What?????

Yesterday was Gavin's Day.

This is the day that we go to cemetary, send up balloons,

and feed the ducks.

As everyone knows you can't combine three girls, a gaggle of geese and a herd of ducks(probably not called a herd but you get the picture) without entertainment. Miss Paige was ours...

And that's when it happened.....

the world went a little topsy turvy....

maybe we fell through the rabbit hole...

well we saw this...

and this

and this!

We saw them and decided to call them Gurkeys or maybe it was Truckeys. Sydney and Kate got into the car because they were afraid of being attacked, while Paige chased them around. Obviously a Guck(last year's discovery) and a Turkey got bored, and well.....Hope you enjoy!

P.S. They sound like a Goose and bob their heads like a Turkey, they are so confused!

Swedish Roll-up Blinds

I made these blinds....

from this book,

which I highly recommend and someday I might even own. Right now I am perpetually renewing this from our local library. She has great projects, photos, instructions and sketches to illustrate all of the steps. I work best off of pictures so this book is fabulous.Mine are made out of raised Swiss Dot on the inside white cotton and blue ticking on the outside.

They turned out great...I love them. I keep pointing out to John that I did indeed make these. I think if I keep saying this he might wish that I had, you know a "real job". Still need to get window cleats to hold the strings...John won't use them yet. He doesn't want to undo all of the double loop de loops, that I use to keep the blinds from dropping. Poor guy, it only took me three weeks to finally hang the blinds.

How long do you think I can hold of on the cleats?

Busy, busy me.....

Baby blankets and Burp towels. Made for baby Lilje with lots of love. We are so excited for Eric and Bekah. Did I mention that future dad's favorite holiday is Halloween. The baby is due the November 8th. Here's praying for a Halloween Birthday.

I've been finishing up a lot of projects. This is an apron that I started for Sydney in November. At least she still wants it!

I made this head band with fabric left over from another apron that I prepared as an example in church. Oh yeah, if you don't own a head like this I recommend it highly. The perfect conversation piece, amazingly quiet, and a very still model for hats and head bans. Have fun!

Living Room(Before)

I feel a little frustrated that I didn't get my before photo with the couches still in the room.

Wednesday night John and I carried the both old faithful sofas to the curb. Kate wanted to know "Why didn't you find someone to give the couches too? You know "recycle" them mom." Okay sounds great but who do I know who needs a couch? Plus I already scheduled the extra garbage pick up for the next day. While I was running Kate and her buddy Anna to church my neighbor called and asked if I would mind letting someone have the love seat? Of course! Now at least Kate would leave me alone on the "recycling".

This left us with a large empty living room. I got to sweep, vacuum, scrub and polish the floor Thursday night to prepare for the impending arrival of our "new" sofa. Also painted the white walls shown with Cornmeal paint by Behr. My kids thought that living with just chairs and old couch cushions for two days was FUN. While doing all this I finally watched "the Holiday". It only took me borrowing Laura's DVD for seven months. Fun, cute and enjoyable chick flick. Even better with only one kid home.

This last photo is of the border in my Kitchen. Back in the days before Kate. I took three days and painstakingly cut a template and hand painted these fruits and veggies on the wall. Kate and Syd are a little miffed that I am painting over them. But I am READY for some change. Thirteen years is a long time to look at the same fruit every day. But I promised a picture for posterity's sake and here it is.

Tru Wuv

And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva... So tweasure your wuv.

I have a new LOVE! Move over John Rapp. I have discovered Gorilla Glue. It's strong, it's tough and I can fix almost anything. The first time I used it was in May while fixing a prop for "Oliver" I thought it was pretty cool. I loved that it expanded while drying. Then I took my little bottle home and set it on a shelf. While making improvements to our home I remembered that I had a bottle. Bonus was that I even remembered where I left it.

Over the past week I have...
fixed the computer chair
fixed the little rocking chair

fixed the legs on our piano bench
glued tiles back up in my bathroom
fixed the computer cabinet in the living room

I'm sure there are more examples,

I just can't remember them right now.

One work of caution...I did get it on my fingers. No surprise to anyone who knows me. But I immediately scrubbed and scrubbed this miraculously sticky stuff off. Then I used baby powder to absorb the rest of the stickiness. I am very careful to keep this product up high since I can imagine that Paige, a cat, or dog wouldn't do very well if the glue was swallowed(glue continues expanding when wet so think about those stomach complications.) Okay so the glue doesn't really replace you John but I made you laugh.

Qoute of the month from July

This was the qoute that I had up for most of June and July. I included it as a post so that I don't forget it.


Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. ~C.S.Lewis

What I've been up to...

So I have been busy taking care of lots of projects. I decided I wanted, no, needed a change in our home. After getting John on board with "my plan" he had two stipulations 1. that we have to use what we have. and 2. That we get it done while John is out of school during August. So we got to work. So far I have been painting and painting and I still have more painting to do. I've always wanted to play interior decorator.

This is our Bedroom. Four years ago I painted one and a half of the walls the blue brushed technique....then I stopped...I was depressed...I was tired...I got a job...left my fun job....opened our own store...got pregnant with Miss Paige...ran a store...closed a store...and now I've started again. I love blue, at least that hasn't changed and went with one focal wall brushed with three colors and the other three walls a light blue called "Summer Breeze". Extra paint from Skrappaper. All blues American Traditions Lowes. Also I can officially say the "cutting in" is not my favorite. Alas where is Melly when I need her? She has serious painting skills.

New Chairs for kitchen. My mother gave them to me plain without seats and I've had them in the garage for at least four years! Adam made the seats out of particle board about two years ago. When I told John about "my plan". He reminded me that I have had the fabric out in the garage for these chairs for at least three years. YAY ME! I bought foam for the cushions....and Viola! It only took me four years to get them finished. There is hope for me yet!

Paint in the living room and kitchen are the same colors since the rooms feel better coordinated. On the front door and chairs "Guacamole", on the wall "Lettuce Alone." (Menards Behr Paints) I will post more pictures as soon as I accomplish more. Paint provided in exchange for babysitting my nieces over the winter. My sister Laura knows the way to my heart.