Timeless and Treasured - My Three Girls

Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

2012-01-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before - January/February/March is my slow time of year with photography, so I take full advantage of tackling those long-awaited home improvement projects. I have contemplated painting our kitchen cabinets ever since we have moved into this house. After we put the island in I REALLY started thinking about it because I wasn't happy with the two different colored cabinets. But I was slightly terrified..... I finally found my courage and went and chatted with the handy-dandy guy at Lowes and he gave some great advice.

He said the trick lies with this wonderful primer - made just for glossy surfaces. See that picture on there? They are using the primer on ceramic tile - thats crazy! I thought certainly then it would work on my cabinets. No sanding???? psssshhh - yes please!? So I came home and painted the inside of one of each kind of cabinets. I texted my sister a picture of what I was doing and said "Talk me down off the ledge!" - but alas, she was too slow to respond and by the time she tried to talk some sense into me it was too late.   So - here are a few "before" pictures....

A chik-fil-a sweet tea is a necessity before beginning this project......

I poured over many MANY paint swatches and finally decided on this one - I wanted a nice deep neutral cream. I went with "Homestead Resort Cameo White" - which also happens to be a color from the National Trust for Historic Preservation - I can't go wrong with that one - it's timeless.

same color against the white island...

Years ago we installed this chair rail in the dining room with the intentions of painting underneath it a light neutral - well I finally was able to tackle that project too, with the same color as the cabinets.

Having little girl entertainment is also very helpful when embarking on a large scale project.....

I had planned on this project taking at least a week, maybe longer.... but it actually only took four days, working only several hours each day. It wasn't nearly as tedious as I thought it would be. And I was also being a slight perfectionist - which really paid off. We just had to live with the kitchen looking like this for a few days.

The teenager stayed home sick one day last week, and I ended up putting her to work - don't all moms make their kids do manual labor on sick days???? No??   Just kidding - she offered so I assumed she must be feeling better.

and the after pictures.....

So nice and bright and cheerful now.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this trim on the long end of the island turned out.   It was my labor of love - I hand cut each piece (24 CUTS!!) at a perfect 45 degree angle and painstakingly glued them on, camping out on the floor one evening while holding each one on while the glue set..... then caulked them all the way around, then finally primed and painted them. I always disliked the plain-ness of that part of the kitchen, now I really love it! We are also going to be doing this under the chair rail in the dining room, and also on the ends of the lower cabinets.

I'm loving the new hardware as well - LOVE the leafy motif on them...

and I really like the contrast now with the wood floors - I think it makes the floors look much nicer.

We plan to have some recessed lighting installed throughout the kitchen and family room, and then the final step will be adding this wonderful natural stone backsplash. I think however, I will hire that part out. I just may draw the line with the wet saw.... maybe...

Here is the dining room after the painting - but before the trim work has been added - it's patiently waiting there on the floor.

And the finishing touch is the cutey little kindergartener sitting there doing her homework!!

Frost

2012-01-19T05:29:00.001-08:00

Published! Saint George Island Vacation Planner

2012-01-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to show you this years St. George Island Vacation Planner. After our vacation last summer, I blogged about our time on the island in this post and this post. Oh and also HERE and HERE and HERE, and also about the amazing sunsets on the island HERE. Well, the marketing director of Resort Vacation Properties somehow discovered my blog and offered to buy my vacation pictures to use in their next vacation planner, e-mails, and new website. Yippee!! Our vacation certainly paid for itself!

Our copy just arrived in the mail this week and it's already been well-perused, as you can tell by the picture! The girls were so excited to take it to school and show their classmates. It's been through several backpacks.

Here are a few of the pages that have some of my photos on them......

Nana and Papa!! HA HA!!

We have enjoyed pouring over the planner and dreaming of our next vacation ...... we just have to figure out how to swing it with three tuitions this fall and a senior trip to Europe....sigh.....

Storage Room Organization

2012-01-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

Do you have one place in your home that you would be completely embarassed for anyone to see? No? Well I do. And I'm about to show it to the world.   Our basement is mostly finished, but there is one large room that is unfinished that has turned into our "catch all" room. It seems about every six months or so, I try to get it back into a somewhat organized manner, but a few months later it looks like this again. Now, I am very dilligent about only keeping the things we need and use, and I am quick to pass on things we no longer have a need for. So - why does it always end up looking like this?

Embarassing isn't it?   The reason is gets all discombobulated (is that a word?) is because it's just not functional, obviously. This room is home to things we really actually use quite a bit, and also things we only use once a year, and even a few things that we don't use, like special baby clothes or items that we want to keep. The trick was to figure out how to make this room functional for all those things.

After quite a bit of thinking of how to get this room in order and KEEP it in order, I first had to figure out WHY it kept getting this way. The reason was mainly because of the storage bins that we kept everything in. We would stack them up on top of each other 4-6 high - and of course we would need something out of the one on the bottom and have to pull them all down and, of course, not take the time to stack them back up again.   Here's a scenario - we have three girls, all five years apart - so we have A LOT of girls clothing and shoes that we hold on to and pass down.  It's time to leave for church and littlest girl suddenly realizes her church shoes are too tight - run down to the storage room in my high heels and quickly locate the "shoe bin" which is at the bottom (of course!) of six storage bins, throw them all down in a fit of "we're gonna be late for Sunday school" rage and run out, slam the door, and thus begins the storage room melt down.

Obviously - the solution would be some shelving units to place the storage bins on so that each bin can easily be accessed. Now that I am in that wonderful time of year when photography business slows down and I can focus on addressing some big home projects - I decided January would be the month of the storage room. So - I made a trip to Lowe's to scope out what types of shelving systems would best work in our space and I decided on two different kind. For our really large bins I chose this steel shelving system. Each shelf holds 350 lbs and the shelves can be arranged at any height - perfect for different size and shapes storage bins which we already own. I also found some great heavy duty garage quality plastic shelving that works well for our smaller bins.

They were very easy to put together and required no tools. I was able to do all of them by myself. The door there to the right is the big storage room off of the finished basement, the door to the left is our laundry room (another post on that some time soon). One of the most painful parts of this project was having to pull EVERYTHING out of that room to be able to organize it.   The twin mattrees here is waiting for littlest girl to use in her room after she outgrows her Ikea bed. We decided to store each piece under our bed and under Punkins bed for now - such a better use of space I think. Also because it often gets pulled out for sleepovers on the floor.

Hubby got to work going through TWENTY years of paper work. (Yes - we celebrate 20 years in March!) We had soooo many containers just full of paper work that we never took the time to shred because of personal information.   This has become a full weekend project.   We (me and the girls) are trying to convince hubby to have a big bonfire in the backyard tonight for all that paper work instead of sitting and having a shredding party.    Also - this has made us consider a definite system for combatting the paper work organization issues which currently abide in our home.

And now - the new and improved storage room system!!!

The smaller shelving system here on the left is easily accessed and is mostly girls clothing. It is all organized by size and season. Summer - size 7, winter, size 10 - you get the picture. So now when momma gets a crazy idea like "Where is that sweet little Christmas dress that I loved so much that Hannah wore five years ago that would certainly fit Emily this year???" I can quickly locate it and the storage room doesn't end of looking like that first picture up there at the top.   Also - on the bottom shelf there is a storage bin with each girls name on it.   This is for paper work memorabilia. If they get a little award at school, or draw a picture they want to keep, or get an A+ on a spelling test - it now has a home.   In a very easily accessed location. We had bins and bins FULL of those kinds of things that we sat down and went through paper by paper and sorted into the appropriate girls storage bin.   This project was quite a trip down memory lane, we got all the girls involved in this step and they enjoyed it too.

I even took the time to go through my huge container of gift bags and toss any that I knew I wouldn't use, and sorted them by size and occasion, with all tissue paper in its own place. Now the girls or myself can quickly access them when needed - and I won't stop in the gift bag aisle at Target and purchase more JUST because I don't want to go digging through the storage room looking for them. You're welcome hubby.

The larger storage system on the far wall holds the heavier larger bins such as our huge container of girls shoes, the massive bin of school uniforms, all my home decor items, my collection of throw rugs, and all those baby items that I just can't part with.

Christmas time seems to be the worst wear and tear on the storage room, so we consolidated as much as possible and managed to get all of our Christmas decor into six storage bins and I stacked all of them separately in their own pile since I will be using them all at once and will never have a need to "get to the one on the bottom". I tucked them in the corner and they are only blocking the bins that I won't need access to, such as baby memorabilia.

Snow boots are on the shelf within easy reach - touch up paints are easily found now as well - and I ONLY keep the paint cans that are the colors currently on the walls for quick touch ups. All the luggage is stacked there in the corner.

Having a place for those things that I tell myself I will "get to" one day - like transferring all of our old home vidoes off of those little VHS type tape things? I don't even know what they are called.. one day...... and also I plan to bronze some of the girls baby shoes..... one day.   And maybe even convince the hubs to sell some of those old baseball cards ....sothatwecanputthegirlsthroughcollege........ maybe one day.

All of our Christmas trees now have a permanent home (and don't get thrown across the room while looking for Sunday school shoes), and they are all stacked up on top of each other. How lovely. Ignore that computer monitor stack of stuff to the right there - it's all finding a new home.

And last but not least - a picture of our little costume corner. Of course, not everyone needs a costume corner, but our classical christian school is a little costume-crazed. We have costumes for every time period throughout history. Egyptian, medieval, renaissance, Greeks and Romans, Victorian, Indians, early American pioneer, and of course, even costumes from wonderful works of literature. So we have a great need for costumes here - and I LOVE that my girls can just pass these down, and of course they are often loaned out to friends in other grades. There are plenty of old dance recital costumes that get lots of play time as well. So - having access to those is important for us. And for some reason my girls LOVE those huge horses from Target that are the equivalent to the American Girl horses. I really, really dislike those horsies but the girls like to play with them, so they have their own home (where I don't have to see them too often).

Thinking through the needs of your family is critical for organizational success. Things like costumes and huge plastic horses - who knew?

Happy organizing!

A Girlee Gurlz Party!

2012-01-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Boo attended a birthday party today with some friends from school at the new Girlee Gurlz in town. She had the BEST time! My little diva of course chose the "Rock Star" Makeover - I guess the princess days are over.

(I'm starting to notice that Boo is about a head shorter than all her friends her age - I was the same way as a kid - I guess she didn't get her daddy and her big sisters "tall" gene!)

Happy Birthday Casey!!

2012-01-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

While my sisters family was visiting we celebrated my niece Casey's birthday also. But lucky for her it wasn't her 40th - just her 15th.

She is a girl who appreciates some good fashion sense, is a pro at make up and hair artistry and gets excited about all things fashionable and sparkly. I'm quite sure my Boo inherited that same gene, and it's all really quite a mystery to me.

She was totally expecting the make up gift - but totally was NOT expecting to get.....

an I-PHONE for her birthday!

We do love our I-phones around here.... my Punkin was surprised by one on Christmas morning.

and we can appreciate a little bling on them too thanks to Casey.

although my Punkin prefers the camo look.

So we spent New Years Eve celebrating both birthdays, the New Year and everything make-up and sparkle!

Casey showed us all how to bring out our inner diva - although I'm quite sure I do NOT have one. Boo was ALL OVER THAT!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2012-01-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

One of us turned the big FOUR-O on New Years Eve....

Guess which one of us it was?

My sweet hubby threw me a "somewhat" surprise party. I knew he was doing it, but thats about all I knew. My sister and her family flew in from Minnesota.

We were trying to get a picture without our double chins showing...... no luck.

My niece Nicole couldn't be here so we sent her plenty of video of the festivities!

My sweetie planned a game about the year I was born --- a little trivia of which I got mostly wrong..

All of my favorite people helped us celebrate!!

There were PLENTY of laughs with Just Dance 3.....

and even more laughs when videos were texted to certain daughters of fathers who were getting their moves on.......

It was a perfect evening spent with people I love most. Thank you sweetie for planning a WONDERFUL celebration for officially being "over the hill".

A Kindergarten Celebration

2012-01-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten had a great little Christmas celebration too! It happened to be Boo's turn at calendar that day....

She is quite proud to be the holder of the "date"!! She was SUPER excited that it was her first dress-down day and she could wear whatever she liked. Oh boy - - decision time was quite long...

They decorated Christmas cookies!

and performed a very cute little skit that spelled out Christmas. Boo held the very last "S" in the word Christmas!

A Charles Dickens Christmas Celebration

2012-01-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

On the last day of school before Christmas break, the 6th grade celebrated Victorian style! They are reading A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.

There were Victorian costumes...

Victorian dancing....

Victorian food - at tea time!

Victorian games and crafts

and a Victorian gift exchange... well maybe that part wasn't quite Victorian :)

and to all a "Happy Christmas!"

Christmas Concert 2011

2012-01-06T06:19:00.000-08:00

Wow - I have a lot of catching up to do here! We have had a wonderful (though VERY busy) holiday season. We enjoyed our schools Christmas concert..... Hannah-Banana had her first debut playing her flute in the Beginner Band. They did a great job!

The Upper School Chorus joined in with the grammar school for a few songs. Kindergarten didn't participate this year since the concert can be quite long and it's a little too much for the little ones. But Boo sure enjoyed being there and taking it all in with her friends.

We enjoyed music, singing, recitation, narratives, and more - the final song was the Handel's Messiah for Young Voices - absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!

and Pastor Barker.

Merry Christmas from the O'Steen Family!

2011-12-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Card Out-takes

2011-12-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-18T13:19:00.001-08:00

Wishing you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My Little Ballerinas

2011-12-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

Three One Act Plays

2011-12-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

NCCS Theater presents - Three One Act Plays - The Boor, The Pretentious Young Ladies, and The Stronger. My Punkin was one of three directors for The Stronger, and she was cast in a minor role in The Pretentious Young Ladies. They all did a fabulous job!

And one of Punkin's life long friends that she met long ago surprised her at the play!!

Mine

2011-12-10T14:33:00.001-08:00

Rich and Katelyn Reed Wedding

2011-12-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

I had the privelege this past weekend of capturing the marriage of Katelyn and Rich. I have known Katelyn since she was a little girl - so when they asked me if I could do their wedding, I was thrilled! I get asked to do a lot of weddings but I always turn them down. But I'm starting to think that maybe I'm finally ready to begin dappling in some wedding photograhy here and there. It only seems interesting to me though if I know the bride and/or groom. Katelyn's mom is a good friend of mine - and is even a teacher at our christian school. Here are just a FEW of the many beautiful moments...

The bride looked absolutely stunning and I loved her subtle Christmas themed December color combinations.

The excitement of the getting ready .......

Both of the sisters....

We were able to do quite a bit of the formal family shots before the wedding with the groom tucked safely away out of sight. I love these pictures of the bride in the sunlight - she was so sweetly walking her grandfather back into the building.

The ceremony was a small intimate gathering of mostly just family members. It was a tender and touching ceremony.

Immediately after the ceremony we were able to capture some great shots of the bride and groom in the very last of the fading sunset light - the light was PERFECT!

This is one of my favorite images of the evening, there were huge flocks of birds flying overhead while we were shooting - and you can even see the moon in the one below!

The very intimate gathering of the bridal party - all siblings or cousins.

The entire family - and also just about the entire guest list!

I kept stealing quick shots of these two when they thought I wasn't around - - they are SO IN LOVE with each other, and it just showed in every picture that I took. I absolutely loved watching Rich gazing so lovingly at his bride every chance he could.

The first dance.....

and the lovely cake..

......and a quick moment to relax before the grand finale!!

Congratulations to Rich and Katelyn - best wishes for many decades of happiness!!

Frost

2011-12-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

Class Rings

2011-11-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

This morning we had a Junior Ring Ceremony at school. I can't believe my little baby is old enough for a class ring.   It was very interesting to hear the history behind what started the tradition of class rings. Did you know it began in the 1800's at West Point Academy? Me either!

The Juniors recently returned from a three day missions trip to the inner city of Washington DC where they prayed, served, and sought out the homeless through the Center for Student Missions. They served in soup kitchens, after school programs and more and even had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the many different cultures of the area - dining each evening on a different local cultural cuisine.

My Megan shared some scripture and her experience of how God worked through her during those days in DC. She contrasted what the magnificent history the city holds and all the things that man has accomplished there to the stark reality of what the streets turn into as you drive away from the historical areas.

'
Our headmaster, Mr. Cox charged the students with carrying out the call to Christian leadership - a symbol of what these rings mean.

Several teachers chose a scripture for each student which were read as they were given their rings... Kirsten's scripture was  Psalm 143:10 " Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!"

Megans verse was "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

And my dear Madison (yes, MY :) they belong to me) Her verse was   Galations 6:9-10 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Megan's sweet family...

I'm so proud of all these beautiful girls! They are becoming such wonderful young ladies - who are rising up to the high bar that has been placed before them in such an incredible Christ-centered school.

Thanksgiving at School

2011-11-29T18:33:00.000-08:00

Boo's class had a fun kid-friendly Thanksgiving feast complete with chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and tater tots! You will be seeing lots of kindergarten faces here because I'm the PTF rep for the kindergarten class this year - which keeps me very busy!

It's so fun to see the little friendships develop with the hopes of them becoming lifelong friends as they journey through their school years together.

I'm so thankful that Boo has such a very sweet group of kids in her class.

(This one's for you Lynne!) He always cracks me up! Apparently Sam felt the need for a quick shut-eye.

On the same day as the Kindergarten Feast - I was also responsible for the Pastors Breakfast - a community building event that our school hosts where students can invite their Pastors to breakfast at our school and invite them to visit in the classroom. What a busy day it was! I like this picture of Boo holding her pastor captive with some tale of some sort - you just never know what might come out of Boo's mouth these days. I usually get a daily report from SOME body at school saying "I just HAD to tell you what Emily said today!" Oh my....

During gym time......

And then we had an entire week off to relax and enjoy Thanksgiving! We also were able to get the house decorated for Christmas. It was a nice week off and we were all ready to be back into routine this week. Hope your Thanksgiving was great too!

Nana's Visit

2011-11-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Nana, Stephanie and Tanek came for a visit during the very last of the fall leaves. We did a quick photo session (in the rain!) one day so that Nana could have some pictures of her grandkids for her Christmas cards. Of course, we were minus Punkin who was on a missions trip to Washington DC with her class from school. We figured out how to make it work for Nana's cards though! :) I'm only showing one here so that Nana can keep her card a secret!

We had lots of down time to snuggle with kiddos and just play... Nana and Aunt Stephanie were a huge help for a couple of days while me and my hubby bought a new car. (very excited about my new Honda Pilot!)

They were able to enjoy Grandparent's Day at school - a real treat to see the kids perform lots of memory pieces they have worked on so far this year, and Tanek got to experience a real kindergarten classroom - a new thing for that little homeschooler! He loved playing outside on the playground. He had already made friends with Anna Mae a few days earlier and was very excited to see her again on the playground.

I love this picture - they were both watching a HUGE flock of birds migrating south - they just stared up at them for the longest time. There is just nothing better than seeing the world through the eyes of two kindergarteners!

We are so glad we were able to spend some time with our Florida family! :)

Gosh I Miss This Guy

2011-11-26T05:58:00.000-08:00

For six days I had the sounds of a little boy filling this house, and I sure do miss that little guy. This is my nephew Tanek, adopted from Russia. He and Boo are just a few months apart in age, but oh my how different boys and girls are! He is so silly and goofy and Full. Of. Energy! He wakes up with a smile on his face and it doesn't go away until he has gone to bed.... which is very...very.. late! :)

He left behind one of his Legos - this boy eats, sleeps and breathes Legos. So this Lego man sits on my computer and is a little daily reminder of my little dude.

We sure do miss you Tanek man! I can still hear you humming your Star Wars theme song echoing through the walls of the house. Come back and see us soon!

Boo's Birthday

2011-11-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

On 11/11/11 we celebrated Boo's birthday at school.

Daddy spent some time with her on the playground...

I think Daddy may have enjoyed the playground a little too much!

and then at 11:11 am we all sang Happy Birthday!

This is one of Boo's best kindergarten buddies - they totally get each other's humor because they both have much older teenage sisters, who also happen to be great friends. Those two crack each other up!

Choosing a birthday treat from the birthday box.

Boo recited her birthday poem for her teachers, "Now We Are Six" by A.A. Milne.

We all shared a few tears as we reminisced on how that exact day six years ago, while Boo was being born at the hospital, her big sister Banana was in Mrs. Thompson's kindergarten class waiting to hear the news of her arrival! Mrs. Thompson is a very special lady to us.

Then when the big sisters came home from school Boo was able to open her birthday gifts. Her new American Girl doll was a big hit!

Thank you hugs for big sister who has become quite adept at avoiding the camera.

And sister Banana gave her the Wii game she has been waiting and waiting and waiting for .... her face in the picture below absolutely cracks me up!

Then we had a small family celebration with our close friends - no big party this year! Nana, Aunt Stephanie and cousin Tanek arrived from Florida to help celebrate too. Lots of pictures of them coming up soon!

Happy Birthday Boo!

Kindergarten at the Zoo

2011-11-20T04:40:00.000-08:00

My gracious we have had a busy few weeks ~ I have some catching up to do here! My Boo's very first field trip was a few weeks ago to a local rescue zoo called The Plumpton Park Zoo. It was a great place for young kids because they were able to see plenty of animals up close without too much walking involved. Going to the Baltimore Zoo always makes the kiddos too tired and whiny and they don't get to see nearly as many animals, so this was great. We had perfect weather for the day as well.

How cute are those baby pigs??

Now We Are Six

2011-11-06T05:23:00.000-08:00

It's birthday week around here!! On 11-11-11 our little baby girl turns SIX!! I think at 11:11 on 11-11-11 we will have to celebrate big!

Happy Birthday to our sweet little Poopsie-Loo - We love you to the moon and back.....

Snow Puppies

2011-11-01T05:20:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

From the Snow Fairy and Hermione Granger!!

SnOwctober

2011-10-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

Complete craziness!! I've never seen it snow before Halloween - have you? I hope that means we will have a snowy winter. I love the snow. But I don't like winter - yucky gray skies and short days, at least having snow makes it more fun.

That just isn't right - snow on a pumpkin?

snow covered fall leaf?

very unhappy hydrangeas and roses

My "no-hands-umbrella" solution so I had two hands free to use my camera, while keeping it safe and dry! : )

fall football??

Gretzinger Family

2011-10-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

Normally I share my photo sessions on my portrait blog - but I love sharing the pictures of our friends on here too. This GORGEOUS family are newer friends of ours - they moved to Maryland just last spring to take the job of Associate Pastor at our church. He is Banana and Punkin's youth pastor. He and his wife are quickly winning the hearts of my girls! And Miss Boo has found a new friend with their sweet little Kathleen.

And little baby Liam is growing up quickly - seems like yesterday I was shooting his newborn session which you can see HERE.

Absolutely beautiful!

The Sheldon Family

2011-10-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite families! I usually get to take their family portraits this time every year. Their oldest daughter Leigh is Punkin's riding instructor. She is married and has two little girls. I think it's fun that Leigh and I have kids that are about the same age and Leigh's mom and I have kids that are the same age!! How's that for a multi-generational family friend!!? Punkin and Leigh's brother Page are both Juniors this year and go to the same school.

We have had such beautiful evening light lately. After about six weeks straight of rainy weather, it's been heavenly.

Now that's a fun family!

Who Knew?

2011-10-24T13:10:00.001-07:00

That horses like Sprite?

Backyard Plays

2011-10-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

What do Ninjas and Mexicans have in common?? I don't know either - but it made a really cute backyard play!

It had something to do with an evil banana.............

Knox

2011-10-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Goodness I love this little handsome man. I was supposed to be babysitting him, but he didn't mind that I snapped a few shots. He is super fun to play with and we have the BEST conversations!

Horse Show 2011

2011-10-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Cherokee Raiders Fun Show

perfect fall day

sunny Sunday morning

photography fun

#753

Jordan and Leigh

waiting for judging
casual and comfortable

sister audience

placed first in her first class

Smokey shining in jumping classes

chats with her trainer

photography lessons

fall foliage

favorite picture of the day - Boo and Smokey
horsey tongue

Mudroom Makeover

2011-10-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our mudroom. Yep - this is real life. This is what this room normally looks like. I have tried and tried to make this "catch all" room function better and not just gather heaps of shoes on the floor.   After really thinking through how this room best functions, I came up with a solution.   This room right off the garage actually was the laundry room. Can you believe it? There was just enough room for a washer/dryer and room to walk through to the garage. Well, imagine trying to carry an infant seat through there on top of shoes, backpacks, etc.   We quickly moved the laundry down to a room in the basement, which stinks to carry laundry up and down two flights of stairs, but it makes both spaces now function better for what we need. I LOVE having a huge laundry room in the basement.   Now on to the new and improved mudroom.

After months and months of trying to find just the right piece for in here, and even contemplating custom building it ourselves. I finally decided on this piece from Ikea. It's actually a TV unit but it was perfect for what I needed. I love that it has three shelves and three drawers, perfect for three kids! Plus since it has feet there is room to slide shoes underneath. I also found this shelf piece to go along with it - a perfect match.

AND it was the perfect size to fit that room. Almost - more on that in a minute... Meanwhile.... this is what my house looked like for two days while we worked on this project.

I was just about to go curl up in a corner and cry somewhere - I can't STAND for my house to be in chaos.

A quick peek at the hubs hard at work......

And finally - we have a new and improved, much more functional mudroom!!

I love the shelves up above with baskets for each girl that holds all winter hats, gloves, scarves, etc.

See that arrow?   That is where my hubs actually had to cut away a piece of the baseboard because it was such a tight fit.  It was a pain, but I love how it fits so perfectly now. I will not however, bring up the subject of my BFF and I actually holding this bench up above our heads trying to get it into the room. I will also not discuss anything about cutting off a door jam either. Thank you very much. : )

But now it's a perfect "drop zone" bench type set up. I love that they can hang up anything, or drop anything right on the bench, and even sit down to put on socks and shoes. Plenty of space to kick off shoes and just kick them under if they are feeling lazy, or neatly place them on the shelf or in the drawers.   The shelf will be for the everyday shoes, and the drawer will hold the more seldom worn shoes.   I have a great three-drawer basket shelf right outside this room that holds everyones socks.

Directly across from these new shelves is the coat closet. This closet was waaaaaay too small for a family of five that needs coats for three seasons. I forgot to take a before picture, but just imagine it completely stuffed full of coats and piles of shoes on the floor.   Now it houses all of those everyday "I need" kinds of things.   There is a drawer for school papers, hair accessories, brushes, batteries, light bulbs, tools, etc. (Repurposed work boxes from prior homeschooling days) : )

And right on top is the main living level dirty laundry basket. Perfect for dish towels and dirty socks.   All of these things used to be on the old shelves taking up all that space for coming in and out of the house - this is so much better!!

My sweet hubby saw how I re-purposed the closet and actually said to me "Where are we going to hang our coats?" My reply - "Honey, we now have a total of 24 hooks in our mudroom, I think you will be able to find a place to hang your coat."    : )     Also, in our laundry room downstairs we have an additional large hanging space for the heavy winter coats and snow gear and such, so I simply will switch everything out when the seasons change.

A much happier enter/exit zone!! I'm still planning on painting all the trim and beadboard the same color, plus a fresh new color for the walls, as well as nice throw rug for the floor.

Fly Away!

2011-10-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

My Girl

2011-10-08T10:38:00.001-07:00

Heading South

2011-10-07T08:17:00.001-07:00

Oh dear!!

Splash

2011-10-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Bird

2011-10-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Bailey here - yes, I'm the family dog. Well, one of them anyway, but I'm the favorite. When mom was in the shower today, I decided to once and for all take care of that bird that sits so proudly on Banana's night stand. They call it "decor" - whatever.   That bird was just asking for it.

I very proudly left it right outside the bathroom door for her.

I'm not really sure I should have done that. She used the "bad dog" words, but she didn't sound mad. It was very confusing.

I couldn't decide if I should look at her or not.   Should I be proud or ashamed?   She was really giving me some mixed signals.

I decided to be proud.   But I'm probably going to stay away from the moving and squawking birds around here. Too bad, because they are very tempting. It's ashame they put those guys out of reach.

(well, Bailey this time, not Heather)

Name That Photo

2011-10-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

You just never know what you might see around here. Can you help me name this photo?? Leave a comment with a title or caption for this photo and I will love you forever. Maybe. :)

Punkins Room

2011-09-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Punkins room was the last one I worked on, and boy am I glad I saved hers until last or I might not have attempted the other two. Apparently she is very sentimental about MANY things. She saves everything. Pretty sure she gets that from her Nana :) She told me to be ruthless and just purge anything I wanted to but not to show it to her. I was worried I would get rid of things that were really special to her. I needn't have worried. I kept a nice big bin under her bed of anything that had special meaning, if I was unsure, I saved it. I happily got rid of FOUR garbage bags of junk from her room. FOUR!!!! Along with discovering that all missing scissors in the house had found their way to her room. I found EIGHT scissors. And five sticks of deodorant.

So - the before picture.....

And after.......

She loved it!!

Before and After

2011-09-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

So this morning after I dropped the girls off at school, I went upstairs and walked into their bathroom and found this....

Yes, I took a picture of it. Because really, you can either laugh or cry, right??? I decided to laugh. And take a picture. And share it on the world wide web.  I guess I'm hoping maybe it might make my girls think twice before using the world as their garbage can - or at least our house anyway.

I mean, this is ridiculous!!   I'm pretty sure I cleaned this bathroom just last week. I can't even identify everything in this picture. I think that's my missing candle holder!

I counted twelve hangers on the floor and hanging on towel racks. TWELVE!!!!

But like a good Mommy, I decided to go ahead and clean things right up for my sweet precious little ladies. (who apparently don't care to live as such).

For your viewing pleasure, before and after. Love the look on the dogs faces - they couldn't believe it either. Good grief.   When the girls came home from school, I gave a little demonstration on how to replace the toilet paper onto the holder. It was rather comical as they looked at me as if I had lost my mind. :)

And behind door number two - behold - a lovely mess.   I'm blaming all this on the recent transition back into the school schedule. Apparently, all rules are off during the school year regarding any type of cleanliness or order.

And because I just can't deep clean without rearranging furniture, Banana has a fresh new look. One huge garbage bag of trash and clutter taken from this room.

And behind door number three. Yet, another mess. Oh heavenly day.   REALLY? Have I not taught them ANYTHING?????   This little girl usually loves to keep her room in order.    So.... once again......

A little rearranging, and another huge garbage bag full of trash and clutter and aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. It feels so good knowing how much junk is gone from our lives.   I went through every single drawer, cabinet, under the beds, under the dressers, every little nook and cranny!!!

It was all worth every minute of back-breaking labor today to see those excited little faces and hear so many "Thank You - Thank You"s!!! So many hugs and "You're the best mom ever!!"s.   Usually when I deep clean and purge their rooms, the order will remain for at least a few months. When everything has a place and has been repurposed for their current interests, they enjoy keeping things organized.

I wasn't sure how the teenager would feel about me doing the same thing to her room, but after seeing her two sisters rooms, she gave me the green light!! YIPPEE!!! That's going to have to wait until tomorrow because today was a lot of work.    I've already taken the before picture, so stay tuned for the after picture. Now, if only I could find that magic wand.........

2011-09-28T06:29:00.001-07:00

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

2011-09-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Foggy Morning

2011-09-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Woman Behind the Lens

2011-09-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hello. Madison here. You may or may not know me. I'm Kirstens best friend. Shes awesome. Aunt Steen is my other best friend. We get each other. Both of us have a quirky sense of humor. We have a grand ol' time together. She also taught me everything I know about photography. So you may be alarmed that instead of the elouquent and witty Aunt Steen posting her thoughts, you're reading the ramblings of a teenager. My apologies. But if its any consolation, I got her to let me make a whole post just on her in the kitchen. Enjoy!

spinach...

She was teaching me how to change the focal point.

Helping the children with their homework while cooking dinner. She can do it all.

onions are gross...

When I go back and think of my Aunt Steen I will always remember her with a glass of ice tea.

I wish everyone could have tasted this deliciosness. It was life changing.

This is the first apron she has owned as a domestic housewife. Uncle Steen would never allow an apron in the house. But Aunt Steen insisted on not ruining all of her clothes now that shes cooking every night.

I like this picture because Aunt Steen has a nice laugh, and I love when she is laughing.

Got the sniffles?

trying out interesting angles.

She came down to see what shenanigans the dynaminc duo had gotten into this time. She tries to stifle a yawn at all of our excitement.

Awwh. What a good helper.

Somebody kept hiding from the camera. Mostly under the kitchen table. We couldn't find her for awhile.

The multitasker with her fine china.

Another good helper!

You dont see this because Aunt Steen only posts the rare good pictures she snaps of Kir, but this is how the majority of attempted shots turn out.

Em is clearly not enthused about having to come out of her hiding spot.

The meal was divine. Everyone should get to taste Aunt Steens great cooking.
I love you so much. Thanks for having me come on. I really think you're the prettiest person I know and there should be more pictures of you on here. Okay. I'm done.

Reading

2011-09-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was serving breakfast, Boo was reading a story to her favorite stuffed friend Sam. It made my heart so happy to see this! This is the first time I have seen her pick up a REAL book, and read the whole thing out loud - cover to cover - correctly!! I'm so proud of you Boo!!

It made me even more happy that she chose one of my favorite books from when I was little. Thank you Aunt Jennie for sending Boo this special book! She is my first kid that I can accurately say that I taught her how to read. The other two learned in school, but Miss Boo learned at home. What a wonderful feeling! :)

More Organizing

2011-09-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

Some of you out there will mock me for this post (you know who you are) - but I just LOVE getting everything organized. I'm pretty sure I got that gene from my Grandma Dot. I remember being at her house when I was little and she was always talking about being organized, organizing things, or scolding us because we weren't organized. I remember not even knowing what that word meant. Boy oh boy do I like that word now! I definitely go through phases with my organization - mostly I get excited about it when I don't have ten thousand other things in my mind. Like now - so I'm taking advantage of it while it's here. I'm terribly excited about these chalkboard labels and chalkboard pen that I found! They are vinyl reusable stickers, and wipe off easily (but not too easily - you need a damp cloth).

Again - I could kick myself for not taking a before picture of the toy shelf in the basement.   I was too excited to start organizing to think about it. Just picture most of the toys on the floor in front of the shelf, and what was on the shelf was in complete disarray. We have had this cubby-style shelf from Ikea for many years to hold the toys, I love this shelf.    A quick trip to Ikea to buy 8 of these canvas bins at only $4.99 each - they were made just for these shelves. I love the perfect fit. Add a handy-dandy label so the kiddos know right where to put everything - and wa-la!! The green and blue plastic bins came from the dollar store. Thats a great place to buy all sorts of bins, baskets and containers.

Labels for the baking necessities, with these containers from Target. Now I don't have open bags of flour, sugar, etc in a basket.

All year round, we have a variety of throw blankets around the family room. And they were always everywhere! Usually on the floor, with a dog laying on it. And for some strange reason, I like to wash these blankets OFTEN - so it made me crazy to find the dogs laying on them all the time. My solution - a large basket!! Perfect. Now the kiddos know right where to put the blanket when they are done with it. Not that it always happens, but at least now they have a home. And no more dogs laying on them. And just in case they couldn't remember what actually went IN the basket - my chalkboard pen comes in handy. :)

Same thing for magazines.

Now this time I actually remembered the "before" picture.   The under the kitchen sink cleaning supply station. A jumbled mess.

My dollar store bargains....

and TA-DA!! So much better - I can grab and go clean without crawling down on the floor and sticking my head into the cabinet to find what I'm looking for.

And finally - my closet. I am IN LOVE with these shelf organizers. I was always hesitant to try them before, thinking they would not be sturdy and a waste of money.   These were a nice quality from Target from the Michael Graves collection. I also got the additional expandable bar to make them extra sturdy and also add a great place for hanging my jeans below my shirts right in between the organizers.

Now..... what else can I organize?? Hmmmmmm.....................

I Heart Faces

2011-09-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge is "A Touch of Sun" - I immediately thought of this image that I just love - check out the other entries at I Heart Faces!

The Flute

2011-09-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Someone in our house is terribly excited to begin playing the flute at school

Creative Lunches

2011-09-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

So - I have a lot of creative juices. I can't help it. Now that I don't use up 99.9% of my mental energy in homeschooling, it has to go into other places. Lately, it has gone into meal planning and food preparation (and ORGANIZING!)   The girls have just loved having silly things greet them in the morning at breakfast time (while hubby and teenager roll their eyes and secretly giggle), and finding fun things to eat in their lunch boxes.   I made the mistake of cutting the high schoolers PBJ into dolphin shapes one day. She didn't appreciate it quite as much as the younger kids - but I did detect a slight grin. These little tiny forks above have become a favorite - they are perfect for keeping germy fingers off the finger foods - and they also are just plain fun. I found them HERE on Amazon. You get 15 of them for $2.99 - what a deal.

And of course - all food around here gets to look at you before you eat it.   These little candy eyes are requested at practically every meal now.

Another fun thing to do is to use tiny cookie cutters for cutting vegetables, lunch meats, just about anything! I found mine at the kitchen store, and I had bought a set years and years ago from The Pampered Chef. I just love this little bento style lunch box  that Boo takes to school for snack time. It has a top tray that goes over the one in the picture, and then a very easy on/off lid in the shape of a kitty cat that is very 5-year-old friendly! Both in style and function. :)

Using silicone muffin cups is a great way to add a variety in the lunch box and keep everything separated - while at the same time staying a little green in the process without using up so many baggies. The lunch box in the picture above is perfect for older kids - it's a little bit hard for little kids to open and close. I love it because the lid has a built in ice pack so you don't need to throw an additional one in. It even has a compartment in the lid for utensils, napkins, love notes, etc!

If your kids like to eat boiled eggs (which mine do NOT) - may I suggest these really fun egg molds? You simply boil your egg, then peel and place in the molds and dip in a cup of cold water, and the egg will take on these shapes! How fun! I just might have to get them for myself.   Happy lunch packing!

AJ

2011-09-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

This sweet little guy has been my nephew for the past 15 months. My sister is involved in foster care and had this little guy since he was born.

I happened to be visiting in FL when he arrived and was able to catch some of his newborn-ness.

Precious-ness!

This past summer we had some vacation time with him at the beach. He is now 15 months old and a little bundle of energy! I have never been able to share pictures of him on here before, because of the privacy rule through the FL foster care system.

Last month, the judge ordered him to return to his birth mother who currently lives in a rehab facility. Even though our family knew it was only a foster situation, the story unfolded in a way that the possibility of him being a permanent part of our family was very likely.    When he arrived, he had been abandoned at the hospital - surely he was meant for us.

God surely has a plan for his little life - but it's so hard to not understand it.   I can share his sweet face now that he is technically no longer in foster care. My sister does still get to see him once a week for now, but it's been very difficult for her.

He will always hold a special place in our hearts - and we will always pray for you little man!!

to look after orphans and widows in their distress ...... James 1:27

If Your Napkin Holder is Missing

2011-09-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

You may want to check to see if it is being used for a zoo.

2011-09-15T06:20:00.001-07:00

Surprise Madison!!

2011-09-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Happy 16th Surprise Birthday Madison!! (my other daughter)

absolutely and completely stunned

seeing old friends again

Harry Potter theme.... of course....

boys.... :(

butter beer

sorting ceremony

messy games

the honor of picking out her gift

my favorite photography student

My two favorite teenagers. : )

Reorganizing!

2011-09-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

I should have known it was coming.   I have always had a little bit of a crazy OCD tendency when it comes to organization, but the reality of it is that I just never had the time to organize the way I would like.   As I have mentioned, last week was the first time since 1995 (1995 people!!!) that I had no children at home to take care of. No one under the age of five, no one to homeschool.... what do I plan on doing with all that time??   First of all - I think I need to finally get our home, and our LIVES organized.   Let's begin with the junk drawer.

I really should have taken a before picture of all of these, but I didn't even think about it until now.    The junk drawer was beyond recognition, usually unable to even open, and just filled with, well... junk. Not anymore! It is a functional place where Boo can find what she needs at homework time, right in the kitchen (which is where homework usually tends to happen).   I can't tell you how happy this drawer makes me. I love this organizing tray that I got from Target years ago - the top of it slides back and forth to reveal the bottom layer.   It has been immobilized during recent years of unorganization in that drawer. He is happily sliding back and forth again. :)

The kitchen utensil drawers also were on the list of needing to be purged and sorted and made much more functional. See those tiny little metal cookie cutters? I have been making all sorts of fun breakfast and lunch time fun with those - more on that in another post.

The spice cabinet is a benefit from my friend Joanne who hired a professional organizer, and then oh-so-kindly shared with me everything she has been learning.

The spice cabinet no longer makes me want to throw all the spices down in a fit of rage when I can't find what I'm looking for (yes, always working on self-control over here).   These long narrow little bins are perfect for holding spices. They can stack up and easily be pulled out to browse the spice selection. (No throwing involved).

I did the same thing with our medicine cabinet - simple, but so much more effective when searching for something.   There is a container for adult medicine, childrens medicine, and (yes) even the dogs medicine.

One of my favorite freshly organized places in the PANTRY.   This was a long time coming..... not only is the pantry itself organized, but the way we eat has changed, the amount of meals we eat at home has changed, the amount of time I spend cooking has changed, the contents of the pantry has changed, therefore - our lifestyle has changed!!   For this huge change I have two words MEALTIME MAKEOVER.   This website has literally changed our lives. Meal planning and food preparation have always been my least favorite part of being a homemaker. But one day while listening to our local Christian radio station I heard a commercial that caught my attention, so I decided to check out the website. Now I actually look forward to making dinner every night (yes, Nana, you heard me right).   All this website does, is simply plan out your meals for you, and make a weekly grocery shopping list for you. You can even choose from several grocery stores, and they will build your meal plan based on what is on sale that week. Now, I was very skeptical about whether this would actually work or not. I have VERY picker eaters (mostly the hubby) so I wasn't very hopeful.   The meals are very kid friendly and simple to prepare. Not only have we loved about 95% of all the meals, but we are trying all kinds of new and different things that we never would have before, and I am suddenly a rather confident cook! But for me the best part is NOT having to figure out what to make for dinner, and then wonder if I have all the ingredients I need.   Every day, I simply choose a meal off our menu, and every thing is ready to go because I have already done the weekly grocery shopping in advance and I have everything I need.   So, now my pantry is mostly stocked with meal preparation ingredients, instead of so much prepackaged and prepared foods due to my lack of interest in meal prepartion.

The best news is that I have been doing this for SIX MONTHS now!! I was a little hesitant that it would be a phase and I would go back to my own non-meal-preparation-ways (aka - eating out too much), but it has stood the test of time.    Now my pantry is stocked with the staples.   These white bins hold together like-items such as baking needs, pastas/rices, snacks, lunch box items, my wide variety of tea bags, etc.   I still have more plans on organizing and labeling in the pantry, but this has been a huge start.

So, each week I simply print out my meal plan and my grocery shopping list. It literally costs pennies a day! You can even subscribe to a gluten-free plan, a meal plan for two, a dairy-free plan, etc.    I three-hole punch them and keep them all in a pretty little notebook that I even take with me to the grocery store. I already have a six-month supply of simple and yummy recipes. I think after another six months, I will no longer subscribe and simply keep my years worth of meal plans in my notebook and just repeat each year.

I love how simple the instructions are - right on the same page, and even the grocery list is broken down by departments within the store. It couldn't be any easier!!

I have saved so much time (AND MONEY!!) by simply following this meal plan, organizing our time and our lives. We spend a lot more time around the table together now, and I usually even have some leftovers for lunch the next day.

I Heart Faces - Back To School

2011-09-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

This week's photo challenge is "Back To School" so I thought I would share this photo I took last week.

Check out other back-to-school pictures at I Heart Faces. You can see the rest of our Back-To-School photos here.

2011-09-11T06:48:00.001-07:00

First Day of School 2011

2011-09-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ready and eager for a new year

Daddy's morning prayer made me cry

driving to school
still can't believe THAT!

sister love
nervous kindergartener

packing snacks and lunches
excited and full of healthy lunch box ideas

cool and rainy fall morning

seeing old friends again

following "footsteps" to kindergarten classroom

The Kissing Hand

meeting new friends

Best. School. Ever.

saying goodbye

blowing kisses
fighting back tears...

sweet Anna Mae

One more peek at Hannah-Banana

And the year begins!!

Scenic Western Maryland Railroad

2011-09-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend
Final summer adventure

driving through the mountains in western Maryland

walked across the pedestrian bridge at Sideling Hill Road Cut

hubs patiently waited

scenic western Maryland Railroad

meeting up with good friends

waiting for the train

our first glimpse of the train

the look of childhood wonder at seeing the train

feeling the heat from the steam engine

Scenic Western Maryland Railroad (cont.)

2011-09-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

All Aboard!!

the company of good friends

picturing scenes from the movie "The Polar Express"
singing the hot chocolate song in my head

the absolute thrill of a five year old
first time on a train

beautiful scenery

bridges and tunnels

having the car to ourselves
imagination play

happy hubs still able to catch part of the Alabama game :)

Scenic Western Maryland Railroad (cont.)

2011-09-05T03:21:00.000-07:00

arriving at Frostburg Station

watching the engine on the turntable

one of our favorite parts of the trip

feeling the rumble and power of the turntable

hearing the crowd cheer

watching the headlight pass through my lens

watching so many little boys in absolute awe

finding coal along the tracks
washing hands

running into an old Florida high school friend, Staci = priceless!

wonderful memories
good-bye summer!!

Back To School Pictures 2011-2012

2011-08-31T17:02:00.000-07:00

This year marks quite a milestone for our family - all three girls will be in school. This is the first time this has happened since... well.... since EVER. Only two years will they all three be wearing the same uniforms before Punkin goes off to college. I really wanted to document this times in our lives with a back to school photo session.

I'm pretty sure the puppies think they are going too. They will be so sad and mopey when the girls are gone all day. I'm glad Boo will only be gone in the mornings though.

This little vintage school desk belonged to my hubby when he was in first grade.

Boo's little jumper used to belong to our friend Sydney - who is now a Junior in high school. I can't even believe it - thanks Syd!!

Somebody is terribly excited about starting kindergarten!

The girls go back to school next week, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself. We will have one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary school. Three different school schedules, and good ol' mom is the school bus. I guess that's what I'll be doing all day! This will be the first time since 1995 that I won't have any little girls at home with me to take care of. I'm not quite sure if I will cry, or if I will throw a party! (Probably both).

The Dollhouse Fairy

2011-08-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well - we survived Irene. We lost power for only a day, and it was plenty long enough to make us really appreciate electricity. There are some in our area that still don't have power, and plenty of roads still closed and traffic lights out. I did snap this sweet picture of Banana while she hugged her favorite blue bunny "Blueby" while she watched the hurricane outside. Our blue tarp did survive on the roof, but we still had plenty of bowls and buckets to catch the drips.

We stocked up on library books before the storm and this one has become one of Boo's favorites.

She decided to really spend some time arranging her dollhouse in hopes that a fairy may stop by for a visit. After lots and lots of waiting, Boo was very surprised this morning to discover that a fairy had paid her dollhouse a visit in the night.....

She even left a trail of fairy dust everywhere she went throughout the house. Boo thinks there were two fairies since they set the table with two plates and apparently feasted on turkey.

It looks like they also spent some time on the couch in front of the fire and playing with the dogs.

Boo was so excited showing Daddy her discovery this morning. She keeps discovering things inside the house the fairies did - like leave a purse on the bed and took clothes from the closet.

She keeps checking back every hour to see if the fairies have visited again, but ever since big sister has been at the barn - we haven't seen a thing.... strange... :)

The Calm Before the Storm

2011-08-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Irene is heading our way - we are as ready as we can be I suppose. The rain has just begun to come down, heavy, heavy rain. I snapped these as the first line of bands rolled in.

See that lovely blue tarp on the back half of our roof? Let's hope it actually stays on. We are days away from having our entire roof replaced, so our roofer very kindly covered our roof for us to avoid any more leaks. It's nailed down pretty well with 2x4s, so pray that it (along with our entire roof!) stays intact and doesn't become a sail during the hurricane!

I Heart Faces - Pet Week

2011-08-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

One of my blog readers suggested I enter this photo in the I Heart Faces challenge this week - so I did! Thanks Janet! Check out all the other entries over at I Heart Faces.

Fairy Houses

2011-08-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

My crafty creative girls are at it again!! One of the things I love most about summer is the amount of time the girls have to just think, create and imagine.

They chose a little corner of our yard at the stump of a tree and created a welcoming cozy cottage for fairies.

Complete with a very soft lambs ear bed with lovely smelling floral pillows.

Some very interesting lanterns hanging outside the door for when twilight appears.....

If you look closely, you might see a berry chandelier..

Can you see the teeny-tiny purple flower petals lining the pebble walkway?

In the far corner you can find a little rock stool and a mushroom table with a fairy sized green pumpkin awaiting a curious fairy.   Notice the broom beside the table just in case the fairies need to tidy up??

We see lots of fairies in our yard - but you have to sit very, very, very still and wait for them to land on your toes. (Also a well-kept secret in my photography bag of tricks for keeping little ones still and focused long enough to snap a good shot!)

Almost every morning a fairy leaves a dew-kissed flower in Boo's car seat for her to discover - this has happened for years and years......   I know the fairies will be excited to discover a litle home built just for them after all these years of flitting around our yard.

Fairies come in all shapes and sizes......

My Banana also created this nature-inspired horse as a surprise for Punkin.   Her creativity astounds me sometimes.

We decided he is a hillbilly horsey since he looks like he only has one tooth in his mouth. :)

In other news.... we have had plenty of late summer storms this week. Several days we even had hail. I snapped this picture after they were already melting - the hailstones were even bigger than these.

And our puppies have been catching up on their reading....

My favorite read this summer has been 'The Help" - I highly recommend the book AND the movie!!

At The Barn

2011-08-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

Punkin had promised Banana to take her on a trail ride all summer and today was the day.....

My Punkin has been spending a ton of time at the barn this summer. She is now teaching lessons as well as week long camps. She has been working so hard, but she loves it so much she can hardly believe she is getting paid for it. She spent some of that hard earned money on her horse lately..... she just loves the blue bug bonnet for Smokey-Joe's ears. I'm not sure Smokey-Joe feels the same way about it...

Sister time is the best! They really enjoy each other the most when they are sharing a common interest...

My Banana LOVES to ride bareback... I'm quite sure it's the Indian in her. Her great-grandpa was pure Indian.

Momma's favorite purchase of Punkin's was the handy-dandy cell phone holder that goes atop her boot while riding - FINALLY I can reach her when she is on the back of a horse. It's heavenly.

Just Because I Love It

2011-08-17T05:37:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share this picture because I like it so much. It's from a recent session, but I love the sweet little girl innocence loving her Mommy. Gosh, I love little girls.... and photography.. :)

A Moment

2011-08-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

It's those rare moments like these that make all the bickering and whining of the day just melt away, if only for a moment. I sneak over and grab my camera - snap - (insert annoyed glare by the teenager), but the moment is now forever.

VBS - 2011

2011-08-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

Birthday Cake and Just Dance

2011-08-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while my parents were visiting, we celebrated hubby's birthday.

Brad and Dellynne joined us for the evening.

Daddy now has his very own Kindle, so he can stop borrowing Punkin's. :)

Just Dance Wii - we love it.

Who knew how well Papa can dance???

There was some healthy competition going on ....

Even Grandma Marion took the lead with the "Mashed Potato".

And after you dance til you can't dance no more - you can still dance while sitting down...

even without a Wii remote...

Someone (who shall remain nameless) was a serious competitor - did Westpoint have a Just Dance training class???

Check out that serious competitive face - and notice who he is competing against????????

Dad and Marion

2011-08-12T10:53:00.001-07:00

Wow - what a crazy couple of weeks it has been! I have a lot of catch up to do with my blog. This past weekend my Dad and stepmom came from Florida for a visit. Boo has always had a special love for her Papa. She snuggled right up to him as soon as he arrived.

This is Marion thumbing through one of our favorite poetry books. We had a great time one evening after dinner talking about all sorts of poetry and reading some aloud.

Any time my favorite redhead is around, our conversation usually turns to poetry, literature, or the latest movies ;)

On Sunday we went to the Walters Art Museum. We have done several school field trips here, but this was our first time going as a family. The girls really enjoyed it - and Miss Boo was completely captivated, which actually surprised me a little.

Boo's interpretation of the statue.

I have titled this photo "Perpetual Motion".

Little Miss

2011-08-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Timeless and Treasured (also known as Punkin) took my camera out yesterday when her sisters were playing in the sprinkler. I think she has quite the eye...... don't you????

Rainy Summer Day

2011-08-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Rainy summer days always brings out some silly creativity

Toys that let the girls create and imagine are always high on the list around here - anything else is useless.

These Connectagons have always been well used. They also have been creating with the Wikki Stix, lately, but I didn't get a picture. But the Magz construction sets seem to be the favorite.....

But who would ever think of sticking them to your braces?? Only my Banana....

Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

St George Island Memories....

2011-07-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

This vacation was my most favorite ever - we enjoyed being with our family without having to do the normal run-around to try and see everyone equally. Normally when we make our annual trek to FL to see our families, it's full of stress and running around and not at all relaxing. Renting a beach house and letting our family come to us was perfect! It was so relaxing, peaceful, recharging and fun - we made so many memories!

"did you see that shooting star?... no, I was looking at my feet"

kitchen sink sprayers

"I just really, really love cats"
Face-time

"see no sand, hear no sand, speak no sand"

"what? STOP - DON'T MOVE! - that thare is a water moccassin"

"Wouldn't you think my complexion's complete?"

gaga fluffs and slamming drawers

Troy Towner and Tiny Tower

making bracelets, making bracelets, making bracelets

parrots riding bicycles

screaming like a girl and just not caring - crabby claws
"we could be walking here naked and no one would ever know"

"I raaaaaaaaallly liiiiiiiike yooooooooou"
How to speak with a southern accent

mosquito bites, cell-phone suicide jumps, sandy bathtubs, fabric softener, dryer timer failure
movies in the park

spaghetti sauce spills, dishwasher detergent wrappers

Blowing chunks
Life is ____ t-shirts

water bottles
sea gulls and animal crackers

!!!!!!!!!!JOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sunscreen, bug spray, sunscreen, bug spray

Hey Jolie - I think thats a mosquito on your face!

hermit crab sanctuary on the deck
"Somebody call Cirque de Soleil!!"

Memories to last a lifetime.....

Just Another Island Sunset

2011-07-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

Apalachicola Estuarine

2011-07-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

Exploring the Lighthouse

2011-07-27T02:46:00.000-07:00

Sunset

2011-07-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm dreaming of being here this evening to watch the sun go down......

Pool Time!!

2011-07-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Fun in the Sun

2011-07-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is most definitely where heaven touches earth.....

"I WANNA GO BAAAAAACK!!!!"

The Stars

2011-07-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

Even though I actually don't have any pictures of the stars, it was one of the most memorable parts of this trip. Being far, far away from any big city lights, and being out on a secluded island, on the beach, where most residents are careful to keep off their beach-side lights so as not confuse the poor little sea turtles - made for some AMAZING star gazing.   Every evening, we would walk out on the pier over the bay and lay there and watch the stars come out. Later in the week, after spotting three water moccassins in 24 hours on the bay side (shiver) - we decided to walk the other direction to watch the stars on the beach instead.

Our amazing beach house was bay side AND gulf side - this island is amazing.   It's a long thin little stretch of an island, with not one fast food restaraunt. There were just enough little locally owned shops and restaraunts to get what you needed - with incredible friendly service to boot. We all decided to pick up our homes and move them to the island, along with our schools and our friends. I'll get right on that. :)   Seriously, the locals that live here are so friendly and helpful. They will open their stores for you if you need something, and the guy at the teeny-tiny little post office on the main land is my hero.

This is the view of our little 5-house neighborhood - Kinja Bay. We simply walked across the street to the Gulf of Mexico!

Or sometimes we would ride our bikes.

The wildlife on the island was so much fun!  We found plenty of sea turtle nests, and made nightly rounds to them to see if anything was hatching, but no luck. It was still fun to see where the nests were though.

My sister Karen and her hubs of 25 years - they are two little lovebirds - you rarely see them not holding hands. (Unless of course he is carrying five beach chairs, two inflatable tubes, three beach towels, and three snorkels all while balancing a cooler on his head).

The sun set over the bay side, but it was still beautiful beach side.

We had a great time paralyzing the millions of crabs scurrying about by shining a flashlight in their eyes. They are so funny - I can't tell you how many crabs ran across my feet as we were walking along the shore as night fell.   Two of the older children (who shall remain nameless) could NOT handle the crabs at night. Soooo funny.   And then we would watch them scurry back into their little crabby holes.   Can you just barely make out the little crab eyes in his hole in the picture below?

And then we would pile about 17 of us onto one little beach blanket and lay there and watch the stars come out. They were AMAZING!! I have never in my life seen stars so brilliant.   We saw too many shooting stars to count.  We could even see many satellites as they orbited through the milky way - the milky way itself was beyond brilliant.    It's a memory that I will treasure up and store - so many people that I love piled onto one little blanket gazing at the stars - all while laughing our heads off!!

Evenings on the Island

2011-07-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hello St. George Island!!

2011-07-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

My sister's family drove all the way from Minnesota to join us for a week at the beach house. The first day we arrived, it was very rainy - we had a great time exploring the bay and the beach in the rain. It's quite a different experience on a rainy day so I'm so glad we had just one day of rain to explore and rest and recharge before we started our fun-filled week. We spent our first day....

Being silly

checking crab traps

viewing our beach house from the bay side

exploring the wildlife

having family visit us

watching fish jump

counting hundreds of sand crabs on the shore

falling in love with my nephew all over again

found so many amazing things on
a well-kept secret of an island

plenty of time in the pool

playing with aunts and uncles

wearing goggles upside down

exploring the island on bikes

coloring, nail painting, hermit crab catching,

lighthouse puzzles, eating twizzlers and boiled peanuts

and plenty and plenty of time to rest, relax and recharge
spending time with those we love

Best. Vacation. Ever.....

A Quick Stop at Nana's

2011-07-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

As soon as our midnight movie got out - we headed straight to FLORIDA!! Punkin chose her friend Megan to come along with us on vacation - she is the BEST!! We made a quick stop at Nana's house for one night to see all the grandparents and eat some Sonny's BBQ.

The girls spent some time with Tanek in the pool.

It cracks me up to see my mom now always on her cell phone - taking pictures, texting - what is this world coming to?? :)

And we celebrated Kir's birthday one more time with our FL family.

Boo soaked up some Papa love.... and then we were off to St. George Island!!

Happy Birthday Kirky!!

2011-07-25T05:35:00.000-07:00

The night we left for our vacation, Punkin had her 16th birthday party. She just wanted to have a few friends over before the BIG EVENT that she had been waiting for - the midnight premiere of the final Harry Potter movie. The kids just hung out and had pizza and ice cream before we all headed over to the midnight movie. Planning a party for just hours before you leave for a week long vacation is not advisable. Lesson learned. But the kids had a GREAT time!

On Island Time

2011-07-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Sweet Sixteen

2011-07-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Kirsten,
I can’t believe we are celebrating your 16th birthday today. I know I tell you all the time, but it seems just like yesterday when I was holding you in my arms for the very first time. I should have known then what your personality was going to be like. From that very first day, you gave this new mommy her first taste of absolute worry, fear, elation, joy, trepidation, and about a million other emotions. I never had loved another human being in my entire life the way that I loved you. It hit me so hard and so suddenly that it was overwhelming. Of course, I loved your daddy, but this love was different. It made me love Daddy even more, because I knew that no other person on this earth loved you even close to the way I did like your Daddy. I was completely and utterly and hopelessly in love with this teeny tiny person. This little person who insisted on not breathing correctly for a few days, even as a newborn, you were determined to do things your own way and in your own time. I know you hear that a lot, how strong-willed, determined, feisty, and stubborn you are. Those qualities can be incredibly wonderful if you use them for good. I don’t tell you as often as I should how proud I am of you. You make me just want to shout from the rooftops how wonderful you are. (Maybe that’s why I have a blog!) I love the way that you really don’t care what other people think about you. Yes, sometimes that drives me crazy, but I sure wish I could be like that myself. I love how you are quick to forgive and how you are a very loyal friend. I love your incredible intellect, and your love for all things literature. It makes me so proud to have a daughter who shows such wisdom when it comes to the truly important things in this life. I love your crazy and witty sense of humor. And I love how you quietly tolerate my own strange sense of humor. I just love being with you, and lately I am realizing how quickly it is coming to an end. The other day we were in the car and just laughing about something and I couldn’t help but think I needed to bottle up every minute of it because these moments of you being a teenager are slowly fading away. Being 16 will be one of the most memorable years of your life. It is such a “sweet” time filled with joy as you truly become an adult, and it is also a very trying time as you are putting away being a child. I hope that as you grow older, that our relationship will strengthen and grow into more of a friendship. You will never out grow your need for a mother, but it will look much different now. Please know that I am always here for you, and will always be a shoulder to cry on, a comfort when you are hurting, and will rejoice with you in your successes! I will be here to watch you fall in and out of love, and will pray fervently for the one whom God has chosen for you. I look forward to watching you fulfill your dreams, develop lifelong friends, finish your studies, begin your career and to finally have children of your own.

Happy Birthday my sweet little Punkin. You are loved beyond comprehension.

I la lu all to way to the moon, and back again. Love, Mom

Rock State Park Waterfall

2011-07-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Then and Now

2011-07-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Special friends are a treasure. A good lifelong friend is hard to find - but these two always pick right back up where they left off. Our two family's enjoy spending time together, and even vacationing together! We enjoy getting together to celebrate their birthdays that are a day apart - and mexican food at Chevy's has become a tradition whenever possible. They even shared a birthday party when they were turning four and five years old. (I'll have to dig up those pictures soon!) Happy Birthday to Kirsten and Alexander!!

(pardon the picture quality - point and shoot camera)

Hula Hoops

2011-07-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Cook Out

2011-07-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

"chargrilled jumbo marshmallow by the light of the moon"

Cooking Camp

2011-07-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

This week my Banana is enjoying a Cooking Camp at school with one of her favorite former teachers and lots of friends!! I can't wait for the recipe book at the end of the week!

Just Dance and Birthdays

2011-07-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

We spent plenty of time playing Just Dance on the Wii .....

(and showing off our muscles) :)

and giving horsey back rides.

We celebrated Alexander and Kirsten's birthday - which are both this week (sweet sixteen!!) at our favorite Mexican restaurant - Chevy's. We used to go there all the time when they lived here, and we have this same picture of them in these sombreros when they were little.

We watched the boys climb a rock wall.

and Miss Boo tried out the hat on a horse!

She's Driving!!

2011-07-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

My little bitty baby girl got her driver's permit today.

Ninja

2011-07-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

If you have never played the game Ninja - then you are missing out! This is a very simple game that just requires people and nothing else!

Boo getting her Ninja moves on!

Mainly you are just trying to hit your hand on someone elses hand - with a few more rules involved - but it is a super fun game!

Maddie took most of these pictures - I loved the perspective of this picture of our home.

The Martins

2011-07-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

We had such a great weekend! Our very good friends, the Martins came for a weekend visit. They lived here in Maryland when Banana and her youngest Noah were born. They now live in Ohio. Punkin and Alexander have been friends since they were four. They are so much alike and always pick right up where they left off. We get to see them about once a year. Punkin and Alexander share a birthday just one day apart!

We enjoyed some time at the Susequehanna State Park. This is an old mill that used to be in operation right along the river.

And we walked along the Promenade in Havre de Grace where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay.

Miss Boo loved having two big brothers around for a few days!