer field, that's for sure.

A Scrappy Day!

Most of you may not know that we just flew past a very important holiday and I didn't even get to celebrate it. No, not Cinco de Mayo (did I spell that right)? I'm talking about NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY! Yes, this scrapbooking cult has it's own holiday. I am writing it on my May 2009 calendar and nothing is going to get in the way of a full weekend of scrapping!! However, in between cooking, packing church activities and running kids here and there I did manage to scrap 3 LO (layouts) and finish a project I started for a friend.

These two LOs are from a scraplifting challenge over at ScrapLove.com.


My fabulously funny niece Regina hasn't had a page in my album for a few years so it's about time to get her back in there. I had so much fun with my brother, SIL and niece in January. Notice I didn't say I enjoyed their dog. :)

Now Cinderella must get back to her duties of packing packing packing!

Have a great day.

Go Away

As Drew so eloquently put it, this was our "Go Away Party" last night. As usual I forgot to get out the camera until we were cleaning up and 3 families has already gone home. Sorry, maybe I can photoshop in the others. ha ha

When we left Phoenix I didn't think I would ever find a friend or a church again, as you can see we did find friends and all these great people are from our church. Now we are about to be in search of friends and a church again. God will provide, He always does.

Today is a big day for Emma. She is participating in a music festival. She'll play two piano pieces by memory, and do both a theory test and listening test. This is her first year, even though she's a little nervous it'll be a great experience. "Mom, I hope my judge isn't like Simon" said Emma. Oh my, maybe we watch too much tv.

Have a great day. Leave me a comment...I'd love to hear from you.

Melanie

Playing for $$

Here is the infamous BUNCO group...most of it. My dear hubby made fun of us for many months until just recently when we actually started PLAYING the game. I won a whopping $5 last night. It really could be a way to make money for the family. OK, not really.

I will miss this group...they will have to look for a new grandma of the group. Love you girls! Thanks Julie for a great party last night and congrats to you and Troy!