white, aqua, red, fushia, yellow

I'm craving white and bright colors today. I'm sure it's being cooped up in the house and not running free outside. But our main floor has gotten a little, shall we say... brown. Brown walls, brown cabinets, brown floors, brown counter tops... you get the idea. I'm not sure how it happened, it's all the base pieces. The stuff that's hard to replace and costs money. So now I'm going through the house and pulling all my white, glass and silver pieces to place around the first floor. It is already looking cheery!

The project I really want to tackle is the basement. Painting furniture, bright fun vintage accessories. That's where I feel like my true style is going to come out. Kind of an electic beachhouse. Comfy furniture, whites with bright colors, distressed tables... you get the idea. I'm really itching to get down there and make changes. But there's this little problem. We need walls. ha ha ha! It's coming along tho. I have furniture pieces in place and soon as spring hits I'm dragging them outside to get a thorough spray painting (that is a verb now!). The main floor is more formal, but the basement is going to casual, homey, and fun. My "studio" is now set up down there. I use that term loosely. I have some cabinets and sewing table. But I'm calling it that because it's more fun.

drawings

Instead of laundry I have spent the last two hours drawing up plans for the kitchen island I would like Shane to build. Yeah, he's excited.....

We have a three year old house that I love, but the kitchen cabinets and counter space is very limited. We knew that when we bought it and have thought about making some changes ever since. Lately, I have despised being in my kitchen. Not so great when it's suppose to be the heart of the home. But despite rearranging knick knacks and (R Reece wants me to keep typing R's.... rrrrrrrrrr, there you go buddy. He's asking why I spelled his name. He can read!)

Anywho, despite attempting to move things around it just isn't working. I would love the kids to be more involved and don't even get me started about baking. There just isn't room. So enough complaining. I surfed some of my favorite blogs and came up with a plan that is low cost and not a ton of work (at least to me). It also wouldn't involve ripping apart the whole room to get it done.

So here is my list....

1. beadboard backsplash

2. crown molding

3. kitchen island with drawers for small appliances and an electrical outlet with a bookshelf on one end

4. built in bookcase in space between two doors ( there is a HUGE space back there because the cold air return is below so it would be really deep and add a lot to the kitchen's function)

5. granite counter tops

So we'll see..... we need to price things out and visit some restore stores and see what we can find.

proof.....

ellie is a brown haired version of avery.....

Just some ramblings

So looking back a few posts I have apparently gotten lazy with posting pics. That would actually require loading them onto the computer. Yeah, need to do that. So for one more time, just words on this one. I promise I'll make up for it soon.

We've been housebound a lot the last two weeks. It makes for a messy house and a caged in mommy, but otherwise it hasn't been too bad. Shane's been gone all week and it driving home as we speak, or write I guess I should say. And then it's lunch and lego club for the kids this afternoon. Woohoo! What a treat to end the week with no hubby and yucky weather.

Ellie will be 1 in just a couple of weeks. We're trying to plan a party with her BFF Khloe so that should turn out really really cute. I just am in denial that I am going to have a one year old and not an infant anymore. Seriously did time go that fast? How on earth did I get to have a third kid who is going to be one?

I am plugging along with the bible in 90 days challenge. I did get behind one day over the weekend but thankfully caught right back up. It's amazing how much I am craving to read the bible that much. It takes almost 45 min for me to get through the twelve pages a day and especially through Leviticus. I forgot how grotesque and detailed the sacrifices were. Definitely took away my appetite! It made me to thankful for Jesus and that I don't have to constantly go collect birds and goats to kill. I pretty would be doing that all the time. And I seriously want some manna. I wish God put his recipe in there so I could try it. Hopefully we'll get it in heaven. I'm a huge bread lover and can't imagine how awesome that tasted. Shane got me a Nook color for Christmas and I was able to download the bible on there and it is awesome. It's so lightweight and I can take it in my purse or carry it throughout the house. Technology can be great!

New Attitudes

Today was one of those days I wanted to be productive, but was so tired. I did end up getting quite a few things checked off my list. But it seems so funny now to even write a list with kids. I get half of about ten things done and never seem to be able to start and finish something completely. Like today, I folded laundry, two hours later I put some away, two hours later put another pile away. Cleaned the sink in one bathroom, cleaned the toilet in another, but didn't finish either one. Organized two baskets of clothes on the changing table, but two more to go. I sound like I have ADD, nope, just three kids. Most of the time it is frustrating and makes me angry. But I've been reading James MacDonald's Lord Change My Attitude and have been trying to work on my thoughts. So today I just went with it. My normal attitude would be give up and don't do anything. But I really tried to just do what I could when I could. So maybe the next cleaning day the other toilet, a different sink, and maybe the last two baskets will be cleaned up.

What I do to not go crazy.......

Goals

Every year Shane and I write out our goals and I thought I would post them here to help keep me accountable.

1. Spiritual: bible in 90 days, family bible time

2. Physical: lost rest of baby weight and wear my favorite jeans, exercise 2-3 x's a week

3. Relational: date night weekly with hubby, more teamwork and encouraging

4. Personal/Educational: learn to golf, work on being more patient

5. Financial: pay off van, selling stuff on etsy

Bible in 90 Days

I might be a little crazy, but I'm doing it. Reading the entire bible in 90 days. Yes, I am a homeschooling mom of three and attempting to read the entire bible in 90 DAYS. I felt the Lord prompting me to spend more time with him and focus on what matters. I am hoping to see just how much time in my day is wasted by other "stuff" as well. Whew! Today was the first day and I read from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 16:16. It worked out really well today to do it while I had all the kids in rest time. The house was actually quiet. Well, except for when Reece insisted on going #2 in my bathroom. Nothing like hearing that while reading about Noah and the flood! ha ha ha!

I have read Genesis a million times. Well, maybe not a million, but a lot. And today I had quite a few "new" finds. It was so interesting to just read. Not take a million notes, look in commentaries, check references.... just read. Those things aren't bad. I just tend to complicate things sometimes and this keeps me focused.

So here is some tidbits from today....

1. "no suitable helper was found" for some reason it made me chuckle. Did Adam try a badger, eagle, lion to help him with his chores? He was out looking. And boy did he get something awesome when GOD gave it to him. Hmmmmm........

2. "sound of the Lord" I wonder what this is....a swoosh, a gentle rustling of trees, bells, hoping I get to hear this some day

3. animals and people were originally VEGETARIAN and not until NOAH did they eat meat.... interesting......

None of these observations of life changing, theological, philosophical, or even that interesting to other people. But today they just struck me.