Pink Ladies!

Halloween 2010. Grace & Sophie....Pink Ladies.

Believe it or not, due to our camera being "in use" by our church's Fall Festival booth, this was the only Halloween shot I got. Thank goodness it was a cute one! (Note to self....take a back up camera to capture the memories!)

Demolition Day 1

I totally expect to gain a few pounds during this phase. Our kitchen went bye-bye in a matter of minutes, so McD's it was tonight. Ugh....Sophie loved it, at least.

The boys were hard at work....tearing down the dividing wall, lovely fruit border, low hanging shelves......all nice 70's stuff that needs an introduction to the new century! On tap, we've got open shelves, beadboard, and hand-scraped wood floors coming.....I'm SO ready to see that day!

The Great Barrier Wall....Coming Down!

Thar she goes....

End of Day 1. Sigh.
I'm already SO over the dust.

Shoreline Transforming....

This was Shoreline Drive when we bought it. (I wish we would have taken pictures of what it looked like BEFORE we cleared the yard of years of overgrowth....)

Now....after a new roof, paint, shutters....it's starting to look like ours........

I think the color works so much better! I can't wait to attack and update the doors and windows....then landscaping.....sigh. Doesn't the list grow long?

However, before we attack anymore of the outside, it's time to start on the inside.

Demolition of the 1970's kitchen starts tomorrow!

What a Way To End It!

It was SUCH a good weekend. Busy but good. The new roof was going on (pics to come later!), we were on time for church, a nice steak for Saturday dinner, spent time out in the country communing with the cows, made some delicious caramel apples, blew some bubbles......

THEN THIS. ......ALL cars out in the yard, not under the carport.....and then it hit. Hail the size of golfballs. Pounding away on the metal roof......covering the yard.....and denting every vehicle in sight. My daughter is still traumatized because the hail hit right as she was naked, stepping out of the bathtub. She'll never forgive me for forcing her to put her clothes on while hauling booty to the hallway for protection! Eeeekkk.......I like a good storm, but this was enough.

Insurance adjuster, here I come!

Hail in our hands!

Hail in the yard

Hail on my car

Pepper Rally

Grace and Her Buddies....All Boys

Pepper Rally - as she calls it. Add that in with her recent rendition of an American classic "Jose Can You See" and I'm sort of scratching my head wondering what kind of language they're teaching in First Grade!

Pep rallys used to be so much fun. I remember not being able to wait until last period....being nervous about the cheer we just learned....trying to position myself right in front of that cute guy.....and hitting up the Dixie Maid for a treat afterwards. Those were the days.

I'm not exactly sure if pep rallys are such the big deal anymore. They are still fun to watch ....cheerleaders can do WAY more stunts and flips these days (darn it...my cartwheel/roundoff combo would not make the cut anymore!) and the band still can make you start movin' and groovin'.

But I wonder if the students these days are still into that spirit stuff. I should ask my hubs, since he's got his thumb on them from 8-3 each day. Anyhoo, I know one little lady who loves them. That's Miss Grace. Those pepper rally's are way cool.

Thankful Today

for....
1) playing tag with Grace and Sophie on a cool, windy afternoon

2) apologies and forgiveness

3) having 18 really sharp students

4) having stickers to pick out of tiny feet

5) homemade pizza and kiddos enjoying eating it

6) a call from my hubby saying he's headed home

7) for wrestling with God...knowing He'll win.

What are you thankful for today?

60 And Counting

I've often wanted to find a sleepy, tiny town that reminded me of Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls, anyone?) The kind of community where everyone knows everyone's bid-ness.....you can walk over to a neighbor's house for a cup of sugar and conversation....the town square was the thriving, central marketplace.

Little did I know it was right around our corner of East Texas! Welcome to Edom, Texas, home of aspiring or retired artists and cute little restaurants such as this bakery below (which happened to be the locale of my favorite father-in-law's 60th birthday dinner!)

We had a great time and sweetly roasted a wonderful man who has blessed so many. And, of course, I got to dream about cute little cottages, town squares, and bakeries such as this.....

SO cute!

Of course, the patrons got a little crazy....

With My Cute Hubs

It was a sweet evening. Now I'm ready to take some cooking lessons!

C-C-C-Concrete!

Since Boog and I are terrible at sitting, we decided the weather was right....it was time to tackle some remodel. Of course, we started with a big ticket - concrete. You might as well start off with a bang, right?

The first item was to tear out a rubbly area in our front driveway to make room for a smooth entrance.

The Freshly Minted Driveway

Then, due to our last remodel, our back sidewalk has been missing. We've been sidestepping to our backdoor for the past six months. We decided to fix that with flagstone.

The Base Layer of What Else? Concrete.

A Layer of Flagstone (landscaping to come later!)

And up next? Painting the brick. See the patch below? It was inspired by this picture of a very real house.....

This picture....I think it sort of looks like our house and I really dig the color scheme. I hope it looks good!

Last, comes a new roof. Then, with landscaping, I think the outside will be mostly finished! Then......the inside.

Like I said - we can't sit still long.

A Weekend Gone

Sometimes as a momma, you just have to be gone. Sometimes it's tough to leave. Other times - like this one - it's pretty easy (hey...I was spending a weekend with my HS besties....eating good food....chatting all night....y'know, the stuff that makes you act like the age you actually feel like inside!)

But that doesn't mean I didn't miss my girls bunches. I did. This little tot below got to spend all weekend by herself with her daddy. The older one was at Six Flags with her cousins. I was so happy to pull into the driveway and see ....

this smile

My Girls.

(Notice....Sophie's New Cheese for the Camera)

I came back refreshed with a new sense of thanks for my family and the blessings of my marriage and friends - new and old. I think every mom needs a getaway now and then, just for the rejuvenation of her spirit!

And I also came back to very fall-ish weather...... I'm not quite ready for it. I've got to get the girls some long sleeve shirts and such.
But I'm so glad it's here.

Happy Fall Ya'll!