The Overman Family

Friday Five

2011-06-17T15:36:00.006-05:00

{1}

Hannah loves nature...she can sit for very long amounts of time just observing. One night this week, observing from afar wasn't cutting it. She put on her best swamp man costume (OK, it's something her dad uses for hunting), had her sisters sprinkle her with birdseed, and waited patiently for a bird to land. Unfortunately, those birds were smart. They came very close, but never landed on her.

{2}

2 weeks of tennis lessons are done. The girls enjoyed it a lot.
We'll probably do some more lessons before the summer is through. We even got some good family practice in the drive-way on a couple of evenings.

{3}

Our family adopted a flower bed in one of our city parks (actually it's 3 circles around a stone structure). We get to pick the flowers we want and a local greenhouse donates them. We have to take care of it throughout the summer. It's been fun, the girls did a lot of the work. Plus they are really proud of the sign:

It's in Bandshell Park for all you locals!

{4}

The nights this past week have been great...long walks (mom/dad) bikes for the girls. Jacob and Uncle Dan took the girls fishing one night to a pond in our neighborhood...and we finished the night with the first official smores of summer.
Last night, when we were having the girls clean up their messes from the day, Jacob mentioned a trip to Dairy Queen. Those girls have never cleaned up so fast! At about 9:00 pm we rolled into DQ. On our way home we saw our first fireflies...although there was only one to catch in our yard. Windows stayed open for sleep...with the girls complaining that the croaking frog outside was keeping them awake!

{5}
Today is our 11th Wedding Anniversary!
Grateful for those years and excited for the years ahead!

California-Day One

2011-06-15T16:46:00.002-05:00

I have been trying unsuccessfully to upload an entire days worth of pictures...for some reason, blogger doesn't like that, so here is the beginning of Day 1.

We left Des Moines Wednesday afternoon, changed planes in Phoenix, and then landed in Santa Barbara around supper time.

It is a breathtaking part of the country, and our 2 hour drive from Santa Barbara to Paso Robles did not disappoint.

Thursday morning we decided to head back to the coast (1/2 hour drive from where we were staying). Here's the views we got to enjoy:

This farm girl felt right at home with views of cows happily grazing the hills.

(I was thinking of you dad, of course!)

We decided to head to Piedras Blancas, which was just 5 miles north of our destination of Hearst Castle (on Highway 1), where all these elephant seals call home:

Sophia's 4th Birthday

2011-06-15T16:35:00.003-05:00

We celebrated as a family on her birthday.

With ice cream cake:

And some new wheels:

Later, we invited some friends over for a ballerina birthday party!

More cake

We even had some "real" ballerinas on hand to help out!

A Fun Photo

2011-05-31T13:48:00.002-05:00

Click here to see a great photo that was taken on our "Whale Watching Cruise" in Santa Barbara, CA. If you're curious we went with Condor Express for our tour, and would go with them again. The boat had lots of vantage points, there was indoor dining (which is a must on a 4.5 hour trip) lots of bathrooms, and the captain was very knowledgeable.
In the picture, Jacob is wearing a grey and black fleece. Hannah is next to him in a light blue fleece, but you can only see her elbow.

Oh, here's a link to the captains log of that day. That's no typo...1500 common dolphins! It was spectacular...and all the more so for my 9 year old dolphin lover. As we floated through that pod, she laid down on the front of the boat and commented that she "felt like she was swimming with them!" Awesome indeed!

Friday Quick 5

2011-05-27T16:46:00.002-05:00

I set a goal today to write this post...however short and without pictures it might be...here it goes!

{1}

Every Monday we watch a sweet little baby girl (born in December) from 7:30-4:30. She fits in great and the girls LOVE to help with her. I knew I had to have lower expectations for what I could get done on Monday with the return of a baby to the house. The to do list of my Monday looks more like this:

Clothed and fed children (and self)

School

Laundry

Anything else that gets accomplished is just bonus!

We're planning on doing this through the end of the summer.

{2}

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week I attended a Classical Conversations Practicum.

{Monday I had the extra babe in tow!}

There are "Camps" provided on site for the kids to attend while the parents are in their trainings.

Sophia attended "Play Camp"

Ella attended "Geo Draw Camp". She worked on drawing a map of the United States.

Hannah attended "Trig Camp" Yeah, that's short for trigonometry...It was hard, but she picked some good stuff up!

I came away feeling:

A- Super excited for the upcoming school year, with plans on how I can use what we do in Classical Conversations as an outline for our school year outside of our CC day.

We'll be learning US history starting with Christopher Columbus up to September 11th, 2001.

States and capitals and important mountains and rivers in the US.

Human anatomy and elements.

Latin and some of the Great Artists.

Memorizing the presidents.

Lots of skip counting and math law memorization.

Lots more...

B- Realizing I need to have a heart change about writing. In a word, I strongly dislike to write. Hannah is going to be in an afternoon program through CC next year called Essentials (Essentials of the English Language to be exact.) I will be attending the program with her and helping her plug through it at home. I know she will pick up on whatever attitude I "put on" to this work.

{3}

Thursday held a birthday party with friends for Sophia....her birthday was 2 weeks prior, but we were busy preparing for a large going away party we hosted for some dear friends. We celebrated family style on her actual birthday with cake and a new bike!

{4}

Today has held a lot of hanging out around the house.

We've had Hannah's best friend over here since this morning...she moves to Texas in a week...so we are getting our fill now. They live around the corner and will be so missed by so many people.

I've been doing some school year planning and some summer activity registering.

Ella and Hannah are going to try tennis.

Of course swimming lessons and VBS.

Piano lessons will continue through the summer for Hannah.

Dance and gymnastics are on the schedule too.

Sophia wants to try soccer...I think she would be really good at it...she's pretty fierce (in a good way)

{5}

Ah...Friday night....I love you!

Pizza and sleeping downstairs in the living room.

Just the way to end a busy week!

Enjoy the weekend!

2011-05-05T08:34:00.002-05:00

We've returned from our Central California trip! It was wonderful! We bought a new camera right before we left, which is dangerous, because now I have about 1500 pictures to go through. Stay tuned!

They Crack Me Up!

2011-04-22T11:09:00.003-05:00

2011-04-21T17:01:00.002-05:00

We just received our new book order...they can't even put them down to eat breakfast!

Some Fun Nights: Part 2

2011-04-06T08:47:00.003-05:00

Last night Hannah's Girl Scout Troop went for a tour of the Wildlife Care Clinic at the Iowa State Vet School.

The clinic rehabilitates injured wildlife in hopes of returning them to the wild.

Sometimes an animal cannot be rehabilitated fully, and then will remain at ISU to help with educational programs.

The clinic also provides an adoption program, which the GS Troop decided to participate in.

We paid $20 for the care and rehabilitation of a .....squirrel.

In return our girls will get updates, pictures, a visit of the clinic and an invitation to its release into the wild.

The funniest part of the night to me was...

we were standing in a room filled with 50-75 different signs and papers hanging on cupboards and walls... and the black words at the bottom of this sign is what the girls noticed and inquired about:

Our family first heard about the Wildlife Care Clinic when some friends invited us to the release of a Great Horned Owl.

If you are interested in attending any releases, you can "like" the Clinic on Facebook and stay updated there.

(Hannah just read this post and wants me to tell you specifically that the squirrel was a girl and the Girl Scouts named it "Cookie")

Some Fun Nights: Part 1

2011-04-06T08:32:00.002-05:00

On Monday night I took the girls to the Golden Dragon Acrobats show. (Jacob got together with some guys from church to watch THE game) Some clubs and organizations from Iowa State funded the show and made it possible for everyone to attend for free! It was amazing! I can't even begin to describe the amount of skill it took. The cast was not that big, all were in multiple "stunts". Watch the promo video above... There was one point where Hannah's face was buried in her hands, she was too afraid to look! It was when they came out with a 5 foot tower platform...placed it on the edge of the stage...and then they stacked 10 chairs on top of that...AND THEN a guy did some crazy balancing on top of it!

2011-04-04T13:10:00.002-05:00

Last night we went out for supper...when we got home we noticed a wet floor and stairs. We looked up and saw water dripping out of the ceiling right below our laundry room. Jacob turned the water off to the house right away. We pulled the washer out, thinking it was coming from there...completely dry. After a bit more searching we discovered the culprit...when I wash our clothes I fold them right away...except the clothes that hang, those I lay over the edge of the laundry room sink ready to be hung up. Before we left for supper (about 5:00) I went to get a shirt from that pile. Without knowing it, I turned the faucet on. A sleeve plugged the drain up. When we returned (at 8:00) our laundry room was wet and so was the ceiling below.

Jacob is very concerned about mold, so we spent our late Sunday night destroying our walls and ceiling.

March 17th, 2011

2011-04-04T13:08:00.003-05:00

Every year I try to take the girls to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Des Moines.

We usually get a Shamrock Shake on our way home.

Grandpa Pumpkin

2011-04-02T15:59:00.002-05:00

Grandpa "Pumpkin" is here visiting us today. When I told the girls this, they all started talking about why we call him "Grandpa Pumpkin". Ella had the best reason..."I know it's not his last name...so it must be his middle name." Ah...James Pumpkin Overman...has a nice ring to it!

Grandpa Pumpkin is Jacob's dad. The name was given to him by Hannah, when she was little, because he always called her "pumpkin".

Friday 5

2011-04-01T14:19:00.002-05:00

5 things on Friday...seems do-able...thanks for the idea Christy!

SCHOOL

I think most people who read this blog knew we started to homeschool this year. When we made the decision to homeschool, I can't say we had all the reasons laid out perfectly, it just felt like something we needed to do...but as the year has progressed those reasons have continually revealed themselves to us.

It has gone much better than I expected...although the times that are hard, are harder than I expected ;)

Ella has really excelled in the last month...we finished her kindergarten math and jumped right into first grade math. Also, the "reading light" has turned on in her brain and she is reading all the time. Reading was one of the more "scarier" things for me to think about teaching. I mean, if I screwed that up, she would be ruined for life ;)

The biggest blessing to our homeschool year has been our participation in Classical Conversations.

Click on that link for an explanation far better than any I could offer!

I would have never in a million years thought to quiz my 6 year old on the 2nd Law of Thermal Dynamics and what started the Industrial Revolution...but she could tell you about those and more!

We have signed Sophia up for preschool in the fall...she is VERY excited!

ACTIVITIES

Another bonus to homeschooling is the activities the girls now get to be in...it wasn't that they couldn't before...it was just that I didn't like the idea of them getting off the bus and right into the van to go off to afternoon activities. Hannah is continuing with Girl Scouts (which I am the leader for) and that actually meets at our house. She also has started piano and ice-skating. She has really found ice-skating to be an enjoyable activity that she does well in.

Ella also does ice-skating. She is still working on the gliding part of skating...her technique is more of a march ;) It's very cute!

Sophia is doing ballet...and no shocker here...loves it! She is preparing for her recital in a week, where she will be dancing to "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella.

She also does a program called "Busy Beavers" which is an activity program twice a week that she goes to while I go do an exercise class.

Our family is also involved in a few church activities that happen a few times a week.

TRIPS

We are preparing for 2 upcoming trips...one at the end of April. All 5 of us will be flying out to California, to Paso Robles, to celebrate the marriage of "Uncle Tim and Aunt Jodi"(Jacob's brother).

It will no doubt be a beautiful wedding...it's at a winery.

The 2nd trip will be to Nashville, TN at the end of May. Another wedding...this time it is Jacob's cousin.

We're in the first year of owning a new business...so being forced to take a break isn't a bad thing at all :)

HOUSE

There is always "something" in this category...but with Jacob not getting home until after 7:00 most nights of the week...and weekends that quickly fill up...we haven't seen the progress that we would like.

We have some landscaping projects for this spring...hopefully a window box will get made for the big garage window.

Jacob made a huge "built-in" set of cabinets for our dining room (1/3 filled with school stuff). It has an 11 foot wood countertop. It's beautiful! I'll have to get a picture of it soon.

We are also slowly getting the basement ready (as in cleaned out and organized) to finish it in the future.

We recently got NEW dining room chairs...as in NOT pulled out of a dumpster. It's amazing...they don't fall apart when someone sits on them!

BITTERSWEET

In the next few months we are having to say good-bye to a lot of people dear-to-us due to moves. We are happy for ALL of them, they are all great opportunities, we're just sad for us. 2 of them are Hannah's closest friends...which will be hard for her.

Sorry for the sad ending to this post....

It IS a beautiful day outside, and is going to be a GREAT weekend!

Figuring Life Out - One Thousand Gifts

2011-03-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

I thought this was beautiful. I have started working my way through this book. Enjoy!

The Glamorous Life

2011-02-24T11:05:00.004-06:00

Ella (6) followed me around yesterday so she could draw a picture of me. I had to share it! It certainly sums up the second half of my day yesterday. There are a few untrue things in the picture that I feel the need to clarify:

The girls scrubbed the toilets yesterday, not me.
I do not wear pig tails.
I do not wear earrings to clean.
I do not wear lipstick to clean...usually.
I do not clean the sinks and toilets at the same time. I wish I could for time purposes...but would need much longer arms...and that "rub your tummy, pat your head" thing has never really worked out for me.
I am not that tan...really tan is not a word people ever use to describe me...what would you expect of someone cleaning bathrooms all the time?

Christmas 2010: Christmas Day

2011-02-10T12:04:00.002-06:00

Christmas morning came very quickly...doesn't it always with kids in the house?

These pics were taken before 7 am ;)

I wasn't feeling well...some kind of stomach bug. Thankfully Jacob snapped a few pics.

They had a few hours to play with the new toys and then we had to pack up and leave for Christmas lunch in Dyersville with the Overman's and supper in Dubuque with the Teeling's.

Because I was sick, I slept through a large chunk of the day, and these 2 pics are all we have!

Christmas 2010: Christmas Eve

2011-02-10T11:44:00.005-06:00

Christmas Eve at our home involves worship at church and homemade presents for each other!

Ready for church, just killing time!

Above is Ella's gift to her sisters...embellished slippers. She made the flowers and sewed the buttons on, then I sewed the flowers onto the slippers. (and I surprised her with her own pair)

Above is Sophia's gift to her sisters. We cut designs out of freezer paper and ironed them onto the shirts. I then let her spray bleach onto the shirts. The bleach faded the shirts, except for where the freezer paper was. (I made Sophia's ballerina shirt for her)

Hannah made hair clips for her sisters by making the same type of flowers that were made for the slippers. Then I sewed them onto clips.

Christmas 2010: Overman Family Christmas

2011-01-26T08:31:00.002-06:00

Yes I am still doing Christmas posts...at this rate it will be next Christmas when I finish!

2 days before Christmas we headed down to Pella to celebrate Christmas with Jacob's dad and siblings. It was a great time...although sadly shortened due to a snowstorm. We made homemade pizza...the favorite of the night was a Thai pizza. The guys (and Hannah and Ella) played a hunting game on the Wii. Santa Grandpa showed up in his red sleigh/red truck packed to the top with gifts!

It was a great night and we feel so thankful for our family!

Christmas 2010: Treat Making

2011-01-11T09:43:00.002-06:00

My easiest, but most requested Christmas treat: Oreo Balls.

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 package of regular oreos

1. Crush the oreos. (I use a blender)

2. Mix softened cream cheese with oreo crumbs until completely mixed together.

3. Form into small balls.

4. I usually melt white and semi-sweet chocolate (separately) to drizzle over balls.

5. Store in the fridge.

Christmas 2010: The Farm

2011-01-11T08:53:00.005-06:00

After Thanksgiving, my kids get weirdly interested in the weather...and here's why!

Clearly they're NOT interested in the weather at OUR house, they are wanting the weather reports for NE Iowa...specifically a little farm nestled in the valley: Grandpa and Grandma's!

Old fashioned runner sleds is the choice for speed and fun. Grandma sharpens the runner blades + Grandpa packs down the snow on the road with his tractors=the best sledding around!

Sometimes we get a "wild" hair and declare we are going to walk to the top of the lane (1/4 mile uphill, pulling a sled, usually with a child on it) and come down that way...usually you make it half way up the hill and decide that it's enough. The walk up takes 10 minutes and the ride down takes 10 seconds!

The more popular, 9 out of 10 times, involves starting at the upper machine shed and finishing at the bridge. If you opt for this option you need to remember the "blind" spot. The road curves and there is usually a snow pile hiding the rest of the road...and usually the other side of this curve holds some sort of "dangerous obstacle". This could come in any one of many forms: previous sledders who have wrecked, a dog trying to chase a sled, a nephew throwing snowballs at you, a cat lazily walking across the road, an old farmer talking "farming" or perhaps a group of sledders walking up from their last run.

Sometimes there is trash talking and racing.

Sometimes there is a kid, spouse, or cousin catching a ride with you.

Sometimes you get "that" sled...the one that someone quietly endures in hopes of convincing you to trade with them later. You hop on, only to realize at the curve that the sled doesn't steer and you hope the bank of snow stops you before that cement silo does. As you dig yourself out of the snowdrift, you try to not draw any attention to yourself in hopes of getting someone to trade with you!

Of course we do other things...

there's usually a fire in the fireplace, food always out, movies to watch, games to play and of course presents to open. Not the "practical parents" presents, but the good stuff! The Grandpa & Grandma and Aunts & Uncles "fun presents".

Here is an example of the views we were surrounded by:

Christmas 2010: Decking The Halls

2011-01-05T10:02:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2010: Kickin' Off The Season

2011-01-04T09:48:00.004-06:00

To start off the Christmas season, we headed down to main street for a Friday night of winter fun. There were kiddie train rides, a horse drawn carriage, a man in a red suit, hot cocoa, and the favorite among 3 little girls-a stop at the pet store!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T16:15:00.001-06:00

Photo Shoot

2010-11-07T14:30:00.004-06:00

We had a fun photo shoot Saurday morning with NSMPHOTO !

LOVE IT!

I'll share more later.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T09:24:00.002-05:00

We've returned from our vacation in Florida! I will put up more pictures later. But here's a little teaser!
We carved our pumpkins the night we returned from Florida...which was the night before trick-or-treating in our town. Sophia requested a princess pumpkin (surprise, surprise)-if you look close you can see a tiara!

"Beggars Night" was Friday. There was a chill in the air, the sunset was beautiful and geese flew overhead as we made our way up and down the streets of our neighborhood.

Hannah was a pumkin fairy

Ella declared herself to be the Queen of Halloween

Sophia was Cinderella. She rode around in her carriage (red wagon pulled by mom) and her one shoe kept falling off!

Glimpses of the New Office

2010-09-08T10:43:00.002-05:00

Opening the beginning of October!

Flood of 2010

2010-08-11T12:32:00.004-05:00

The brand new Aquatic Center

Here is a link to the aerial shots the Des Moines Register took.

Record flooding for Ames. We have had 3 nights of torrential rains. Our basement has remained dry thankfully.

The Skunk River is expected to crest 1.5 ft. higher than the floods of 1993.

5 feet of water is sitting on the basketball court of Hilton.

We did find out that Jacob's new office is ok.

From That To This...

2010-05-25T13:59:00.004-05:00

What a difference a few months make!

We Be Rollin' In Our Swagger Wagon...

2010-05-07T13:39:00.001-05:00

Turn Off Music Player On Bottom Of Page Before Watching!

Heaven...An 8 Year Old Imagines

2010-01-25T19:21:00.004-06:00

When Hannah's mp3 player is charging in the office, she likes to sit in there...listen to music...and draw/create. She came to me with this pic yesterday...she said she was listening to the song "Deep Enough To Dream" by Chris Rice and was inspired to draw this:

(song is playing now...some of the lyrics are below the pic if you're not familiar with the song)

Lazy summer afternoon...Screened in porch and nothin' to do....I just kicked off my tennis shoes

Slouchin' in a plastic chair....Rakin' my fingers through my hair....I close my eyes and I leave them there....And I yawn, and sigh, and slowly fade away
Deep enough to dream in brilliant colorsI have never seen....Deep enough to join a billion people For a wedding feast...Deep enough to reach out and touch...The face of the One who made me...And oh, the love I feel, and oh the peace...Do I ever have to wake up
Awakened by a familiar sound...A clumsy fly is buzzin' around...He bumps the screen and he tumbles down...He gathers about his wits and pride...And tries again for the hundredth time...'Cause freedom calls from the other side....And I smile and nod, and slowly drift away...
Deep enough to dream in brilliant colors I have never seen....Deep enough to join a billion people For a wedding feast...Deep enough to reach out and touch The face of the One who made me And oh, the love I feel, and oh the peace...Do I ever have to wake up
'Cause peace is pouring over my soul...See the lambs and the lions playin' I join in and I drink the music....Holiness is the air I'm breathin'....My faithful heroes break the bread....And answer all of my questions....Not to mention what the streets are made of....My heart's held hostage by this love
And these brilliant colors I have never seen...I join a billion people for a wedding feast...And I reach out and touch the face of the One who made me....And oh, the love I feel, and oh the peace...Do I ever have to wake up
Do I ever have to wake up...Do I ever have to wake up...Do I really have to wake up now

How My 8 Year Old Feels Loved...

2010-01-19T16:08:00.001-06:00

I found this in Hannah's school folder today...I thought it was sweet.

Ella Funnies

2009-12-08T08:40:00.003-06:00

A couple of funny things from this girl:

During November we were reading from the book: "Stories of the Pilgrims". On this particular night we were still in the beginning of the book where the pilgrims were being thrown in jail regularly and at one point half of the group (mostly the men) were on a boat ready to sail to religious freedom in Holland when they helplessly watched King James' soldiers arrest the women and children that were still on land! I asked the girls if they would do what the pilgrims did and persevere through all that to get to Holland? Ella said, "Mom, if were them I would just go to Hawaii"! How different Thanksgiving would be if they would have ended up in Hawaii!

The other day I was dropping Ella off at preschool. I could hear a little boy in the classroom saying "Ella, Ella!" He excitedly ran out to his locker saying, "Ella I have something for you!" He quickly grabbed something out of his bag that was just for Ella, walked over and proudly presented her with a.............menu from Subway.

Since I Was Asked...

2009-12-05T13:25:00.003-06:00

this is the mama's wishlist for those who asked.... :)

Numero Uno on my "wish" list...the ipod nano

The collapsible market tote. I love the houndstooth print. I found it here. I don't really care to have it monogrammed...just plain please!

Klean Kanteen. My kids each have there own...now mom would like one too...I really like the red one!

Comfortable AND Cute slippers...I like the cream...in size 7 please.

For the kiddos...a weather station for them, that takes the guess work out of how to dress for the days weather!

Hannah wears a size 7/8 in clothes and a size 13 in shoes

Ella is getting into size 5. She wears a size 9 1/2 in shoes

Sophia is in 2T and wears a size 6 in shoes.

This is just some of my wishes...but I will be more than happy with anything! Thanks for even wanting to get me something!

My Weekend Adventure

2009-11-08T16:10:00.002-06:00

I didn't have any big plans for the weekend...there's always lots to work on around the house, enjoying the girls long weekend and the nice weather.
Well, I woke up Thursday morning to a love letter on my nightstand that told me I did indeed have plans for the weekend and I needed to pack my bag!I did as the letter told me.
At 10 AM I received a call from a friend informing me we were having lunch together. I got in the car, only to see it well stocked with water and my much loved Dark Chocolate Frappacinos!
On the way to lunch, I stopped by the chiropractor for a much needed appointment my husband lined up for me.Lunch was wonderful and encouraging.
My friend then gave me another letter telling me that my husband had scheduled a (much needed/2 years in the waiting) hair appointment for me!
As my hair cut was wrapping up, some of the girls that worked there brought me a bag full of snacks and another letter. (One of the young college girls who worked there said, "maybe he's going to propose tonight!" I just laughed)
The letter told me that there was a reservation at a hotel for me...a night to relax and watch my favorite show (The Office).(I will add here that The Office is my only show that I love and want to watch, but Thursday night is also the night Jacob works late...and so I usually don't get to watch it!)
I had a wonderful night of laying in bed and watching TV!Friday morning my phone rings, and a dear friend is on the line (all the way from Oklahoma) It was nice to hear her voice and all her wonderful encouragement! She then proceeded to tell me that my husband had put an envelope of money (and another love letter) in the car for me to have a day of shopping! (With the rules that it couldn't be spent on the girls or the house).
I had a great time...taking my time and actually trying things on!!!I received another call telling me to hop in the car again and drive 3 hours to see my best friend Sara! She's a busy mom of 4 littles and a new business owner of a floral shop. Needless to say, we don't get to see each other enough!
I arrived Friday afternoon, and was informed that my husband was sending BOTH of us to the spa for the night!We had massages, manicures and pedicures...and lots of laughs! We came back to Sara's home and relaxed...with a movie and some cookie dough to eat!
Saturday there was a bit more shopping and another love letter saying it was time to return home to go out for dinner with my husband!
As sweet as that time was...I missed my husband and girls so much...I was ready to come home.
Could a girl do much better? I think not! He's the best!

Woe Is Me!

2009-11-03T11:40:00.004-06:00

Kidding, of course!

My sister came on Sunday to take pictures of the girls for our Christmas card

(and our bare walls!)

How am I ever going to pick one picture of each girl for the Christmas card?

Click to see:

Sophia

Ella

Hannah

(I have 650 to pick from!)

Pumpkins Galore!

2009-10-28T15:02:00.003-05:00

My pumpkins carved their pumpkins!

Sophia said "Ewww...Gross!" When I pulled the top off the pumpkin...then got right to work helping scoop that gross stuff out! I would give her 2 choices for each of the face parts:

do you want the eyes to be triangles or circles? etc.

and that happy one toothed face is what we ended up with!

Hannah drew her own face on, then I cut it out. The back of the pumpkin has a face drawn on it too...it was her "practice" round I guess! Who was the parent who told her to use the permanent marker to draw it on? Oh....me.

Ella decided she wanted a polka dot pumpkin...she's always VERY decisive...99% of the time I love that about her!
I found some clear marbles and her and dad got busy making little holes to push the marbles into! It's very cute!

Pumpkin carving was a lot of fun this year...we carved them in the heated garage...threw our scraps in the compost pile...it was great! No mess in the house.

A 2-Year Old's Prayer...

2009-10-23T20:54:00.001-05:00

Tonight, the last few lines of Sophia's prayer went a little something like this:

boom, boom, pow

8, 9, 10

amen, jesus.

Happenings...

2009-09-18T13:11:00.003-05:00

Jacob called me a few days ago, from work, with some random-funny-exciting news...

To support the local theater, he had bought a $5 raffle ticket....and he won....a scooter!

He had to go get his picture taken and pick out the color he wanted!

We're planning on selling it...but everyone gets a ride (or two) before that happens!

1st Days....

2009-09-15T13:29:00.002-05:00

Ella is officially a PRECHOOLER!!!

I'm most excited for her to have something of her own...and nervous for her because she is quieter and more shy than her older sister.

She has had 2 days so far and has loved both of them! Yeah!

This was the open house before the "official first day" picture. We bought her outfit almost a month before...new silver shoes and all! What a long wait to get to wear them! She is so proud of her backpack...she found it at a garage sale...don't worry- we threw it in the washer! It has fairies and butterflies on it-what more can a little girl ask for!

This is the "official" first day pic...the favorite part of the outfit for her-the shoes, they're yellow!

She wanted me to take a 2nd day of school picture...but we didn't want to be late!

The Wait Is Over!

2009-07-09T12:55:00.003-05:00

For only the second time in my life, so far, I have a nephew! Jacob's sister Liz and her husband Aaron welcomed their first child to the world this morning!

Easton Josiah Reasland

(cute name, huh?)

weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs. 12 oz. beating out his 3 cousins in the birth weight department!

Lots of dark hair...not surprising if you know his parents!

We're so excited and can't wait to meet him!

(You better believe since finding out an hour ago, I've already checked out the newborn boy clothing scene! )

4th of July

2009-07-06T09:51:00.002-05:00

Yes, it was as wet as it looks! This is at the parade...and it rained most of the time! Here's some of the things said that made me chuckle!

Me: "Ella, it's just sprinkling now, you can put down your umbrella."

Ella: "No mom, I don't want my blonde hair to change color."

(She's noticed it gets darker when it's wet...I guess she likes being a blonde!)

Sophia: "Hi Grandpa!" (To every guy driving a tractor)(Her Grandpa Sass, my dad, is a farmer)

Hannah: "No Sophia, that's not Grandpa. Instead say, hi strange man!"

It cleared off by evening, and we were able to enjoy the fireworks with our new neighbors!

A House Update!

2009-06-27T20:58:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! I finally did another house update....

click here to see it!

(Sorry for linking this, but I want to keep this blog personal, so I don't want to link to this site. Plus it''s a lot of pics to upload twice!)

Do You Know Jimmy?

2009-06-15T20:37:00.002-05:00

I didn't...but I heard him today on the radio and really enjoyed whatI heard....give him a listen...I hope you enjoy!

Here's his MySpace page:

Jimmy Needham.

I also changed my playlist on here so you can hear some of his tunes!

A House Update

2009-05-21T14:20:00.004-05:00

I just did a quick house update at my other site...click here! I need to get over to the house and take some more pictures...especially of the finished hardwood floors!

Future Partners In Crime...

2009-05-19T15:02:00.001-05:00

Watch out Grandma!

CLOSE...by Hannah

2009-05-19T13:44:00.006-05:00

Hopefully this makes you giggle...

"Mom what's breath cancer?" (Um...I think you mean BREAST cancer)

Someone breathing heavily...which my none Star Wars watching daughter says..."You sound like Dark Truder" (Um...do you mean Darth Vader?)

"Mom, I accidentally hit that boy in the peiner" (Um... we've talked about the correct term for that.)

And the not so close...

"Mom, why do babies come out of the va-coochie?" (occasionally termed pooh-kini) (Um...)

Official House Update

2009-05-01T13:26:00.006-05:00

Lots has been happening this past week or two on the house. We suffered a little set-back that was disheartening. Jacob and his brother Dan worked REALLY hard on the post and stair treads that were all going to be stained...I still haven't figured out if we got too much advice, bad advice or made the wrong conclusion from the advice we were given...but we didn't do the sanding just right on all the woodwork that was going to be stained. Of course we couldn't tell anything was wrong until it was stained. We realized it didn't look right, very blotchy, so the guys sanded down all the stair treads and posts and refinished them. It was an extra step they really didn't need, but it's such a BIG part of our first floor it really needed to be done right. I realized I didn't get any close-ups of the posts...next time I'll remember...but they look a lot better!

Front door area

From the kitchen, looking through the dining into the great room.

A view towards the dining room.

The mostly finished fireplace.

The front steps and sidewalks were poured! The base of the front porch columns are ready to be stoned.

Chimney is finished. All this side needs is the rest of its siding!

This is actually the closet in the room that is the guest room for now. We have the doors, but aren't putting them on now. Instead this will be a crib nook for our littlest guests. (That list keeps growing almost daily it seems like! Too exciting!) I'm thinking of painting little blue stripes still.

The master shower is mostly finished-tile wise! It is just waiting to be grouted.

Here's the floor...same diamond tiles.

This is one of our master bath cabinets that Jacob built. It is actually the hutch in between our two vanities. There will be drawers on the bottom and a glass door on the top. Didn't my husband do a great job ?!

A Sneak Peak...

2009-04-30T12:12:00.002-05:00

Here's a peak of our fireplace stone (without grout)

The full fledged update will have to wait until after I use the new pics to bribe a friend...(probably Saturday)

Too Good Not to Share!

2009-04-29T17:16:00.002-05:00

I have been following a blog of a couple from our church for a few months now...it is their journey of an open adoption. Jen is so open and honest. I'm telling you to go there now! You will cry...but will be blessed tremendously by reading their story.
The Lee's

I Almost Forgot...

2009-04-20T17:49:00.005-05:00

In all the uploading I missed this picture. Those cans are empty in case you were thinking she had super human strength (or that we were working her too hard)!

House Update...

2009-04-20T14:14:00.005-05:00

I'm sure the first of many "stair" pictures at our house!

Click here for more house updates!

Going Somewhere?

2009-04-20T14:12:00.001-05:00

The first thing out of Ella's mouth when she saw Sophia like this..."you look like a Grandma going to Hawaii!"

House Update

2009-03-23T17:13:00.002-05:00

Trim...Trim...Trim...That's what has been going on the last few weeks. Trimming windows and doors...filling all the nail holes...sanding it down...building some cabinets...and most recently the staircase. Here's some pics:

They just got done sanding...can you see all that dust floating in the air! The wall to the far right will have the wainscoting on it too.

Picture of some of the trim and office door.

Staircase trim...it will get a coat of white trim paint.

Our current "sandbox"...yeah, that's sawdust...and she's lovin' it!

Leapin' Leprachauns...

2009-03-23T17:08:00.003-05:00

Here's some pics from our St. Paddy's Day...I packed a picnic lunch and took the girls to the parade...afterwards we picked up some Shamrock Shakes and went to visit Dad at his office.

Another House Update...

2009-03-03T16:06:00.003-06:00

The guys have been busy working on the house...they're working so hard...and doing such a good job. I've been busy with the stomach flu...I had it last week. The actual flu lasted about 24 hours...but I felt like I got socked in the stomach for many days after. Sophia's been sick as well...I would probably categorize it as "the croup", but I'm no doc. Here's some picture updates on the house:

Interior doors were delivered today...this was very important because we were waiting on those things to get interior trim finished. They're just primed...still need to be painted.

This is what the girls do while we're at the house. (It's Jacobs drum set...we eventually plan on a music "room/space" in the basement)

The front siding is finished! I'm going to put a big window box under that triple garage window...can't wait for all the finishing touches.

The interior door for the den.

The east end of the house. We're waiting for it to warm up so they can put up the chimney stone...then the siding can be finished!

Hopefully about 2 months and it'll be ready for us...heaven knows we're ready for it!

A Glad Surrender...

2009-02-25T21:17:00.001-06:00

Join us, this Lenten season, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday! Click here.

This Weeks House Update...

2009-02-25T15:40:00.003-06:00

The front door was put in! West side shakes and siding are done...except for the porch shakes because of the support post.

Front garage shakes are done!

Master tub was delivered!

I Left You Alone For Only A Couple Minutes...

2009-02-25T15:37:00.002-06:00

School Lunch...

2009-02-23T14:01:00.002-06:00

We joined Hannah for lunch at school today...the girls always love it...we get extra time to hang with Hannah...get to know her friends better....and will help Ella's confidence when it's her turn to eat lunch here!

Some of This Weeks Happenings....

2009-02-19T15:56:00.002-06:00

Here's what's been happening on the house front this week...

The porch ceilings. (That hole is for a can light)

West side of the house...we have garage doors! Siding has been on hold due to the lift the guys use to do the high stuff has been broken.

Garage door close-up

Staining and varnishing the front door. I can't wait for that baby to go in!

Check It Out...

2009-02-17T16:47:00.001-06:00

Take a look at my other blog:

everything that is nice

for some tips and tricks!

Quick Updates on the Girls...

2009-02-17T10:57:00.002-06:00

Hey all...thought I would write some quick updates on the girls...

Sophia-SICK! Poor babe has the flu and is pretty miserable...and I've been thrown up on twice (I actually think it's probably better...I can throw my clothes in the washer vs. scrubbing the floor or piece of furniture....although no puke WOULD be the best option)

Ella-This girl is one smart little cookie...we pulled up to Wal-Mart this morning to get a few things and she rattled off my entire list...that wasn't written down, just mentioned as things ran out..."remember mom I used all the glue stick yesterday, the soap in our bathroom is gone, you used all the paper towels and on ond on. We're going (if Sophia gets better) to visit a preschool tomorrow. The year before Hannah went to kindergarten we sent her to preschool 3 mornings a week...it was a great transition from being home with mom all day every day. Ella would start preschool in September...and is so excited about it...tired of watching Hannah have all the fun!

Hannah- she's involved in chess club again this semester (one hour a week, after school program) She's also in the talented and gifted program again. I get to come work in her classroom one morning a week...that's been fun to get to know all her classmates and teacher. A few of Hannah's classmates have been teasing her about not knowing that the middle finger was "the naughty finger"...she found out because it had been hurting and held it up to show her classmates. She's also has a pretty loud holy spirit inside her because she always tells on herself when she's done something wrong...

Aunt Katie came on Saturday (which I eluded to in the post below) and Jacob surprised me by taking me out for Valentine's day....we actually had dinner at the Botanical Center in Des Moines amoung the plants and flowers. It was extra special to us because 10 years ago we did the same thing and it was there that he told me he loved me for the first time*! It was amazing to us how time truly flies and what has happened in theose 10 years...I couple different homes and towns, he's now a dentist and 3 little girls! WOW! It was also special because we have never gone out for Valentines day in our whole married life (7 1/2 years)...the first year we were married I had "all day pregnancy sickness" and then after that we had children and were poor college students :) We always celebrated at home...
After supper we went to a bookstore for awhile and got coffee and then went to the super late showing of "Grand Torino". All in all a great night that we didn't want to end...it made me feel so loved!
*When Jacob told me he loved me the first time he actually wrote a poem about it with the last line saying "I love you" printed it out on pretty paper and slapped and stick on it (the stick was actually a joke...my best friend and roomate at the time, Lesa, had received a poem from an artsy dude expressing his "feelings" for her...he put a stick on it...which we all thought was kind of funny...luckily for Lesa's current husband the stick, and the poem, for that matter didn't sway her). We joked about that and thought this time he should of put a 2x4 on it to represent where we were in life now!

A Pretty Laundry Room...

2009-02-14T13:42:00.006-06:00

It's quiet in my house...it's never quiet here. The big girls are at the new house with dad, Sophia's taking a nap and I'm supposed to be cleaning and getting ready...(to go somewhere tonight because someone is coming to baby-sit...that's all the details I have). I thought I'd take a break from cleaning and get on the computer for a bit.

Concerning the laundry room in our house-it is upstairs, centrally located, is a room all by itself and has a door that I can pull close...

It's not a big room, but big enough. Here's a picture of a laundry room I like (cabinet and countertop wise)

I do like the blue cabinets...but am already doing enough blue in other rooms so they will probably be a creamy white. I won't be doing a backsplash. I'm unsure about what to use for the countertop, but I like how the countertop goes over the washer and dryer in the pic. The floor I've chosen is a good old school linoleum...checkerboard of tan/beige and creamy white.

Possibly a drying rack above the sink

Schoolhouse light

Sink faucet (mine doesn't have such a high arc)

Similar to my sink...which I got at an architectural salvage store and had refinished. My sink will sit in the countertop and a cabinet. I'm thinking of doing a fabric curtain on the sink cabinet instead of a door.

There is one wall that you will just have to wait to see, it's too hard for me to explain...

so there's your most recent peek!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We've Been Infested!

2009-02-13T08:58:00.003-06:00

Hannah's homemade Valentine's for school...I think we had more glitter on the floor then made it onto those Valentine's!
The inside of Hannah's Valentine card for her teacher! (fyi...her teacher loves frogs)
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Meet Pierre...

2009-02-13T08:54:00.001-06:00

Sophia's Room...

2009-02-05T13:28:00.006-06:00

The mere thought of Sophia having her own room makes me pretty darn excited...we all love the girl, but we all need a little space from her at night. Since she's arrived I haven't slept through a night...she's 21 months people! Right now we live in a 2 bedroom apt., when she wakes up and screams, everyone wakes up. So I am dreaming of that room and holding on until the day she gets there! Here's what I'm "dreaming" of for her room...

This is the chandelier I've picked for her room...I love that it looks like a bouquet of flowers!

I have always loved this quilt from The Land of Nod. I ordered the fabric swatches of it...they're beautiful! I love the fact there's 3 colors, but different shades of those colors. It's such a fun quilt too! Land of Nod sells the Jenny Lind crib pictured above for $329...I found mine(before I had EVER seen this picture) at a garage sale for $13!

When she moves out of her crib, she'll move into a bed similar to the one above. Land of Nod sells it for $499...the Girls Scouts sold it at their garage sale for $5. (I bought it many years ago for Hannah's first big girl bed)

I'm thinking of possibly doing some kind of vinyl decal like the one above tucked into a corner...and in white.

I LOVE this idea I saw a while ago...my sister ended up doing something a little similar above her daughter Isabel's crib (except she painted her own designs on the fabric and letters to spell out Isabel) I like the idea that it won't knock my daughter unconscious when she knocks one off the wall!

I am undecided on what color to paint the walls. I am thinking of a yellow or green...I just have to figure out the right shade, she has a south facing room with tons of light and I don't want my color looking neon! I am also thinking of a plate rail (like a chair rail but higher on the wall).

Something else I am thinking of doing is using a "china hutch" for toy and book storage in her room...I don't think one at a good price will be too hard to find, especially since I'll be painting it.

She'll have a little wooden table and chairs in her room with a play kitchen and her baby cradle.

Mudroom Ideas....

2009-02-03T11:58:00.007-06:00

So I've had requests for more house pics...but they'd be pretty boring at this point...siding is plugging along and white primer is going up. So I thought I'd make a "design board/collage" to show you my ideas for the finished product...but, that's pretty time consuming...so this is what ya get people! Unfortunately for everyone involved (except for me) my design ideas are up in my noggin...so I jump when I see a picture that shows what I was thinking....that exact thing happened to me today...I was searching for mudroom lockers and found a picture of lockers I mostly like (I don't think I've ever seen a picture that was "perfect" for me and exactly what I would do- it's always a combination of ideas I've seen, tweeked or come up with on my own) and then I looked closer and saw the floor was very similar to what I was thinking of doing in the mudroom...so that's about as "collage-y" as I get today!

The door from the mudroom to the garage is a blank canvas...it'll end up looking like the above (except the door is white, not wood)

Here's the closest pic I could find of the mudroom locker I want to do...except they will be creamy white (trim color). The bench part will be stained wood and so will the beadboard back. And there will probably be 5 of them. And probably drawers on the bottom for shoes. See the floor?...I've been searching for the last month for a brick floor...I want it to look like an old bricked street....thankfully my flooring guy is all over finding me what I want!

Here's the light fixture(s) I'm thinking about right now...I'll need 2.

Article

2009-02-03T10:42:00.004-06:00

This article was in our college paper...so cool what God is doing through that generation at ISU...plus some good (although not shocking) insight of what probably many think a christian is... it will be interesting to see how God continues to work in this girls heart, but I'm thinking the "hounds of heaven" are already after her.... :)

The Future....

2009-01-30T17:45:00.002-06:00

The current "what I want to be when I grow up" for Ella: A Christmas Tree Maker

A Learning Process

2009-01-30T17:39:00.004-06:00

Hannah is a really sweet girl who has a real heart for others...She's always thinking of ways to help others, has already decided to adopt children when she gets older, on many occasions we've had to wait with other kids until their parents pick them up so they wouldn't be by themselves, you get the idea. But with that comes learning what's the right thing to say and do. Here's what happened this week...
Taylor(a sweet little classmate of Hannah's): "My dad is in Iraq fighting the war."
Hannah: "I'll come to the funeral"
Nice...

Another House Update...

2009-01-21T16:30:00.005-06:00

We're getting close to getting to the inside finishes. The siding is still "in process" because of the weather. Hopefully by the end of the week we'll be able to prime the walls and ceiling in preparation to paint...Here's some recent pics for you...

The "room" below is actually our Master Bedroom Closet...To say I'm excited is an understatement.

This picture is taken in the Great Room. The door on the right is the den/office. In the middle is the powder room and then the stairs. The posts on the bottom of the steps will be wrapped in wood. To the left of the stairs is the dining area.

This is our Master Bedroom. To the left of the fireplace will be bookshelves.

This picture is taken from the kitchen. Looking through the dining area into the Great Room. We wanted one big space instead of a bunch of little rooms.

I'm standing in the dining room looking into the kitchen. On the left side in the distance is the pantry in the mudroom.

Again the Great Room. We're putting stone all the way up the fireplace. There will be built-in cabinets on each side of the fireplace.

Another view of the Great Room.

The girls in their room...you better believe I'm putting a big window seat in front of that window!

Breaking Them In...

2008-12-27T11:06:00.004-06:00

Hannah and Ella received sleeping bags for Christmas. They have slept in them every night since receiving them!

Our Family Christmas

2008-12-27T10:34:00.003-06:00

We had our little family Christmas on the evening of the 23rd because we were going to be out of town from Christmas Eve until Friday afternoon. Here are some "highlights" ...

Sophia is baby CRAZY! She can usually be found playing with a baby. I found a wooden doll high chair and cradle while at some garage sales this past summer. I wanted to get a baby just for her and I wanted it to be a fabric one, instead of plastic. Baby Rosy fits perfect and is so sweet! She loves her...

Ella gave Hannah this dress (it's actually a Halloween costume we picked up after Halloween) I'm surprised how much Hannah liked it. She puts it on and calls herself "The Queen of All Christmas". (Hannah asked for things like an Ipod and a Wii for Christmas because that's what her classmates are asking for...those will be down the road...my child is growing up too fast...these are the days for dress up and doll houses...electronics and other things will be the gifts for the days ahead) We gave her the dollhouse you can kind of see in the picture of Sophia and Rosy above. (I also got that at a garage sale this summer) It came partially finished and with a bunch of furniture. My intention, when buying it, was to finish it all before we gave it to her. Jacob suggested we help her finish it...which took me back to the dollhouse I had gotten as a child. I spent countless hours decorating and redecorating that house with the wallpaper, paint, fabric and carpet remnants my mom had around the house. The suggestion sounded great to me! We let her pick out the family to live in it, gave her a gift card to Hobby Lobby to buy furniture, accessories, paint and whatever else she wants to put in the house. She wanted to run to Hobby Lobby right away...the outside already has its first coat of paint on it.

Here's Sophia actually in the cradle with Rosy. I quickly whipped up a mattress, pillow, quilt and flannel receiving blanket for the cradle. The cradle it wooden and so cute.

Ella's gift was a sentimental buy...I used to play with it when I was little. I bought it on Ebay. It's a little house that a animal family lives in...the line is called "Mapletown" The furniture and accessories are more old fashioned...it's just a sweet and innocent little playset.

Ella's Birthday

2008-12-27T10:25:00.003-06:00

Here is one of the last pics our old camera took...we are at Chucky Cheese's celebrating Ella's birthday. We also went to Disney on Ice that night....both were completely a surprise to Ella. Hannah gave Ella her very own Webkinz. Now Ella goes onto Webkinz.com and takes care of her Penguin "Snowy"...something she's been wanting to do ever sonce Hannah got her own Webkinz in July.

(FYI-A Webkinz is the stuffed animal above. When you buy it, you are not only buying the stuffed animal but also a secret code good for your animal to become a virtual animal. You then can take care of it online...create a home for it...feed it....send it on vacations...you know, anything you would do with a regular Penguin :) You are able to do this by earning "Kinz Cash" which you earn by doing jobs and playing games. )

House Pics

2008-12-24T11:22:00.002-06:00

BREAKING NEWS

2008-12-21T18:21:00.003-06:00

She's here!
Isabel Marie Mackey "Izzy" arrived this afternoon by C-Section.
Mom (my sister) and Baby are doing well!
She was 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 inches long!
Lots of dark hair
Can't wait to meet her!

Remember Me?

2008-12-21T11:28:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone...
Sorry I've been gone for a month...my camera officially broke on "Ella's Birthday Surprise Celebration" night (Chuck E Cheese and Disney on Ice). I've had it in my mind that I can't post without up to date pics... Finally today I decided I would post without any pics... (something I've clearly done before, but you know, you get an idea and it won't let go)
We've been busy with holiday preps and house "things".
The house is moving along...not super fast...but things are happening daily. The roof is on and windows are in. The electricians are finishing up. The plumbers have to come in to do water supplies and then it will be insulation. Once that's done, it's drywall time!
Jacob is there every chance he gets (even today, in this blizzard warning!) He is doing the siding, but things never move along quickly in cold weather. He's a trooper and hard worker!
I thought I would share with you a couple things...
Here's a great last minute Christmas gift or something for your own home. The possibilities are endless!
Here's a story I've been enjoying this Christmas season...Check-out what gift this family received. God is GOOD! Keep them in your prayers!
Right now I feel like a kid waiting for my Christmas gift...my sister called at 4:30 AM to let me know they were going to the hospital to hopefully have their baby girl (their first). I can't wait! She is a gift we all have been waiting more than nine months for! I'll keep you posted!
Take care and STAY WARM!

Rejoice With...

2008-11-20T13:45:00.002-06:00

Our very good friends, Tom and Sara, welcomed the newest member of their sweet family this morning....Samuel Thomas James! (Sam Tom Jim as I like to call him). He will be so loved and taken care of by his 3 older sisters Isabelle, Elena and Lillian. Congrats! We can't wait to meet him!

House Update...

2008-11-15T16:36:00.002-06:00

Here's a recent picture of the house...still coming along. We went and picked out siding today...Cypress is the name of the color.

Check This Out...

2008-11-14T12:42:00.003-06:00

Check out my other blog I started: everything that is nice . I decided to start my new blog because there were so many things I wanted to share: projects, deals, recipes, etc. but I wanted to keep this blog more for our family/life updates.

Anyone looking for...

2008-11-14T12:12:00.002-06:00

For Sophia's little kitchen that I'm making her for Christmas, I ordered a "lot" of vintage tin/aluminum child's dishes off of ebay. I received the box today, it was full of vintage silvery tin pots, pans, silverware and all kinds of things. Something electric blue caught my eye...it was these beautiful pieces you see above. They are truly beautiful, I've never seen anything like them before. Thing is, I don't really need them. I am searching my brain to try to find a reason to keep them, but I'm coming up with nothing. They are tin/aluminum and vintage, possibly a bit retro...just super cool. I decided to sell them...I'm planning on putting them on Craigslist, but thought I would offer them to my friends and family first, because they're just really cool and unique. I think I'd sell the set for $10 plus a little for shipping and handling. Let me know if anyone wants them!

Making A List, Checking It Twice...

2008-11-11T14:07:00.007-06:00

A few facts about me...

I love to show people I care about them by picking out the perfect gift for them. I am constantly seeing things and thinking "this person would love this", "this would be perfect for them". I'm pretty good about storing things in my brain that would help me find the perfect gift for someone.
I love a good deal. But I don't have the time to run around to find the best deals.
I am a mom of 3 little ones and a wife to one busy guy. This translates into not much time on my own and the potential for crazy shopping trips with my kids. Not the kind of "Christmas memories" I want for my kids.

The following are a few "tricks" I have up my sleeve for this years Christmas shopping (and really just about any shopping). I hope this helps someone!

A huge help to me with buying presents (and even things for the house we're building) are
BigCrumbs and Ebates . 2 different companies, but they do the exact same thing. You sign up on their websites for an account (I should stress that they are absolutely free too!). When you are going to buy something online, you click through to that site from Big Crumbs or Ebates and they track it and give you a percentage of your purchase back. That's it-easy peasy, lemon squeezy! (anyone else have a child that says that?) Not every retailer has partnered with these sites- but truly most of the major ones have-check out their retailer lists, you'll be impressed! The only thing that is hard sometimes is remembering to go to your account and to click through before you buy. Here's an example- I want to buy something from Target.com. I go to Big Crumbs, make sure I'm signed in to my account. I then click on Target.com, then shop. It will give you a tracking number and take you right to Target.com. That's it! Big Crumb credits your PayPal account and ebates sends you a check. It's pretty sweet!
Another thing I do (combined with the above) is Google a coupon code for the site I'm buying from. So I Google "Target.com coupon code". A favorite site of mine is RetailMeNot.com . Most sites have some kind of code, even if it is free shipping.
Another thing I've done is sign up for a store/sites newsletter. They often will email you coupons. Example- I was ordering some kid things from Klutz.com . They didn't have an affiliation with BigCrumbs or Ebates and no coupon codes. I signed up for their emails and they sent me 25% off my order....sweet!
Garage Sales! I have found most of what the girls are getting for Christmas at garage sales this summer. I found a little hutch($7.50) I am turning into a kitchen for Sophia. A wooden doll cradle (3.00). I found a dollhouse for Hannah ($20) that just needs a little more finishing. I also found American girl doll books for her for .50 each!
Ebay and Etsy. BigCrumbs gives you some money back for purchases made from ebay. Just make sure you clip through them before buying! Etsy is just FULL of wonderful, handcrafted goodies. Check it out! I may be ordering some felt food for Sophia's kitchen if I don't get any made!
Sometimes a little patience is all you need. Jacob and I decided we were going to get the girls sleeping bags from LL Bean. No affilitations and no coupons. I just received a catalog in the mail saying free shipping and a $10 gift card with every $50 or more purchase. So I purchased each bag seperately and received free shipping and $20 in gift cards.

I have a few more holiday tricks up my sleeve, but for now this will have to do. I hope this helps!

House Update...

2008-11-06T16:06:00.002-06:00

The month of October was a slow one on the house front. Because we were still in the foundation stage, any wet ground would halt progress. It seemed like every week was the same- rain on Monday & Tuesday, and it would take until the weekend to dry out. Finally framing has started!Four days of work and here is what we have:

(each space described has a door or window hole, which you can see in the pictures-they have the thick board (header) over each opening.)

The above picture is the front of the house. On the right is the garage...the garage doors are on the side, that's a window in the front. To the left of the garage will be a big "L" shaped porch. The space to the left of the garage inside the house is the den. To the left of that space is the front door. To the left of the front door is a "nook". It's really just part of the great room, but will have a "visual seperation" by using posts, beams and a 9 foot ceiling (as compared to the vaulted ceiling in the rest of the great room.) The plan is to put a piano there and maybe a small game table and chairs. We'll see as the space develops.

This the garage door side of the house. No much happenin' here... The framers might not agree...that's a steel beam going through the garage that they had to put in.

Here's the backside of the house. On the far right is the back of the Great Room. There is no 2nd story above that room, just a vaulted ceiling.
The window to the left of that is the dining room. The patio door hole to the left of that is the kitchen. The door to the left of that will eventually lead to a screened in porch and patio across the back. We will add those after we move in.
That door is in between the mudroom and kitchen. The mudroom will have a pantry, closet, lockers and a desk for me. It has a door to the garage and a door out the garage side of the house. We plan on having our garden over there and a swing set. There you go. It might not look like much, but every little bit is so exciting for us!

Trick or Treatin' In Style...

2008-11-06T14:03:00.002-06:00

"Kitty"
"Rainbow Heart Butterfly"

"Mad Scientist"

The Deciding Factor

2008-11-04T11:30:00.003-06:00

Up until this day I have not planned on voting for either of the front runners in this election. I had decided to be a "maverick" and write in the candidate of my choice, knowing that they wouldn't win, but maybe my voice would be heard. I started to become convicted that maybe that wasn't the right thing to do. I look at the election as part of the momentum leading up to the return of our Savior (which we should hasten "Thy kingdom come"). So my prayer is that the Lords will would be done, and He would use me to do His will and that what matters to Him would matter to me. And then I came across this video today, and it impressed into my heart what I believe is His heart. Please watch now!
Americas Choice Now - Video

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Remember To Vote...

2008-11-04T07:44:00.003-06:00

Sink Thoughts...

2008-10-23T13:00:00.007-05:00

The children were nestled, all snug in their beds, while visions of vessel sinks danced in my head...

that was me last night after putting the girls to bed.

as lovely as the copper sink is, I agree with the majority of the input I received about the vessel sink in the powder room- the white would be more consistent with the overall plumbing style in the house. Let me give you a few pictures of some of the other plumbing...I think you will agree.

Master Bath Tub

Sink for the kids bathroom

Wall faucet for the powder room

Am I done because I decided on the white sink? Of course not...here are the choices I've come up with. Vote on the right side of page. Thanks for your input.

Simple

Petite French

Traditional

Square

Bummer...

2008-10-23T12:54:00.002-05:00

we just broke the news to Hannah....that she, in fact, cannot vote in the presidential election. it's too bad, she's more informed and cares more than some adults.

Irony...

2008-10-23T12:40:00.004-05:00

If any of you happened to look up irony in the dictionary yesterday this example may have been there...

Hannah is a good kid, but she has "focus" problems (Ok, she's distracted and ditzy at times). Every morning it is the same scene...Hannah get your teeth brushed...5 minutes later she's still in the bathroom...I say, "Hannah did you get your teeth brushed?" And she says, "oh, I forgot, I was making funny faces in the mirror." It goes on like this all morning every morning. It ends up with a frustrated mother, who realizes she just put out fires, instead of really taught anything. So yesterday morning I decided to let consequence be her teacher. I had told her first thing when she got up to put her library book in her bag. She has library on Wednesday, and if she doesn't return her book, she doesn't get to check a new one out. It was getting to be time to go to school and I realized she had not done as told. We got out to the car and she had forgotten her backpack (I had reminded her once) along with the library book. I gave her this speech about stopping at the door and double checking you had everything needed for the day...blah,blah, blah. I got home from dropping her off at school, walked in the door and saw the bag of snacks sitting on the counter that I was supposed to drop off at school when I dropped Hannah off...nice example mom.

Camping Out

2008-10-19T22:35:00.003-05:00

At the end of summer Jacob decided to take the girls camping...in our yard. Sophia and I hung outside until bedtime. The girls had fun...and they all woke up at the crack of dawn!

Blueberries!

2008-10-19T22:28:00.001-05:00

This summer we went to a "pick-your-own" farm. We filled our tummies and our gallon bucket with perfectly ripe and juicy berries. Sophia ate her weight in blueberries!

Stella!!!!

2008-10-19T22:18:00.002-05:00

Another fun thing we did this summer was going to a 50's diner called "Stella's". Their signature is how they serve their shakes...you can hold your cup on your head or open wide!

Adventureland

2008-10-19T22:06:00.002-05:00

Hello In There...Hello Out There....

2008-10-19T21:54:00.002-05:00

This is Cinnamon. Cinnamon is a fish that Hannah got to "fish-sit" this summer. A very sweet, smart friend of mine knew 2 things about Hannah...she wanted a fish for her birthday and she wanted to make some money to buy a Webkinz. Knowing that, she asked Hannah to watch the family fish for them while they went on vacation and moved. Happily Hannah did it. She earned enough for her Webkinz and showed us she was responsible enough to get her own fish (for her birthday).

Summer Fun

2008-10-19T21:44:00.005-05:00

Maybe now would be a good time to start catching you up on some of the fun we had this summer. At the end of May we traveled down to Nashville for a family wedding. It was a short, but sweet, family trip. We had some good BBQ at "Bar-B-Cuties" with Aunt Liz and Uncle Aaron. A great memory we made was going to "The Wildhorse Saloon" for some food and dancing. We had a quick lesson from some regulars...and then we had a great time dancing. At one point during the night, a man came up to Jacob and Ella dancing and said, "you've got the prettiest girl in the place!" Ella was so tickled, she kept telling that story to everyone!

Feeling Sick...

2008-10-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

I accidently deleted our family blog...I feel sick to my stomach...oh well, here I go again.

The Overman Family

Friday Five

California-Day One

Sophia's 4th Birthday

A Fun Photo

Friday Quick 5

They Crack Me Up!

Some Fun Nights: Part 2

Some Fun Nights: Part 1

March 17th, 2011

Grandpa Pumpkin

Friday 5

Figuring Life Out - One Thousand Gifts

The Glamorous Life

Christmas 2010: Christmas Day

Christmas 2010: Christmas Eve

Christmas 2010: Overman Family Christmas

Christmas 2010: Treat Making

Christmas 2010: The Farm

Christmas 2010: Decking The Halls

Christmas 2010: Kickin' Off The Season

Merry Christmas

Photo Shoot

Happy Halloween!

Glimpses of the New Office

Flood of 2010

From That To This...

We Be Rollin' In Our Swagger Wagon...

Heaven...An 8 Year Old Imagines

How My 8 Year Old Feels Loved...

Ella Funnies

Since I Was Asked...

My Weekend Adventure

Woe Is Me!

Pumpkins Galore!

A 2-Year Old's Prayer...

Happenings...

1st Days....

The Wait Is Over!

4th of July

A House Update!

Do You Know Jimmy?

A House Update

Future Partners In Crime...

CLOSE...by Hannah

Official House Update

A Sneak Peak...

Too Good Not to Share!

I Almost Forgot...

House Update...

Going Somewhere?

House Update

Leapin' Leprachauns...

Another House Update...

A Glad Surrender...

This Weeks House Update...

I Left You Alone For Only A Couple Minutes...

School Lunch...

Some of This Weeks Happenings....

Check It Out...

Quick Updates on the Girls...

A Pretty Laundry Room...

We've Been Infested!

Meet Pierre...

Sophia's Room...

Mudroom Ideas....

Article

The Future....

A Learning Process

Another House Update...

Breaking Them In...

Our Family Christmas

Ella's Birthday

House Pics

******BREAKING NEWS******

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Rejoice With...

House Update...

Check This Out...

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