You Don't See That Every Day

Oh what a night ... So the Boy had another basketball game last night. They played hard, but ultimately lost the match. It was a little frustrating; well a lot actually. A tough team, a large team - in numbers and size. I was even frustrated and I was trying hard to sit without clenching my hands and jaw. Thankfully the refs were fair and good. I sure didn't know how to talk to the Boy about it afterwards. He had given up in his mind before the game had even begun. There's no way to teach not to do that. After the game I went to a State of the School meeting at my son's school. It was actually fairly interesting. They updated us on costs, security, and other items that affect the school and students. New this year was a special prayer time and I think it was the best part! One person in particular had a very moving prayer; But another parent said something in her prayer that really struck me. She prayed that the children in the school would be a blessing to others . And...

In my little corner of the world, many things catch my eye throughout the day. My little girl's curls. I just love them. My dog who sleeps curled up with a hose  My son showing off his muscles  by carrying around his sisters  And finally - an advance in the remodeling department! ( disclaimer: there have been many advances of which I have not blogged about, mainly because they were the type that don't photograph well, like texture. You can't really see it in a photo.) Step 956 of 1 million: paint in the girls' room The two girls who will occupy this room first picked out the colors, and prepped the area, then we got down to work. I let them do most of the painting, with a little help to reach the high places. Tomorrow will be the second coat, and then we'll paint the other walls white. And that leads us up to the finishing steps - flooring! Curtains! Trim! Move in! (not all in that order)  

This room used to be orange. I was finally able to upload the pics I have of my 'new' guest room. I love having a 'guest' room now. It will soon be overtaken by an almost 12-year-old girl but the colors are going to stay. While out shopping last week for school stuff, I came across these pillows and bing - the light bulb moment. They might not look like it in the photo, but the colors pull everything together. Little things like that make my day!   I was able to put my guest room to use this past week. One of the reasons I was rushing to get it done - my husbands brother and his family came for a visit. They live way off in the far land of Montana, so a visit with them is not a frequent occurrence, And when we do get together, oh the fun we have! We had a day in the park, and then the next day we took off for the beach. Being landlocked, I think they had a fun time. Three times for me at the beach in one month - happy happy dance. Of course, it wasn't ju...

   We started painting the exterior of the house. Let's play with that term 'we' - actually, I started painting some more on the house this past Friday. I got paint in my hair, on my arm, all over the clothes. It looked like I swam in it. There were some areas which I never finished last year! Wow. As I was up there this week I couldn't recall just why I hadn't finished those few spots. My husband reminded me that I just ran out of steam last year. Probably. I got very tired of painting, and then the rains came. This summer! This year will be different. This time around my kids are going to help put the second coat of paint on the outside. G and I had a mini-date night. Actually I think it was a family date night. Is there such a thing?! We all went to the Depot of Home and picked out flooring for the Boy's room. G began putting it in yesterday. This picture is just of us laying it down to see if we really liked it, and which way to lay the grain. We...

 The latest in remodeling news ... the room is now orange. The Boy got in there this weekend and painted two walls in a 'pumpkin patch' orange. The playroom next to it is now textured; the hall and stairway are mudded and awaiting the next step (which I would tell you about, but I'm not sure what it is ...) Did I tell you we went to a rodeo last week? We hadn't been to one in about 10 years or so. We packed up the older two kids and joined my in-laws at a rather famous rodeo.   What fun! My son said his favorite was the bareback riders   My mother in-law also hadn't been to a rodeo in years, and she said she had a great time. We all had lots of memories resurface as we watched. There was one rodeo I went to in college, with some friends. What I mostly remember is eating a whole bag of gummy worms, and not feeling so great on the ride home. But this rodeo was much more fun! The garden is growing. Here are some of the potatoes and beans....

We've been getting this question a lot Are you done with your remodel? And, um, no, we aren't. G has been working on it whenever he can, but with traveling a lot for work, it doesn't leave much extra time to work upstairs. Work, family activities, kids' sports and events, extended family activity - they don't leave much time. But he's been plugging away at it. When I went up yesterday morning, the walls looked like this: And then G and the Boy worked on one of the rooms until after supper last night. So when I went up to look this morning, I saw this: Oh glory! it looks almost painted! The last coat of mud has been put on! The next step for this room is texture and paint. I might get to paint the Boy's room next weekend. (Orange, of course! - one or two walls, not the whole room)  

This week the country of study is Rome. And what famous place is in Rome? Well, there are lots of them, but we picked the Sistine Chapel. Today the girls are finger-painting the underside of the table. Yes, they taped paper on it before starting. We learned about Michelangelo, and his work on the ceiling of the S.C. Little K got up early from her nap and wanted to join the fun. We let her at least lay down with them. I heard various comments about aching arms and shoulders. The girls asked, "How long did this take 'Mike'?" Yeah, we're on a first name basis with the great artist I guess. The final product ... not quite the same as what you might find in Rome. But an original for sure.