Do-it-Yourself!!

Yep, I have tackled yet another project! Something about being inside more seems to make me take on these projects. We have been talking about needing to do some things to the kitchen. It is the only room of the house we have not done anything to since we bought it. We really want to do a big remodel and knock out a wall and put in new cabinets....but, for now it is just some paint and a few little things. I forgot and didn't take a before picture (dummy me!), but I did take one after we had peeled most of the wallpaper off. It is a very tiny kitchen, as you will see, and had wallpaper when we purchased it 6 1\2 years ago. It was decent wallpaper with fruit on it that matched my dishes. It was really looking bad, turning a yellowish and the trimwork really needed painting so, I thought to myself...."self, if you are going to paint the trim, you might as well just go ahead and get that off the walls and be done with it." Husband agreed with self and so began the fun!

I borrowed a steamer to remove the paper --what a hassle. Then I got online and did somemore research and decided to go to Lowe's the next day and buy a bottle of liquid spray remover and a bottle of the gel and see which worked best (still not completely sure that I wouldn't have to return to the steamer). I started this task and Sydney jumped in to help and Tanner jumped in to help (What an educational adventure for them---now THEY know how to strip wallpaper!!). We wiped it out in a few days just working a bit at a time (started on Sunday with the sprays and finished on Tues night.) Had bought paint at the same time as the removers and began painting Wednesday night. Finished the walls today (not the typical way to spend Thanksgiving) and am going to go back to Lowe's and get the paint for the trim and new outlets and covers (these are so nasty looking and I really want to put in white ones. I do have a place to sand and put another coat on and then I need to borrow a dolly to move the refrigerator out a smidge.

Here are some "during" pics....

The paint, it looks like mauve in the picture, but it is really "Bronze copper" it is an earthy, orangy brown kinda like a terracotta color--it is definitely NOT pink!! ha ha

Tanner's BIRTHDAY!

November 23, 2008 Yep, he was re-born!! He asked Jesus into his heart Sunday night at home after church!!! WAHOOO!! I might just have to change churches--I may become a little too charismatic for a baptist! ha ha. This is been a big deal for Tanner. I had asked him about 3 weeks ago where he would go (heaven or hell) if I had a wreck or something happened and he died. He looked me straight in the eye and said "Hell". OH MY!!! I was almost speechless ( yep--me--speechless--notice I said "almost"). I asked him if he thought he should do something about that and he said "nah, not now"--oh wow! I told my husband that I really had a hard time leaving the house and letting him ride in the same vehicle as me---what if I wrecked and he died--(I know GOD is in control of all things--but that would have been too much for me). Man, you talk about hitting my knees in prayer for him. We have always talked openly about God, Jesus and what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross and then rose again after 3 days, always talked about current world topics and how they fit into the Bible timeline and Todd and I both told him that if he had questions or just needed to talk that we wanted to help him and be there for him. It is a thin line between pushing and not saying anything. It was evident by his demeanor that something was going on and I was praying it was that God was convicting him and not just a bad attitude kicking in full force--I knew it had to be God--first of all because his daddy and I were praying with all our hearts and secondly, he was having trouble going to sleep on more than one ocassion and having trouble concentrating on tasks (very uncharacteristic). Then, this past Sunday after worship service at church, I headed home with the girls and Todd went to WalMart to get gas and pickup a few items. On the way to WalMart, Tanner told Todd that he needed to be saved, needless to say Todd didn't make it to pick up the items we needed at WalMart (he did have to get gas so he could make it home) and he flew home. When he walked in the door I was on the phone with my mother and Todd looked at me and said "You need to get off the phone!" My heart sank---had he had a wreck--his parents had a wreck---what was up?? (He has never done that before! and looked so serious). And I just told mom " I gotta go" and hung up. He then told me what Tanner had said. We got the girls situated with a movie (to prevent interruptions) and sat down with him and let him tell us why he thought that and ask questions. Todd and I both read him scripture and let him know what steps he had to take to be saved and that HE had to do them --we couldn't do it for him. He prayed the sweetest and most heart wrenching prayer and asked Jesus into his heart. ( I think I may have heard the angels in heaven singing --Luke 15:7). But, bless his heart after our talking somemore and then story and prayer time with the girls, he said " I feel like I need to do it all over again." He thought it was too easy and he didn't feel any "physical" change. So, we talked and read scripture for another long while ( I would have stayed up all night for him to have that peace) and then he smiled and said "I am going to heaven"---WAAAHHOOOOO!!! HE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS!!! You could just see the peace all over his face. So, if the Lord doesn't come back before Sunday, Tanner will follow the Lord's example and be baptized with water showing the world that he is one of God's children. I praise the Lord everyday for my salvation and now for Tanner's and will continue to pray that someday soon Sydney and Jessi will also come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and savior and will trust Him with every part of their lives. GOD IS SOOOO GOOOD!!!

It's beginning to look alot like CHRISTmas!

And yes..... I said ...Christmas!! It may not be politically correct but I am sticking my ground...it is about CHRISTmas not anyone/anything else.

ok...off the soapbox and back to our tree decorating..... enjoy the pics.

Jessi and Sydney putting ornaments on the tree and maybe in the same spot that

they put the last 3 they put up. But you know what, that is just fine. They had such

a great time. Todd and I put the tree up and it was so easy, last year we had to buy a new tree and found a great deal on this one at Kmart right at Thanksgiving and it is prelit and it even turns---who knew!! Loving it!!

One of our CHRISTmas traditions is buying each child a personalized and dated ornament and we also buy a family ornament. Nana also buys each of the kids an ornament so, they each have quite a collection (except Jessi --she has only had 3 Christmas celebrations so far). Todd passed out ornaments to the kids and let them reminese about why they picked out the ornament and what they thought was so neat about them. One of Tanner's favorite is one that is a buck holding a shotgun standing beside a sign that says "People Season"--it makes him laugh every year or maybe it is the one that looks like a deer antler (sent to him from our friends in Texas). Sydney's favorite ( I think--because every ornament she picked up was her favorite--she is so funny and loves life!) is the one that is in the shape of a star and says "I Love Gymnastics" and has a gymnast doing a flip or maybe the Hello Kitty ornament. I KNOW Jessi's is the pink princess castle--it almost didn't make it on the tree, she just wanted to hold onto it and look at it.

Sydney holding our family ornament from 2005. We all go ornament shopping and everyone picks out their personal ornament and then we come back together and pickout a family ornament together--sometimes we have to vote--ha !

Tanner doing his part! As we decorated the tree we listened to CHRISTmas Carols and afterward we turned the lights on, Todd fixed hot chocolate (WITH MARSHMALLOS!!) and we just sat back and enjoyed the view and talked about how this CHRISTmas is going to mean so much more to Tanner since he just asked Jesus into his heart the night before. He is going to gain such a much greater understanding of what Jesus did for him. What a joy!!

Deer Slayer

Tanner got an 8 pointer and boy was he excited!!

I had gone to Clearwater Baptist Church for a program and didn't

know how long it would last. After it was over, I got in my van and

turned my phone back on and had like 4 voicemail messages and 10

text messages from my husband and son. They were both so excited and

apparently couldn't find the camera---cause it was in the VAN!!

They waited (not so) patiently and then we took pictures and off

to the processor they went. This one will cost us...it is gonna have to be

mounted! I wouldn't say no to this one...it did look nice and he is so

proud and works so hard with Todd all throughout the year to take care of the deer leases and equipment.

He has earned himself the nickname "Deerslayer."

5 WEEKS!!!

I really had not realized it had been 5 weeks since I posted last! Wow! Time does fly! What have we been doing? Umm .... sadly enough not that much! Just enjoying this fall weather until it turned to WINTER weather! But, I do love to get all cozy in a big sweatshirt and my hubby's hunting socks and a big, warm blanket and pile all the kids under, too. This cool air is refreshing to me and I love bringing out the big sweaters---just not the coats! hmmm.... what else... oh yeah, trying to get to the bottom of Syd's sleeping/breathing trouble with NO help from the doctor..so off to find another one--DR not Daughter! ha ummmm ...Jessi ran into corner of my dresser and busted her head ("got a big hole in my head" as she says), but the praise would be that we didn't have to go to the ER--you can only make so many trips before they start making "calls". She is just so accident prone, I really thought we were gonna have another boo-boo on our hands tonight. She put on her jammies and went through the doorway and slid and just missed the door facing by a hair--whew! "what did she slip on?" you might ask--NOTHING absolutely nothing---she trips on air and now slids on air! No big plans for Thanksgiving, just dinner at my mother's house with her and her hubby, my brood and then my father and mother-in-law. I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas... oh I love it! Last year, I decorated my front porch windows and doorway for the first time. I can't wait to do it again and add a few more touches and start reading our Christmas books, do the "What God wants for Christmas", get cards ready (and get cards!!), get our Christmas jammies, and and and and .... I just love sitting down with the kids and talking about how Jesus didn't have to come to the earth, but He did!! And what that means to me and them. I am so glad when someone asks them "what is Christmas about?" that they don't say "presents" or "Santa". ok so I will try to post some pictures soon (if I can get my computer to stop thinking that the disc is blank!!)