Homes Tour 10 years ago...

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Ten years ago, when Matt and I were newly married in our little cottage up the street and around the corner from where we live now, we were on the Homes Tour.

A little strange to think we're back here again.

Only we have two kids, and a lot more space, and a way bigger yard, and the whole thing feels like it's on steroids compared to what we did 10 years ago.

It's fun to see these photos again. I haven't seen them or looked at them in a really long time... brings back a million wonderful memories. I can only imagine that when we look back on this Homes Tour experience we will feel the same! 

(Once all the hard work is over - of course!)

A week and a half to go! 

Wish us luck... ready or not, here it comes!

Mister Buddy (A.K.A. Buddy Boy)...

Miss Lola (A.K.A. Lola Bug or Lolee)...

Miss Addie (a.k.a 'KAT')...

look whooo turned eight years old...

One of the happy things that happened while my computer was M.I.A. was that Miss Bella turned 8 years old.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking....
How can that possibly be???
Because my answer is.... I have NO idea.
How did my baby grow up before my very eyes?
How did my shy little girl grow to be so confident?
She is becoming a young lady.
She is smart, and funny, and witty, and likable.
She is creative, and friendly, and sassy, and sweet.
She is lovely, and beautiful, and kind.

We celebrated this year with an owl themed family style party, and then a sleepover with one of her best friends.
It was nice, simple, and easy this year.
It doesn't mean that turning 8 wasn't a big deal, because every year in my opinion is a BIG DEAL! A milestone. A year of memories never to happen again. I try hard to make birthdays special, because I think it's the one day a year that you get to be shown just how special you are!

Dear Bella, I hope you felt special!
I hope you know how loved you are!
I hope EIGHT turns out to be an awesome year!
Love you my sweet sunshine.


XO, Mama

I need to talk... is that okay???

I know that I promised that when I got my new computer that I would be doing so much more blogging, and here we are a week later, and nothing.

Sort of feeling like a total blogger failure. To be truthful I have been so busy every waking hour of the day, that when I do get a chance to stare at the screen of my computer it's usually in the hours I should be sleeping.

Okay, so that is enough excuses for one post, I'll just move on to tell you what's going on...

Work.
Home.
Kids off school and looking for summertime fun.
Yard Work.
Pets.
Friends.
Visiting Relatives.
All really good things.

#1. Work: We made it through Crazy Days (our annual summer sidewalk sale) that is literally CRAZY. Although, it wasn't as crazy this year. I am not sure if we are getting more organized, or if the economy may be a slight factor. Either way it went well, and we lived through it, and the girls had a great time with their babysitter for 3 days straight!

#2. Home: So we are beginning our count down to the homes tour that we are on July 30th... 17 days. Oh boy, there is a lot to do still. Although a lot has gotten done as well. Windows are getting painted and reglazed left and right. Screen doors and doors are getting fixed and painted. Next comes cleaning, cleaning,  and cleaning some more, and making this place look magazine like! :) NO PROBLEM! ;)

#3. Kids off school: Every year I am slightly nervous when school is over, because it's like, oh my gosh what am I going to do to keep these kids happy day and night week after week? Somehow it always works out, and somehow it always surprises me that I LOVE HAVING MY KIDS HOME for the Summer! They really are two of my favorite people. Despite the messes, occasional tantrums, and sisterly fighting, we have so much fun! We have been mostly just hanging out at home. We work in the garden together. There have been art projects, walks, and many trips to the library for books. Next Friday we will be meeting Matt's Mama half way to drop them off with her for 9 days so we can get all of our projects done. It will be nice to have them out of my hair while I get my projects done, but boy I'm gonna miss them. It's going to be WEIRD around here with only us old people and the animals!

#4. Yard Work: Well, we finally got our sprinkler system and irrigation system all in (around late May). Then began the quest to get the grass to grow back over all the trenches, and bald spots, and weeds, etc. All the flower beds are planted, and the four garden boxes are stuffed full of veggies and berries. Trying to keep up with the outside, the inside, and the kids, is keeping me really busy - but, I love it!

#5. Pets: Addiekat our oldest pet, wasn't looking so good about a month ago, in fact we weren't sure if she was going to make it. She had lost tons of weight (we weren't sure why) and was very lethargic. We were pretty much told that at 13 years old we could do testing on her, but there really wasn't a whole lot of point to it... So, we switched her food in a last ditch effort, and it seems to be working! We are so glad. Emma and Lola the doggies are loving laying on the patio in the sunshine daily. Buddy the young cat, is showing to be quite the outdoorsman, he likes to kill birds and mice, then bring us his catch to show off. THANK YOU Buddy! Just want I always wanted a dead bird at my feet! :) At least we won't have rodents!

#6. Friends: We have had a few opportunities to visit and have a few BBQ's with friends this summer which has been a nice break from the to-do lists. Looking forward to MORE of that... SOON. Play dates by the pool wound be good!

#7. Relatives: We had a quick visit from my Brother in June. It's always so good to see him, and the girls adore their Uncle Ansen! He has no kids so he loves to play with them and seems to have never ending patience, which may be why they adore him so much! We also got to visit with my Aunt Lee over the fourth of July. SOOOO good to see her. She hasn't been to Oregon for a visit since Matt and my wedding almost 11 years ago. She hadn't even met my girls before (except for photos) so it was fun to see them get to know one another! My mama was in heaven having her sis-in law around to hang with, and it gave us all a great excuse to have a few BBQ's in her honor. It was a great visit!

All of that = a whole lot of busy go go going and do do doing, but it's all really great! Have to admit, that I am looking forward to homes tour being over so we can do a few other things except for projects, however at the same time, it is so nice having these projects that have been looming over our heads getting done! It's going to be very fun! I am looking forward to sharing all the stuff we've done around here in the last 6 1/2 years!

Well, that about catches you up on all of our happenings...!
Can I ask you something... and please answer or I will feel super lame, what would you like to have me tell you about on here??? Any ideas I need some creative ideas to get me out of my blogging slump!

a good surprise...

I came home after a rousing morning of running errands with the kiddos, to feed them lunch, and Matt was home with a wonderful surprise. My new computer!!! LOVE.

After two attempts to buy a Mac on EBay... and both attempts being fraudulent, he did what I should have done 3 long weeks ago. He went to the Mac store and bought one!

I think I'm in love.
Sorry honey, I'm in love with you too, but this new guy Mac is pretty amazing.
Oh Lordy Be, I think I'm in heaven.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to use this thing! ;)

Thank you Matt, I think you may have given me back part of my sanity! I love you.

Are you a Mac or a PC?

absent...

Hi friends.
I'm sorry for my absence lately... my computer went KAPUT on me about two weeks ago, and I'm waiting on my new one to arrive. (any day I hope!)

I'm at work as I type this, which means, I really should get to doing something other than blog, so this will be short and sweet.

Just wanted to let you know, I'm alive still.
I miss blogging.
I have a bunch of photos and stuff to show you all.
Being without my computer sort of feels like missing my right hand. (OK maybe that's a bit dramatic)
I'll be back soon!

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of summer as much as I am!

it's a home not a house...

Getting ready to put our house on the historical homes tour this summer (the end of July to be exact) is making me feel the pressure for my home to be a perfect house... but it's not because there are 4 people, 2 doggies, and 2 kitties who live their life fully underneath it's roof.

It would be super easy for me to get overwhelmed by making everything perfect for the big day. Instead I keep repeating this sentence over and over to myself as I have those kind of feelings creep in... 'it's a home not a house'.

It's a place where the dogs have scratched claw marks into all the doors.
It's a place where the young cat has eaten his way into all the new screening on the doors.
It's a place where there a smudgy little finger prints on walls and windows.
It's a place where cob webs often live.
It's a place where new grass is struggling to grow.
It's a place where there are weeds in the garden.
It's a place where kids play.
It's a place where food gets spilled.
It's a place where the laundry is never all done.
It's a place where there isn't possibly enough time in a day to get it all done.

But...
it's also a place where...





So, while I really do want everything to look amazing on show day...
I also never want to lose sight that our house is not just a house, it's a home!

HE HAS IT COVERED...

This week was a doozie friends!
Whoa boy.

There were times during this week I just had to call out to Jesus and say, 'how much more lord?'

I had to have some pretty significant, pretty serious medical tests done this last week and a half, and there was a chance, actually a pretty good chance, that the out come wasn't going to be a good one.

Besides the fact that I had to go 36 hours without food this week, and drink 4 liters of the worst tasting drink I had ever drank, I also had to deal with my emotions, of what if...

Most of the time the 'what ifs' in life get us, don't they???
The theme running through me this whole week, as I dealt with these tests, and the unknown, feeling terrible health wise, dealing with a very sick almost 8 year old, a struggling shop, and a hard work situation for my hubby, was the word TRUST.

God was asking me to TRUST that HE had me covered.
So, I did.
This advice I had been given once a long time ago kept repeating over, and over in my head all week long, and it kept me calm and still.

The advice was this: When we worry, and take our burdens on to ourselves, we are telling God to his face that we don't TRUST him.

I went forward into my week with blind TRUST that HE had me covered...
and HE DID!

I got my test results back, and every single bad possibility has been ruled out.

HE HAD ME COVERED...

Bella is feeling better, and was so well taken care of by my Mom and Matt when I couldn't be the mama I would have liked to have been while she was sick.

HE HAD ME COVERED...

After a very slow last two weeks at the store, he provided an amazing sales day yesterday that perfectly covered the exact amount we needed to pay our large payments/bills that were due.

HE HAD IT COVERED...

Matt has some change on the horizon.
Whatever it brings, it will be GREAT.

HE HAS IT COVERED...

If we walk through life, TRUSTING that HE HAS US COVERED, think of all the worry we would save ourselves...
He has a plan for our lives.
He just wants us to trust HIM.

HE HAS YOU COVERED TOO...trust him!

mama, I wish I had a time machine...

the other day Bella and I were talking, and she said out of the blue 'mama, I wish I had a time machine...' - I said 'oh, yeah, why?' and she replied simply, 'because I would turn my Buddy back into this...'



'He was so cute, and little mama, don't you remember?'- 'I loved when he was a baby...'

...I'll I could say in response, was, 'sometimes I wish I had a time machine too!'



...and then I said 'time goes by too fast sometimes, that's why we have to enjoy every minute of life while it's happening, because it will never happen again quite the same!'

busy, but beautiful...

Hello, this is just a little note to all of you out there still checking into this little old blog of mine. I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting much. I wish I was super clever, and had tons of free time so that I could be a blogger who wrote and shared photos everyday. But, the truth is... my life has been seriously busy lately. In a good way. In a life is really beautiful, but busy kind of way.

Some of the things that we've (I've) been up too...


I may have kind of said yes, when asked for the 954Th time if we would agree to put our house on the summer historical tour... which has now lead us into a frenzy of projects, and gardening, and list doing. But, I am convinced that this is going to be a great thing! (Once we get it all done, and we can stand back and enjoy the fruits of all of our hard work!)

Part of the project list is (was) to replace the irrigation system in our yard. We can't afford to higher it out, so that left it up to us (Matt) to do. Have any of you out there put in your own irrigation system??? Holy cow, it's A LOT of work... and it is MAJORLY messy. Can you say MUD??? Two dogs, two kids, an outdoor cat and MUD don't make for the best combination, just an FYI in case you were wondering! :)

I've also been doing tons of sewing on our rainy days... I'm making tons of cushions for the out door furniture. I've been thrifting all Winter/Spring for vintage fabrics, and tea towels to turn into pillows. So, now, I'm a busy bee sewing away!

On top of all the home projects I've also been working on lots of fun new things for the shop, like our first ever look book, a website, (do you know any great web site designers that don't charge an arm and a leg??????) an online shop, and at the same time we're still keeping up with the day in day out 'stuff' of running a shop. You know, selling, displaying, unpacking, pricing, buying, planning, the list goes on and on...

Today was Meritt's last day of school. Not quite sure how I feel about this. I have to admit it was glorious having 3 mornings a week kid free. I will miss the quiet, but I am looking forward to having my kiddos home for the summer! Bella still has 3 weeks to go, she doesn't think it's very fare that preschool gets out so early! (oh well, life's not fare!)

Last weekend, my mom and I tackled the yard. We got a lot done, especially when we hauled the guys into join our work team! We got a lot planted, and also got our four garden boxes tilled and new dirt put in... SO, this weekend, we are planting the garden! Yay... I am very excited. (I promise, I will post photos soon!)

I've got a LONG list of to-do's and want-to's on this weekend's itinerary, so I hope we got a lot done, and have fun along the way! Life is busy, but it sure is beautiful!!!

I hope whatever you are doing this weekend, you enjoy it, and savor every drop!

a new hobby...

About three weeks ago, Bella and I started taking crochet classes. I thought it would be a fun, calming, special thing that her and I could do together. Something that we could carve timeout of our week just to do her and I.

I am so glad I made the decision to do this with her!

We look forward to it every week. We practice together, and now have this 'thing' that is just between her and I. I felt she was desperately looking for me to give her some attention that was just hers. Something that didn't include her sister, or her dad, or anyone else.

We are both pretty creative, and we love to be crafty, so it was a perfect fit for us! Now we're learning all kinds of things, and there are SO MANY things I'd like to learn how to make!

The picture above is just a small collage of a few of the crocheted goodies I'd like to learn how to make one day! Isn't the wreath adorable?!!

So many things I'd like to make and do, yet so little time!

real life romance...

After the day I had, this just strikes me as beautiful, and I needed to share it... Go Here and read this story about what real romance consists of, and let me know what you think! I loved it! When I read Greta's story over on faith blogs, I had an ah ha moment I think. Like... YES! I feel like this too... this is what real life romance is. Why do I always think that real life romance is what you see in the movies, or read in a romantic novel?

Anyway let me know what you think!
I love fellow faith bloggers!

too much information...

I am feeling chatty...
There is no one around to chat with, so i will chat with you!
Lucky YOU! ;)
Thought maybe i would admit... i mean share some things...
Don't you love when you read someones blog and they become totally human to you?
I do.

So here goes:

I am addicted to...
black iced tea (even though I'm not supposed to drink it)
jeans (i have enough jeans to clothe South America)
reading my favorite blogs (yet I am bad at commenting - trying to get better!)
Pintrest (have you heard of this? google it... you'll be addicted too!)
Thrifting (my request for my birthday was to thrift all day... and we did!)
Burgerville (it's my favorite, it's also the reason I have muffin top!)

Things that happen everyday of my life...
My hubs brings me coffee in bed, before I do anything else. (spoiled huh?)
Take a bath (I can't recall the last time I took a shower, is that weird?)
I pick up or clean up someones poop, pee, or barf (yeah for me!)
laundry, dishes, and cleaning up (if I'm ever wealthy I want a maid!)
i listen to music loudly (Meritt is so addicted to loud music by now, she's always saying upper mama, upper! - does that make me a bad mother?)
i pray (prayer keeps me sain, and grounded, and feeling like I can get through the day!)
I text my hubby, an i love you, or he texts me one! (romantic?)
I dance with my kids in the kitchen (don't be jealous - you know you like to dance in the kitchen ;)!)

Things I dislike:
Corn dogs (due to an unfortunate incidence when I was four, involving a Farris wheel, and a young man who ate way too many corn dogs)
Talking on the phone (I don't know why, I just don't like it...)
Rough feet...
Stinky people...
Lola's bad gas...
having to pick up someone Else's poop, pee, or barf on a daily basis...
Bella's mood swings...
Meritt's inability to listen...
my crooked teeth...
the fact that I have muffin top...
the fact that you can't loose weight while having a love affair with cheeseburgers, french fries, fry sauce, and strawberry shortcakes...
grumpy, rude, or vulgar people...
the mud outside my house, it's everywhere... (ugghh.)


Things I love...
black iced tea...
peppermint lip balm...
getting hugs and kisses...
back rubs, foot rubs, any kind of loves I can get!...
beautiful quotes...
owls...
birds...
old quilts...
vintage...
music, oh i love music!...
and of course... (these should go without saying, but...)
my God...
my family...
my pets...
my home...

What do you think??? Too much information?:)