Black Paint is my Favorite

Yesterday, I officially sanded eight chairs, one table, two desks, and eight drawers (which I'm counting separately from the desks!).


This would be the hardware I removed from Abbee and Emma's desk!
And, look at the sweet note the last owner left for me...

When I started hauling out the dining chairs, Wes said (in a way that only he can), "ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" Just because I asked him to help me paint the desks doesn't mean I can't save him some time in the long run and bring out EVERYTHING I've been wanting to paint for the last three years but haven't gotten around to...right?
So, he painted until dark last night, came home from church today, and painted some more.

I am happy to report that almost everything in my house is now officially painted black thanks to Wes. Well, and my mad sanding skilz!! (Does skilz have one L or 2?)

Tomorrow, we start school! Tonight, we have bed time. I love bed time. Almost as much as I love black paint. Almost.

Homeschooling Blog

Because I really wanted to give Wordpress a try, I started a new blog just for our homeschooling sagas! So far, I'm a Wordpress moron. Shocking, I know! I'm hoping to keep up with our school year as I fumble my way through. You can follow along here!

Treasuring my Trash

My father in law often brings me treasure that others have considered trash! Sometimes, I have to agree with the others. But, every now and then, he brings me something I LOVE.

Several months ago, he brought me a HUGE mirror with a butt ugly frame. I loved the size of the mirror and the chunkiness of the frame; and, I knew with a little spray paint, it would make a fine addition to my dining area.

I painted it right away. Then I waited on the husband to hang it. It weighs about 5 tons. I waited awhile.

Finally, it was on the wall and to my horror, it was terribly SCRATCHED...deep, ugly scratches that could not be hidden. Or could they?I just used an overhead projector to enlarge a "P" that I liked. Then I traced it onto poster board, cut it out, stuck it to the mirror, and used frosted glass spray paint!

It has a couple of spots that need to be retouched, but I really, really love the way it turned out.

**Updated to add: if you like DIY projects as much as I, and you want to get inspired to do things you never knew you wanted to do, gohere to check out Kimba's DIY party!!**

The Games People Play

There are a couple of little games Leigh likes to play when visiting my house!! One is the "pick up Shellee's camera and take a picture of myself" game...

The other is a bit like hide and seek. Only she hides this...In case you are wondering, it's a tiny little photo of Leigh as a young lass sporting her tutu and bright lipstick!!

I've found it so many places: the back of my toilet, in my jewelry box, on top of the thermostat, on the mantle, etc. Last night, she and GG came over to hang out and when I woke up this morning, I found it here...It makes me laugh every single time!!

Straight from the horse's mouth...

Although not exactly the way I had anticipated, the cat's out of the bag! The fact that I am home schooling my kiddos this year has been said out loud!! I know that every parent makes choices for their children based on their own perspectives, experiences, and what is right for their families at that given time. So, for anyone who actually cares, here's the scoop:

After 4-5 months of wrestling, praying, and seeking the counsel of friends and family, Wes and I have finally decided that this is indeed the direction that is best for us.

Because SO MANY of my friends are public school teachers and because SO MANY of my children's teachers have been AMAZING, I just wanted to say that this decision had nothing to do with a bad public school experience or unhappiness with the education our kids have received so far. It is exactly because our experience overall has been quite positive, that the struggle to decide was so difficult.

We arrived at this decision with one purpose in mind: to simplify our lives. Our lives have become so chaotic and busy that we are sacrificing the important for the sake of the urgent. So we are taking a year to slow down and focus on the important. Quite frankly, in a family our size, the demands on our schedule placed by the public school system are just more time than we are willing to sacrifice.

So, here we are, embarking on a totally new way of doing life. I am completely freaked out but totally at peace. I know there will be highs and lows and lows and lows; but, I have a feeling that we will not look back on the time we gained with our children and ever regret our decision.

Perseid Meteor Shower

Last night, my sweet little muffins talked me into staying up past 1:00 AM to watch the Perseid meteor shower! We hauled our blankets (it was actually a little cool with a pleasant breeze) and pillows and a little popcorn (because we can't do anything unless there is food involved!) to the trampoline and watched the sky for about an hour and a half!

The sky did not disappoint! We saw countless meteors; but, the most brilliant was one of the very first ones we saw. It was so bright and you could see red, yellow, and green "lights" trailing behind it!

Although I'm certain we made a memory the kids will never forget, my favorite part was when we all became so deliriously tired that everything said was hilarious. At one point, I had to ask JP to STOP for a second because I was laughing so hard I could not breathe...which made me get a little panicky...which caused me to hyperventilate...which only worsened my inability to breathe!

It's not too late to see the shower for yourself! It will be visible through the 24th from around 11 PM- 4AM. (We got to the trampoline around 11:45 and by 1:00, the rate at which the meteors were coming had slowed way down!) Look up, be patient, and enjoy the spectacular show!!

Goodbyes Suck

I know that language isn't appropriate; but, it's true!! We had to say goodbye to the Williams girls today and it sucked. There. I said it! Emma and I decided we would just pretend they were leaving on vacation and would be back soon! Denial. It's my specialty!




Although we feel really sad, we are extremely excited for them. And, being the glass half full kind of girl I am (AHEM!), there is a bright side: we now have a new place to frequent! I love traveling to new countries with different customs and foreign languages! So exciting!!

To the Williams family: We love you guys!! Have fun on your vacation!