"No cord or cable can draw so forcibly, or bind so fast, as love can do with a single thread."
LOOK! The cabinets are stained! They look BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL!!!The picture doesn't do them justice...but I couldn't get a very good picture because it was already dark outside. I'll take better ones this weekend.
My cute kiddos!
"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure."
Hi everyone! Well, we went out to the house tonight...and I took my camera....but it has bitten the dust! Well, I shouldn't say that just yet...it could possibly be the batteries...but the thing has been dropped on the ground so many times that you have to tape it together for it to not fall to pieces. It's not even a year old so that is REALLY sad...but when you have kids...it's inevitable. Anyway, I am going to get new batteries tonight and try that...and just PRAY that it works because I certainly cannot afford to get a new camera right now!..and I REALLY don't want to not be able to take pictures of the house and share them with you all. Anyway, while we were out there tonight, the painters were there getting everything ready and they said they will start staining the wood (and wood floors) and painting the inside and outside of the house tomorrow! yeah! I will take pictures as soon as I can get my camera working!
Hi guys! Well, I didn't get to go out by the house today...but Matt did and the superintendent was there so Matt got to talk to him. He said we should be in the house in the next 3 WEEKS! Yippee!!!! That is much sooner than we even ever thought! Today they put in the hardwood floors and the bead-board in the dining room. I will definitely be going out there tomorrow to take more pictures!
"Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery."
MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, "If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six."
BRITTANY (age 4) had an earache and wanted a painkiller. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a childproof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it's me?
JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." Concerned, James asked: "What happened to the flea?"
A sermon this mom will never forget......"Dear Lord," the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. "Without you, we are but dust." He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter (who was listening!) Leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mom, what is butt dust?"
One wall of the kitchen...you can see my lazy susan in the corner! The cabinets will be stained cherry once they are finished! 
This is my master bedroom closet. It is HUGE and has tons of storage! Now I can buy more clothes! Ha Ha (just kiddin' sweetie!)
Matt, Brooklyn and I stayed the night out in the camper last night (next to our not-yet-done house). It was fun...but COLD! I set the camera up on the self-timer and ran to get in the picture...thus the off-centeredness!
We have brick....Yah! It's not on the house yet...but it is there so that is a start. The trim guys were there yesterday and today so now we have inside doors and baseboards. I will take pictures again soon! Hope you all have a wonderful rest-of-the weekend! Luv Jen
Fighting with your spouse SUX! It's ridiculous the silly, stupid things married people fight about. Who forgot to feed the dog? Who spends more money? Who spends more time with the kids--or rather doesn't spend enough time with the kids? Who sleeps too much? Who spends too much time on the computer? Who spends too much time in front of the TV? UGH! None of these things are worth fighting over...yet we do it everyday. We are so considerate of other peoples feelings....as long as they aren't related to us. But when it comes to our family..boy you better just watch out cuz there's no holdin' back! WHY, why, WHY do we do that? These are the people who we are going to spend the rest of our lives living with...common sense tells us to treat them with the utmost of respect and consideration. Where is our common sense? I think it went right out the window with unconditional love. Here is a quote I so deeply love and yet fail to remember a lot of the time, "A good marriage is not so much finding the right person, as being the right person." I am no Dr. Phil...but I think we could all benefit from pointing the finger at ourselves more often instead of at our spouse and what they could/should be doing differently. It's worth a try anyway...Be the kind of person you wish to be married to...and maybe you'll get your wish!
(By the way...I am talking to myself here...so don't think I'm telling you guys what to do!)
Well, you can't see it on the picture, but they got our walls textured. This is a picture of the kitchen (on the left) and the entryway (on the right).
Poor little guy! Brooklyn was having fun on the trampoline, but Grant was bouncing around like a rag doll! He was actually laughing though.
Good morning!
Well, it's 7:28 on Thursday morning and my kids are both still asleep so I thought I'd do a little talking to you all. It is so cold in the house this morning. The thermostat says 68...but when you have "nothin' but a t-shirt on" that's a tad bit on the chilly side. So, I changed into my work out clothes...which turned out to be even less warm (tanktop and shorts) so I threw a sweatshirt on top. Now I look just like those people I make fun of who go out and run in 50 degree weather in long-sleeves and short shorts. I guess that's the way of life...at some point, we probably all turn into "those people we make fun of." I can certainly remember back to the time when I'd see little kids throwing fits in stores or being loud in restaurants and think, "Gosh, my kids will NEVER act like that!" (OOPS!) Or when I couldn't believe mom's would go anywhere in their pajama bottoms...now I think, "why not?" They cover as much as my regular pants and they sure are more comfy. When I was 9 months pregnant with Grant, I actually went to Blockbuster in black & white tiger-striped pajama pants and black furry slippers!!! And don't even get me started on all the ways I have "become my mother." There is this one phrase that she always used to say that BUGGED the heck out of me....It was "same difference". In my mind...that was a complete oxymoron. How can something be the same and different at the same time? It was used in situations like, "Mom should I wear the black shoes or brown shoes with this outfit?" Her reply..."same difference". Honestly, I am still not 100% sure I understand it's meaning..but I have to admit..I have heard it come out of my mouth a time or two since I've been a mom.
Anyway, in synopsis of this blog entry...I will sum up my point in one direct sentence. "Don't be too quick to judge another...if you don't watch out...you'll become your mother!"
Hi guys!
Things are moving right along at the homestead. We got our garage door today and they textured the walls yesterday. Hopefully they will paint tomorrow. It is getting more and more exciting as each step is completed. Even Brooklyn has gotten in on the excitement. She will be glad to have her own room and her own bed back. (She sleeps on a crib mattress in our floor!) If we're lucky...maybe we'll only have to wait another month or so!
By the way, on a different "note"...I have been putting music videos on here the past week or so. I know some of them might seem a little "questionable" (that's what mom says) but I hope no one takes offense. I don't think there are any children who look at this website and there isn't anything on any of them that any of us adults haven't seen or heard before. (Gosh, you'd think I was putting nasty stuff on here or something....it's nothing like that.) Anyway, let me know if you like the videos to be on here or if you'd rather me leave them off. okay?
Okay...love you all! Jen
Okay guys, I know Thanksgiving isn't even here yet and I am already talking about Christmas...but it is only 50 days away!! Yep, that's right..50 days..which leaves only 7 more Saturday's to shop before the big day! Kinda scary, huh? It's like you celebrate Independence Day and then there is this big lull in the holiday world. All of a sudden Halloween comes around and in the blink of an eye, Thanksgiving is approaching and Christmas is right around the corner! Most of you probably know this but for those of you who don't...I am a Christmas-aholic. I LOVE Christmas and all that it stands for and all the chaos that comes with it. I LOVE having 30 people to shop for and being able to spend money and not feel guilty about it. I LOVE dressing up and going to Christmas parties and family gatherings. I LOVE dragging out all those decorations and putting up the tree. I LOVE wrapping presents and fancifying them with ribbons and bows. I LOVE the sweet sound of Christmas carols and apple cider brewing. Ahhhh...just thinking about it all makes my heart beat a little faster and I can feel my excitement for the season coming out of hibernation. I've never been able to understand those who see all these things as a big annual hassle. All I can figure is they must lead pretty unhappy lives to not even get excited about celebrating the birth of our Savior!
Well, in light of the big day quickly approaching, I thought I would post my Christmas list now so you can all get a jump-start on my presents! ha ha So here it goes:
1" thick square wooden cutting board from Bed, Bath & Beyond
Bath and Body Work's Crisp Apple wallflowers
Nicole Mullin "Everyday People" CD
Cute jammies
Knife set in a wooden block
Cute salt and pepper shakers (there are some really cute crystal rooster ones with silver lids at the Toyota dealer, honey)
3 bar stools from Mathis Brothers ($60 each)
Stainless Steel cleaning cloth (Bed, Bath & Beyond)
New pair of cute tennis shoes (for aerobics)
Okay...so that's it for now! I am posting this in hopes that my hubby will read it and get clued-in on what he should get me. Of course, there is a list right on the fridge...but he'll probably never even notice it!
Now, I know I may sound greedy and spoiled telling the whole world my Christmas list...but here is where I fix that...I want everyone reading this (EVERYONE) to write me a comment and tell me at least one thing on your Christmas wish list. You never know...Santa could read this too and then you might just get what you wish for!
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Here is a picture of Grant in his new Cozy Crib Tent. He's crying because I put him in it just to take the picture and I guess he thought I was making him go to bed.
Here are a couple of new pics of the house. They got the sheet rock all finished up and it looks like they are ready for texture and paint now!! The first picture is of our master bedroom and the second one is of our kitchen.
Brooklyn being her cute-self.
This is my uncle Ray who got to come visit us this week. We had so much fun having him here and the kids just LOVED him!
Just to keep you all updated on the progress of our house...they finished all the sheet-rocking today! Yeah! I haven't actually gotten to see it, but my mom and Matt say it looks awesome...(and bigger)! As soon as I get to go out there, I will get some pictures.
Also, the crib tent is still working great. I just put Grant to bed and he's already asleep!!!---no climbing out! Hooray!
Guess what??? It is 1 pm in the afternoon and Grant is taking a nap! YEAH!!! I know that sounds silly to be so excited about....but read my past posts and you'll understand! I cringed as I handed over the $75 to buy a "Cozy Crib Tent" but it's already paying off! I was worried about what he would think about it or if it would make him feel like he was in "jail" but I put him down with his milk and blanket, zipped the thing up and walked out. He fussed for about 3 minutes (which he always does) and then silence! Woohoo! I feel funny being this excited about something so seemingly nominal, but I am! As much as I hate to admit it (I feel guilty enjoying time without my kids sometimes), the hour or two I have in the evenings after we put him to bed and before we go to bed is one of my favorite times of the day. It's been taking hours to get him to stay in bed at night and now it looks like we can go back to normal again. Weird how we think "change" will make life more exciting...and while it usually does...sometimes "normal" is much better! Ha Ha!
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