The Barbie Fan

There are no words to describe my sweet Ry and her creative mind.   The girl will play for hours with her Barbies and Liv Doll which I totally think is fabulous.  I love that she is creative and still 'plays' during a time when many 8 year olds are too old for dolls and barbies (which I believe is ridiculous by the way). I will foster her love of all things dolls as long as I can.

Here is what I walked into the other day....priceless I tell you!

Such a smart girl....love how she curved their legs so they'd hang on!  Genius!

And NO, we did not allow her to turn the fan on!

The Funk

I have a confession.  I am in a funk.  A BIG funk.  I can't put my finger on it, but I'm just not myself.  I'm tired and worn out.  I'm not sure if it's the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty regarding the Hubs job.  Or if it's fear of not having medical insurance.  Or it could be our dwindled savings account and all the moo-la we've had to dump into our vehicles lately.  Or maybe it's the extra poundage hanging around my middle (yes, I promise there is).  Or it could also be the fact that the homeschool thing isn't what I imagined it to be.

Whatever the main cause is, I know that this restless feeling is not from God.  I know that I need to take time to be still and give all my worries and cares to him.  I need to pour my confessions to Him and seek peace in scripture. 

I am thankful that he gives me small moments to remind me that it will get better.  Moments like last Friday when I awoke to find Ry working on her schoolwork alone.  Without prompting or direction she got her little self up and went downstairs to complete whatever she could.  It was exactly the mommy moment I needed to bring a smile to my face.  And it was enough to get me through the day.

Seriously?

If you know anything about me, you know I'm a little bit of a clean freak.  At least I used to be before I was with my fabulous girls 7 days a week (no joke, 7).  So, now I'm just a clean freak that has anxiety over the things I can't clean!  Serious issues...serious issues!

The other day I noticed something green sandwiched between the 2 doors of my slider in the kitchen.  Upon further inspection I realized it was a smooshed preying mantis or possibly a grasshopper.  Unsure of which.  Anyhoo, somehow it got behind the stationary part of our slider and when the door was opened..  I thought I had taken a picture of it to prove I'm not exaggerating, but of course I can't find it!  You'll just have to imagine it for yourself!

Though Hubs managed to remove most of the creature (I can't bare to ask how), in order to clean it properly the entire sliding part of the door must be removed.  A true nightmare which I have yet to figure out how to do.

This would only happen to me. Another thing for me to truly freak out over every time I see it.  So, I do believe the slider will be taken apart this weekend.  And while we're at it, those nasty tracks will get cleaned as well.  Ahhhh, I can just picture it now....all squeaky clean!  I told you, serious issues!

The Project

I mentioned a few days ago that the Hubs started a project in our home while waiting for his new job to begin.  Welp, it started with an idea, that went like this: "hey honey, we should think about closing in our playroom." Let's say that led into measuring, sketching and pricing out wood and supplies.

Our girls have a loft style playroom which is a huge blessing.  However, that room is so open that we have a battle of the tvs when they have friends over.  In fact, I can hear their tv upstairs better than the one downstairs!  Crazy!

Here is the before:

coming up the stairs

a view from inside

looking into the room

So, last week, he went with his Dad to purchase the wood and supplies and began work (thanks dad).  I must say his handiwork is amazing.  Within a day most of the work was completed.  Of course, it took me another week to start painting it all (hey, I homeschool remember)...ahem, we won't talk about who was supposed to paint!

And the during:

closed in pass-thru

the new door = quiet

inside the room

So, it's still not completely painted and Hubs has some molding to finish up, so you're going to have to wait for the "after" pictures!  So sorry my friends...it may take another week, but I promise it will get finished!

New Living Room Accessory

Ok, so maybe I don't have a new living room set, but I did have a temporary accessory in my living room for a week.  Here it is:

and yes, that's the Hubs with the dog

In case you're clueless, it's a Genie Lift.  Why would we have that in our home?  Well, let me enlighten you.  The Hubs needed a project while waiting for his job to start, so this little guy was needed for the project.  And, no I'm not telling you what it is yet, but let's say it involved drywall and a door!

So, while we had this little guy for a week, we had some fun with it.  The girls and to take rides on it.  I mean seriously, how often do you get to touch the ceiling that's 22 foot above (or something like that)?

chloe touching the ceiling...and yes, she left fingerprints! erg!

chloe's sweet friend was dying to take a ride!

a little scared

 So, there you have it!  A Genie Lift as a living room accessory.  This little guy will be visiting again someday when we decide to paint those ugly builder beige walls!

An update on Unemployment

I'm happy to report that the Hubs has found a job!  Can you hear me singing the Hallelujah chorus now???  You should, because I am!

Yesterday he started a job with Lockheed Martin.  Temporary again, but we're praying God opens the door to full time employment after 90 days.  He's excited and we're so proud of him.

The funny part is that he had to decide between taking this temp job and full time employment with the company that had just let him go.  It's hard to explain, but there were many reasons that he decided to pass on the full time job (of course the 37 mile commute and less than desirable work environment added to the decision).  He truly felt God leading him to take a chance on a job that he may truly enjoy verses a job that just pays the bills.

He has waited and God has provided!  Woo Hoo!

Welcoming Fall!

Pumpkins, apples, hayrides, and the creek....all of our favorite things to welcome fall.  Last week, we visited the apple orchard, pumpkin patch and our favorite state park.  It was the perfect fall day...a little chill in the morning and a warm, sunny afternoon!

I took Ry's tiny little camera instead of my 'good' camera (that I still don't know how to use properly after 7 years), so I failed to get really great pictures.  Anyhoo, here's the highlights of our trip: