Memory

As anyone who knows me well knows, I have no memory but my boys have incredible memories, and they proved it today. Joshua got out our Bob the Builder memory game and asked me to play. We set it up after making sure everything matched-yes, I'm a crazy face. Then, we played. I was worried it would take all day because there were 35 matches to make. But soon enough Joshua started finding matches and we were off. In the end the score was Joshua 23, Liz 12. What does that say? Maybe I should ask. . . I wasn't even reading a book while we played, I actually tried. Hmmm. . . I guess I'd better practice more. :)

Great Homeschooling Moment

Occasionally great ideas hit me and when they do they are AWESOME! I was grateful to have one today as the boys were mourning the loss of the neighborhood kids to school. I let them watch a Bob the Builder while I did a little work and Bob taught them about building bridges. I came out to check on them and they were engrossed in the project Bob was working on when inspiration hit . . . 'would you like to build a bridge?' I asked. Of course the answer was a resounding YES! Here are some fun pics from what came next! I must admit that they wanted to build a suspension bridge but I didn't have the right kind of rope--one day I'll have it all! Enjoy because I know we did!

New Closet

I had no idea what difference a closet in a box could make but let me tell you, it is amazing! I forgot to take a before picture but just imagine one rod across the top with one shelf over it. That was it.

And now after James' magic touch with the help of the magic closet in a box, plus a few extras I give you our new closet! And I love it, so I hope you love it too!

The new school room in action

As you already know James' sisters family came to help us out this week, so they also got to help us break in our new school room today! There was painting, coloring, games, puzzles and much more (even a little math!) I had to take some pics and enjoy! It is nice to have a little normalcy back!

The finale!

OK, so it's been a long couple of weeks. We've missed family dearly since leaving the family reunion, but we've been busy, busy, busy with our house. We only had a few projects that really needed to be completed before school started, but they were rather intensive for me who was, at least at the beginning of the process, quite a novice with handy things like tools and sheetrock mud. So armed with a few well-thought plans, a careful budget, and a nearby Lowe's and Menards (I think they know me by name now,) I set out to turn our downstairs into exactly what we needed.

Project 1 was books. We have books. We have more books than I care to admit, and I know I'm excited to grow that collection into the space we created. We now have fifteen feet of built-in bookcases that also hold our sheet music, television, games, and some nice knick-knacks. They're not perfect, mostly because of cheap wood, but they'll last for years and I'm going to love them. They even have adjustable shelves that the boys helped me create.

Project 2 was school room, and this involved a little more effort. We removed molding, carpeting, and painted to match the back of the

bookcases in the family room. I thought it would be nice to create a cohesive multi-room feel, and now that it's done, I don't regret it a bit. After that was IKEA, and despite the joy of my favorite flat-pack store, the visit was one of the worst in history. Everything around which I had planned my rooms had been discontinued in the last month and had sold out completely. So, in a panic I started running around IKEA trying to re-plan the space for the same, or less money. I finally succeeded, and we returned, ready to throw ourselves pell-mell into the joy of the new projects. Yesterday Joe and I laid the floor replaced the molding, which conveniently matches the new floor, installed the desk, removed the ugly blinds, hung the cabinets, and rolled out the pretty rug. Today Liz took over and unpacked the stuff (I never interfere during this process) and tonight we are enjoying the well-earned fruits of our labors. There are a few photos of the process as well as a video tour of the two rooms. The first two photos are the Before photos—first the family room, then the office. The video is its own joy.

Two new photos

We had these taken at the Family Reunion last month. I love family photos.