Showing posts with label There's no place like home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label There's no place like home. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Day 14: Your dream house
Honestly, I feel like the luckiest girl because I am seriously in my dream house. There's nothing I want to change (except maybe the power bill and the currently leaking shower). I am in love with my house!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Food storage awesomeness!
Our project of the weekend! New food storage shelves and the rearranging/organizing of our food! I'll have to take more pictures later because you can't see everything from here. Love it though!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Nanny's 90th!
My grandmother, or Nanny as I call her, celebrated her 90th birthday on Thanksgiving! Straight Arrow and I were lucky enough to be able to host our family in our home and help throw her birthday bash! I was able to take some pictures of each family with her so that my cousin could make her a photo book for Christmas. It was a great day! I hope I'm as half as spry as she is when I'm 90!
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| 90-year old Nanny jamming to Elvis |
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| beautiful cake made by my cousin Emily |
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| our family...minus a few |
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| THE birthday girl! |
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| My family |
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Fort: the finished product.
You may remember the indoor sandbox that we put in our basement last fall....
Grandpa's new fort played right in with the sandbox. Take a look. It's complete with:
Grandpa's new fort played right in with the sandbox. Take a look. It's complete with:
- A 4-foot raised "fort" with Plasma car parking underneath
- A climbing ladder
- A bench perfect for tea parties and picnics
- A steering wheel made just for pirates
- A fireman's pole for exiting
- A slide into the sand
- Monkey bars
- A trapeze bar
- Bucket and pulley
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| the full fort with plasma car parking underneath |
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| picnic bench |
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| steering wheel |
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| slide and fireman's pole into the sand...bucket in the background |
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| bucket with pulley |
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| monkey bars across the sandbox |
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| trapeze bar over the sand |
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A little boy's piece of paradise.
While we are in love with our house and the amount of land that we have, our yard has left some to be desired. There's no flat area to kick a ball around, our "grass" is weeds, and we had this as our side yard...the forest.
Through a series of amazingly unprofessional and unreliable landscapers, it has now taken us nearly a year and a half to find someone reliable enough to clear our forest so that we could start on our yard! But, it finally happened and over the course of two days, my two boys were in little boy heaven! We set up shop on our deck with our camping chairs and just watched as our new yard was created. It was so cool to watch!
When the workers were finished, they left their equipment at our house overnight and gave the kids permission to climb up and sit inside (just no turning it on!)
Through a series of amazingly unprofessional and unreliable landscapers, it has now taken us nearly a year and a half to find someone reliable enough to clear our forest so that we could start on our yard! But, it finally happened and over the course of two days, my two boys were in little boy heaven! We set up shop on our deck with our camping chairs and just watched as our new yard was created. It was so cool to watch!
When the workers were finished, they left their equipment at our house overnight and gave the kids permission to climb up and sit inside (just no turning it on!)
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| our "new" yard....soon to have real grass on it! |
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Firepit!
We've talked about getting a firepit for our backyard since we moved into our house. But before we had our yard cleared, there just wasn't an ideal place for it. But...now there is! We broke it in with giant-marshmallow ooey-gooey S'mores, of course! So much fun and we can't wait to use it more!
As you can see, it looks like more marshmallow may have ended up on hands than in tummies.
As you can see, it looks like more marshmallow may have ended up on hands than in tummies.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Fort-Building.
When we visited Utah back in June, Grandpa had a surprise to show them in his basement. The surprise: a wooden-treehouse-fort-thing complete with climbing wall, hideout area, fireman's pole, swings, a bucket with pulley, and a swinging bridge. They were in love and immediately asked him to build them one in North Carolina!
So, Grandpa flew from Utah to North Carolina and did just that. Despite getting injured on his first day here by a playful kick in the leg that somehow caused his entire leg to bruise from hip to toe, he lived up to what he told his grandkids. He built them a fort. And they "helped" a little...which mainly consisted of going to Lowe's Home Improvement about 5 times and watching movies on his laptop while "helping".
The finished product is quite a sight and SO much fun! Thank you Grandpa...we love it!
So, Grandpa flew from Utah to North Carolina and did just that. Despite getting injured on his first day here by a playful kick in the leg that somehow caused his entire leg to bruise from hip to toe, he lived up to what he told his grandkids. He built them a fort. And they "helped" a little...which mainly consisted of going to Lowe's Home Improvement about 5 times and watching movies on his laptop while "helping".
The finished product is quite a sight and SO much fun! Thank you Grandpa...we love it!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Feeling like Homeowners.
Everyone always says that once you own a house, everything falls apart. Every little (and big!) expense just seem to keep piling in one after another. And while we feel so grateful that we have an income to support our home, things do just keep breaking.
Like I wrote about a few weeks ago, we paid a hefty sum to have some trees taken down. Mind you, those were the most important trees that were making threats to our home. There were others that will come down at a later time. Not a week after we had those trees cut, I noticed that a huge pine tree out in the forest had been totally uprooted and fallen over during a rain storm. It hadn't fallen all the way to the ground and was resting on another pine close to our home. If the big pine pushed the little pine over, it would indeed fall on our house. So! Straight Arrow decided to go on a little chainsawing adventure with my dad.
Out they went to buy a new chainsaw and tromped up the snowy hill with their new, orange baby (happy Valentines Day, baby!).
After a few minutes, I didn't hear the buzz of the saw anymore and looked out the window to see what was going on. I saw this stuck underneath that large pine. (Note the 120○ angle on the blade there....yeahhh, it's not supposed to look like that.)
Ode of Lowes Home Improvement who did a straight out exchange for this chainsaw despite 100%-fault-on-us. We only had to buy one chainsaw that day: thankfully a $250 homeowner project instead of double.
Like I wrote about a few weeks ago, we paid a hefty sum to have some trees taken down. Mind you, those were the most important trees that were making threats to our home. There were others that will come down at a later time. Not a week after we had those trees cut, I noticed that a huge pine tree out in the forest had been totally uprooted and fallen over during a rain storm. It hadn't fallen all the way to the ground and was resting on another pine close to our home. If the big pine pushed the little pine over, it would indeed fall on our house. So! Straight Arrow decided to go on a little chainsawing adventure with my dad.
Out they went to buy a new chainsaw and tromped up the snowy hill with their new, orange baby (happy Valentines Day, baby!).
After a few minutes, I didn't hear the buzz of the saw anymore and looked out the window to see what was going on. I saw this stuck underneath that large pine. (Note the 120○ angle on the blade there....yeahhh, it's not supposed to look like that.)
Ode of Lowes Home Improvement who did a straight out exchange for this chainsaw despite 100%-fault-on-us. We only had to buy one chainsaw that day: thankfully a $250 homeowner project instead of double.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Take heart.
It pained me to take down my Christmas wreath. But alas, I couldn't pull it off any longer. And I went on a search for the perfect replacement.
Be still, my little heart......
A ruffled.heart.wreath on my royal blue, faux-stained-glass door!
Tutorial found HERE on Little Birdie Secrets
And one bit of advice. Skip everywhere else and go to Joann's fabrics for the wreathform.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Pushing into Spring...
In the dead of January's antics, a little color poking through the soil brightens the bone-chilled soul.
What should have bloomed by Christmas had stunted growth and is now showing it's beauty at a more appreciated time. Come on, Spring!
Monday, January 25, 2010
A Preview...Finally!
I've been asked by a few friends to show off my living room. And I kept meaning to. But first, of course, there's a little story behind it.
A few years ago while we were livin' up the student life, I read a parenting book called "The Parenting Breakthrough" that ultimately became one of my faves. Somewhere within, there's a passage that simply describes the author's own home and conversation piece found within. When I read it, I pictured it in my mind's eye and that picture has stuck ever since. I've wanted this in my home for years.
On a date with my lover boy a couple of years ago, we ran across this print of "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo. I snatched it up and have held onto it ever since, just waiting for the right time to put it up. I LOVE this piece of art. God's right arm is outstretched to impart the spark of life from his own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God's, a reminder that man is created in the image and likeness of God (Wikipedia).
Placed around Michelangelo's famous piece are my own creations. Photographed creations of my family creating. With. Their. Hands. Building with blocks. Exploring a train. Creating music. Holding tight in the backstroke. Bending wires; straightening teeth. T-Ball. I Love Yous. Striking keys in the right key. Choosing the Right. Exploring nature. Reading the written word. Interlocking fingers. All. With. Their. Hands.
Then, in the October 2008 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave one of the most amazing talks for ME that just really spoke to me deeply. "Happiness, Your Heritage" didn't teach necessarily teach me something I didn't already know, but the Spirit that I felt that night while I watched him speak just made such an impression on me. It was undeniable that God loves each of us and "Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness." But the most memorable part of his talk came to me when he said this: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before." When I heard this, my whole vision for my photo collage was complete.
...and now I've finally created it. I so love it!
A few years ago while we were livin' up the student life, I read a parenting book called "The Parenting Breakthrough" that ultimately became one of my faves. Somewhere within, there's a passage that simply describes the author's own home and conversation piece found within. When I read it, I pictured it in my mind's eye and that picture has stuck ever since. I've wanted this in my home for years.
On a date with my lover boy a couple of years ago, we ran across this print of "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo. I snatched it up and have held onto it ever since, just waiting for the right time to put it up. I LOVE this piece of art. God's right arm is outstretched to impart the spark of life from his own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God's, a reminder that man is created in the image and likeness of God (Wikipedia).
Placed around Michelangelo's famous piece are my own creations. Photographed creations of my family creating. With. Their. Hands. Building with blocks. Exploring a train. Creating music. Holding tight in the backstroke. Bending wires; straightening teeth. T-Ball. I Love Yous. Striking keys in the right key. Choosing the Right. Exploring nature. Reading the written word. Interlocking fingers. All. With. Their. Hands.
Then, in the October 2008 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave one of the most amazing talks for ME that just really spoke to me deeply. "Happiness, Your Heritage" didn't teach necessarily teach me something I didn't already know, but the Spirit that I felt that night while I watched him speak just made such an impression on me. It was undeniable that God loves each of us and "Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness." But the most memorable part of his talk came to me when he said this: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before." When I heard this, my whole vision for my photo collage was complete.
...and now I've finally created it. I so love it!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Dear Grandpa and Grandma:
When we pulled it from the mailbox and opened your Christmas envelope, we were thankful for your generosity and knew what we wanted to buy for our family from you. Since you're far away and can't be present for the action, we thought we'd share with you some action shots instead. THANK YOU!
Plasma Cars: We've had so much fun with these! Our unfinished basement is the perfect surface for the cars. We've set up race courses and raced each other time and time again. They are so much fun!
Wii: Everyone knows what a Wii is; no explanation required here. As a side note, I am whole-heartedly against video games. It took lots of convincing from Straight Arrow for me to agree to this, but I will have to say that our family has really enjoyed it. I definitely feel the need to limit it's use, but when we use it as a family to bowl or use the Wii Fit, it's interactive enough that I don't feel like we're just excising our thumbs while our minds rot in front of the television. :)
throwing the ball in bowling
Roundabout taking her turn with a cheer squad on the other side
the two kids have the knack for STRIKES!
Green Light always throws in a little hop on his throw
The typical score: Roundabout blows us out of the water, Green Light,
Straight Arrow (how do you like the bald Mii?), and me (I got my highest score!)
Plasma Cars: We've had so much fun with these! Our unfinished basement is the perfect surface for the cars. We've set up race courses and raced each other time and time again. They are so much fun!
From their own website, "It's like magic, but you don't need to be a magician to get it to work. The PlasmaCar is a mechanical marvel that makes use of that most inexhaustible of energy sources, kid-power, by harnessing the natural forces of inertia, centrifugal force, gravity, and friction. It's so easy to operate; all it needs is a driver and a smooth, flat surface.
The PlasmaCar is adult-friendly, too. For starters, it doesn't require an expensive power source that needs constant replacement. No batteries, no power-cells, no liquid fuel-just the occasional cookie or two. It's quiet too-the only sound you'll hear is the sound of its wheels. It provides kids with plenty of exercise, more so than most toys. And the PlasmaCar is engineered to be absolutely safe when used appropriately."
racin'
around the pins and back
even the big guy and the littlest guy can ride together
and they're off!
smiles!
The PlasmaCar is adult-friendly, too. For starters, it doesn't require an expensive power source that needs constant replacement. No batteries, no power-cells, no liquid fuel-just the occasional cookie or two. It's quiet too-the only sound you'll hear is the sound of its wheels. It provides kids with plenty of exercise, more so than most toys. And the PlasmaCar is engineered to be absolutely safe when used appropriately."
racin'
around the pins and back
even the big guy and the littlest guy can ride together
and they're off!
smiles!Wii: Everyone knows what a Wii is; no explanation required here. As a side note, I am whole-heartedly against video games. It took lots of convincing from Straight Arrow for me to agree to this, but I will have to say that our family has really enjoyed it. I definitely feel the need to limit it's use, but when we use it as a family to bowl or use the Wii Fit, it's interactive enough that I don't feel like we're just excising our thumbs while our minds rot in front of the television. :)
throwing the ball in bowling
Roundabout taking her turn with a cheer squad on the other side
the two kids have the knack for STRIKES!
Green Light always throws in a little hop on his throw
The typical score: Roundabout blows us out of the water, Green Light,Straight Arrow (how do you like the bald Mii?), and me (I got my highest score!)
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