Mud Room Episode 2

A lot has happened since I last blogged about the mud room. The floor has been raised, the ceiling is hung, and the hardwood is starting to be laid. It's exciting to watch the transformation. 

Now there is only one step into the kitchen instead of 3.

The bathroom is framed in. It will be so nice to have 2 full bathrooms!!

I love the pre-finished hardwood. It's so durable and shiny! The best part is once it's nailed into place it's finished. No sanding dust or staining fumes.

Remember the garage sale find I mentioned a few posts ago? Here is a peek.

My garage is a mess. I promise it isn't normally, but with all the construction it has to be. Anyway, I plan to turn the bottom row (or both rows) into chalkboards instead of mirrors. That way I can write who gets to hang stuff where.

:j

He loves me.

I saw this on another person's blog a while back. I saved it to my computer, and thought I should share it with you all.


I made her...She is different, she is unique. With love i formed her in her mothers womb. I fashioned her with great joy. I remember with great pleasure the day I created her. (Psalm 139)

I love her smile. I love her ways. I love to hear her laugh. I love the silly things she says and does. She brings me great pleasure. This is how I made her. (Psalm 139)

I made her pretty not beautiful because I know her heart and how she would be vain. I wantd her to search out her heart and learn that it's ME in her that makes her beautiful, and it would be Me in her that draws friends to her. (1 Peter)

I made her in such a way that she would need me. A little more lonesome than she would like to be only because I need her to lean and depend on Me. I know her heart and I know if I had not made her like this she would go her own chosen way and forget Me- Her own creator. (Psalm 63)

I have grown her many good and happy things. (Psalm 84; Romans 8)

Because I love her, I hae seen her broken heart... and the tears she has cried alone. I have cried with her and had a broken heart too. (Psalm 56)

Many times she has stumbled and fallen alone, only because she would not hold my hand. Many lessons she has learned the hard way because she wouldn't listen to my voice. (Isaiah 62)

So many times I have set back and sadly watched her go her way alone, only to watch her return to my arms, sad and broken. Now she is Mine again. I made her and then I bought her because I love her. I have to reshape and remold her... to renew her for what I have planned. It has not been easy for her or for Me. (Jeremiah 29)

I want her to conform too my image... this high goal I have set for her because  I love Her.

:j

Mail Time!

So my friend, Raylene, sometimes does this thing with post-it notes. I'm stealing her idea, but using post cards instead. That's what friends are for, right?

:j

The Mud Room Episode 1

When I was little, I always wanted a house with it's own laundry room. None of that laundry in the basement ridiculousness for me! I wanted a nice big room with pretty white floors and walls that looked like it stepped out of a Maytag/Tide/Martha Stewart commercial. When I bought my house it did come with it's own laundry room, but it was far from being white and pretty. In fact it is still far from being white and pretty, but it's getting there.

Here's what we're starting with...

Yeah, pretty gross, right? Hidden behind the sheetrock in the corner is a scary bathroom. 

The photo above is missing the best part which is the plaid ceiling. Here is what the mud room looked like a week ago. It had become a place for me to throw random stuff that I was too lazy to take to the attic.

Thankfully, the remodel has begun! Dad tore out the sheetrock, and we removed all the randomness.

The plan is to raise the floor, insulate, put in all new sheetrock, build a new bathroom (with a shower!), raise the window, raise the hot water heater and furnace, move the AC unit, move the washer and dryer, put in hardwood floors, change the door into the garage, build a half wall, add some storage cabinets or something, and make it look pretty. I'm ready to think about paint colors, but Daddy tells me I get too far ahead of him.

Oh, we also discovered an old wasp nest in the wall. Hopefully that is all we end up discovering!

Stay tuned for episode 2!

:j

Weight Loss Episode 5

I took a week off from weight loss. Kind of like a mini vacation if you will. I ate at Jose Peppers, Zios, McDonalds, and Momma's house. I did not work out. I did not count points. I did not worry about the fact that I made cookies from scratch for everyone who came to my game night on Friday. AMAZINGLY, I did however lose weight. 2 pounds to be exact.

You may be asking yourself, how on earth that adds up. To be quite honest, I'm asking myself the same thing. It kind of makes me fear next weigh in because it's bound to catch up with me. There is no way you can eat various forms of tortillas or noodles covered in cheese and still lose weight. The only thing I can think of is that on Thursday night I went to Bible study. While there, I mentioned that I was trying to lose weight. We talked about it, laughed about it, and even prayed about it. The good Lord decided to giveth this week....or is it taketh away in this case? Regardless, I'm down 2 pounds giving me a grand total of 9 pounds.

In other news, my knee is better. What's that, Internet? I can start my running routine now? Ha, you're funny. That's why I like you.

:j

The Sweetest Thing

There are a lot of sweet things in the world: ice cream, big bows on little girls, first kisses, daisies, chocolate chip cookies, cute shoes, etc. However, I think the sweetest thing in the entire world are sleeping babies. You know that feeling when you've been rocking a baby and he has been fussing, but then suddenly he succumbs to the sleep? Mmm, it's heavenly. Yesterday I got to experience that with my adorable nephew.

His momma is trying to keep him on a sleep schedule, and I'm trying to support her in that endeavor. So I was trying to push his second nap since he was just a bit fussy. I figured he could stay awake for 15 more minutes, so he would stay on schedule. I put him in his high chair while I unloaded the dishwasher. He loves his high chair. He sits there and reads books and talks to me like you see in this picture.

Yes, it does look like he's crying, but in reality he is just really passionate when he talks. I promise you he wasn't crying. He loves his aunt Jenny, so he never cries when he sees me. Anyway, a few minutes later he grew quiet suddenly and I look over to see that he decided he didn't want to wait until 11:30 for a nap.

How sweet is this? Seriously?

 I love his chunky little fingers. :)

So what's your sweetest thing?

:j