Joists Up!

Hey there!  What kinds of fun have you been into lately?  We're watching our house...at a standstill.  It's been twelve days since we've seen any action.  We'd gotten into a great rhythm going over each night, checking out the progress, taking pictures, visiting with the neighbors..until July fourth.  They took a vacation, and then had to measure for major trusses that had to be built, so we are REALLY hoping they'll get back on track.

Apparently, the floor span was pretty great (distance from wall to wall without support), so they measured for trusses before the house was built, but had to measure after the first floor was framed to make sure they are the correct size.  Some of them are almost three feet tall!  That makes for a super tall roof.  I guess the builder knows so much more than us about houses..which is why we are leaving it to him.  It does make me wonder if we need to add in a support column somewhere!  I have even been hoping to put a swing inside the house for fun..but that might not be the best idea. ; )

The last time we visited the house, I didn't take pictures, I was too busy talking..then it got dark!  I sure will have some sweet neighbors.  I'm thankful.  I actually have some really sweet neighbors here too!

Tonight was the television premiere of Saige Paints the Sky (an American Girl movie about the girl of the year, Saige).  We went to see it with some friends, and we even made paper mache hot air balloons!  They are still drying, but I can't wait to help paint them!  The kids kept getting busy and wondering off..so the moms finished all the messy pasty-ness.  Moms are good for that.

Here are the girls post-swimming, post-movie with their dolls!  They definitely had fun : )

What else have we been up to?  Well..here is a photo montage!  ..a few that were on my phone...

Apparently I have always have time to take pictures when he sits down to eat. ; )

THANK YOU, Junko and Emily!!!  She LOVED getting mail from Japan!  Check out those adorable Hello Kitty stamps!  and that teddy bear and puppy..too cute!!

A VERY happy girl!!

She got braces again this week!  This is her cheesy see-my-teeth smile.  She's showing off the pink/turquoise rubber bands she requested.  They are quick-clip brackets, so she doesn't actually need bands ; )

This child loves a box!  We push and pull him around..and he's so happy!

My second youngest loves food.  He made a race car! ; )

Mary Claire has a friend, Alyssa, who is headed to Minneapolis this week for a huge surgery.  She'll be there for a long time..so we decided to make some fun stuff for her and her American Girl!  First we made mini-food, then a letter, then a hospital gown and bracelet. ; )

We made American Girl food!  These are pictures we got from Mike'sCandyWrappers.com, we sized them to about an inch tall, printed them, and covered each with packing tape to look like plastic-y wrappers.

We made American Girl-size letters.(First, write a letter with a very easy-to-read font.  Second, go to Print and save as .pdf. Next, open a new document, and drag the .pdf to the document.  Finally, size the picture of your letter to doll-size..about 3" tall, and print!)

..and a hospital gown for her doll and a hospital bracelet. ; )  We used a bar code font we found for free online!  Here is the pattern for the gown! (and she has lots of other fun stuff too!)

We got this cool new app-and Mary Claire used it before me!  Here is my boy all decorated ; )

...DrumRoll Please!!  The trusses are being set.  Hooray!  Back to work!

I didn't get to go back this evening, as my day was super busy.  Ches said they set all the floor joists for the upstairs though!  I'm excited..I think they'll work all week now that they are back on track.  There were about eight guys working today..I can't imagine how they got those huge beams up without a machine.  Praying they don't hurt their backs!!

This is our brick!  It's called Ops, and it's from a factory in Alabama. (Used, or *antique* brick!)  This is all the color "turned out".

This is the same house..Ches caught this picture..I think it's cute. ; )

This is the same brick, same white grout.  Different house, and no color was turned out.  Looks different, right?  We told the builder to turn out 20% of the color..but we are considering a bit more, but maybe no blue? (there is actually some royal blue in there!)

I took Clay and Mary Claire to the orthodontist (she already popped a bracket!), and we got their school supplies.  The lists were out, there wasn't a crowd, and I had some time.  I'll get Ethan's supplies the next time he's out with me. ; )  I did already get him a new backpack and lunch box.  He didn't get one last year, and I felt bad.  He used an old lunchbox from preschool, and he used one of Clay's old backpacks.  He picked out one, and it was out of stock, his second choice was out of stock..and by the time they had more..he just didn't care. ; )

I also agreed to be on the Family Teams Committee for our JDRF Walk this year!  Pray for me..that I can help other teams get signed up, help them manage their team...and manage mine! : )  We had our first meeting tonight..and I hope I do the new teams justice.  I've been in low speed since I was pregnant with Carter, and maybe it's time for me to get back in there.  


Hope you are doing well!  Hugs and prayers for all the things YOU attempt to take on!

Frame it with Thanksgiving!

We are impressed!  You know yesterday how we got our foundation poured?  Well..today they framed!  We were just sure it would sit around for a week waiting on lumber to be delivered, but nope.  It was there...and they were working!
This was the scene at about 12:30pm:

The north wall goes up!

Honestly, I cried on the way home.  I couldn't believe it!

Seriously, I couldn't believe they were staying on task.  I was excited, and this is totally the best part.  It *feels* like a house now.

So..we decided to go back after dinner.  We took our time, since we didn't know what time they'd finish up.  Here's what we were greeted with:

Holy Guacamole!!  It was the entire downstairs!  My baby likes wood, btw.

I could hardly believe it.  Here's my living room ; )

This is the kitchen.  And the kids playing around the dumpster. ; )

..and these strange pipes in the living room.  There is a small chance that they will fit into the closet space under the stairs?

And we met some neighbors we didn't know!  Mrs. Mary was sooo sweet, and we met another neighbor's son, Peyton.  He was nice too.

Carter wanted to run all around, and Ethan did.  He was on the new dirt pile..and trying to make a 2x4 bridge from the house into the dumpster.  At least they are finding some fun there ; ) Mary Claire made friends with Mrs. Mary, and made her laugh.

I can only pray the building continues to move forward at a steady pace..and we'll be there before we know it. ; )  For now, we are doing well, enjoying our summer time at the temporary house.  We have little to clean, little to mow, no pool to take care of, and not so much to worry about.  I'm going to consider myself thankful!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Foundation!

So..I was wrong about the foundation last Friday.  But..it has been poured now!  Hooray!

Front of house, and little side porch.  Pallet, anyone?  I've seen only 547,000 things to do with those things on Pinterest. ; )

Front of house.  And our lovely sewage pipe.

And the back porch : )

Now I think it'll just sit for a while.  We hope to see lumber show up soon..and maybe some framing take place shortly?

 Other things in our world exist!!

Last week, we had a Last Dinner with Ashley, a fellow mom of a child with Type I Diabetes.  We will really miss her!  She's originally from Kansas, and she and her family are moving back there now.

We tried to think of something cute to give her, and we decided on a little Arkansas with a heart over our area. : )  I got an Arkansas shape off the Silhouette website, and a heart, and just cut and pasted them into a frame we picked up at Hobby Lobby.  Leigh totally picked the colors!

We *love* Arkansas...just a little bit!!

Our going away dinner for Ashley : )

We stood around and talked for so long afterward..and it was hard to just say goodbye...so we went to the movies!  There was a sneak peek at 10pm for The Heat, so we all decided to go.  It was hilarious!  Some harsh language was the biggest surprise, but I will tell you I laughed harder than I have in at least a couple years.  It was somehow easier to say bye and run off at 12:30 in the morning when we were all tired and laughed out!

..We've totally been getting used to the house here, and we've met a couple neighbors.  We scared a bunch off two nights ago when we blasted the street with noisy stuff.  It was THE most fun watching the kids work together to light their 'works, and not get hurt.  No arguing..it was good stuff.

They were really concentrating.  Plus they had me screaming to "Get Back!"

And here they are, "staying back"!

After they lit this little tank that drove around and shot out of its cannon, they kept putting black jacks into it to continue to blow it up.  Great teamwork and entertainment.

Then last night, we had mom and dad over to eat hamburgers (and shoo flies off) (and eat their cake!) and then went to see a church firework presentation.  We haven't done this in a year, so we forgot to bring important things.  Like a blanket, chairs, bug spray, snacks, water.  We'll get better.  I should write myself a reminder for next year!  We did lose a shoe, found it, caught fireflies, rubbed them on their wrists, and the boys climbed trees.  It was great.  The finale was the fireworks!  And my daughter tickled pink. ; )

Gigglebox.

She had so much fun!  She actually cuddled up to me, cold.  The temperatures have really dropped this week (hooray!), and it was a little chilly.  Ethan was in my lap too!

Hope you have a cool, bright fourth of July (bring a blanket..and bug spray!).  And in my words..Be safe, and "Get Back!!"  Hugs, Ya'll!
 

Camp and a Lamp

Camp Rockefeller on Gus Blass Reservation, Dasmascus, Arkansas

Clay has been at boy scout camp this week!  He left on Sunday, and he doesn't come home until this Saturday.  Ches left yesterday to go spend some time with him.  He'll be back later today. ; )  I did get to talk to him on the phone, and he's still my sweetie!  It must be hard to tell your momma that you love her when all your scout friends are around.  Bless him for making me feel special.  

My only picture of him as he went to his first middle school dance.  You can *not* pose for a picture..but that doesn't mean Mom won't snap one as you walk away!  You looked so handsome, btw.

I'm definitely missing him.  Ethan has been bored (although he checked into Gigi's house/hotel last night!) and totally misses Clay.  Mary Claire keeps telling us to tell him hi (her way of telling us she misses him too).  Our home is just different when we have chicks out of the house!

I got a basecamp (awesome software for everyone with a project!) post that the plumbing rough-in is finished on the house, and the slab has been poured.  I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for my baby to wake up from nap so I can go see it!  This is when it gets exciting (for me!).  I can't wait to see the wood framing go up..that's when it feels like a HOUSE!  You can walk around and feel the spaces.

We went out to eat on Saturday night after church, and when Carter was bored, I decided to take him out.  We were at Promenade, an outdoor mall, and I'd have plenty to show him..water fountains, flowers, music (there was a band!), etc.  But Ches suggested I run into Pottery Barn to buy something for the house.  I know, how sweet! (remember his love language is gifts?  This is how he shows love.)  I couldn't though because I have no where to put anything, it would just go to storage.  And I can't really envision or feel the rooms yet.

Isn't this lovely?  Yes, I'll have a back porch!  No, it won't be enclosed.  No, it won't have a fireplace.  I don't think.  But isn't it beautiful?  See..this might be why I should see the space before I decorate it in my mind. ; )

I just broke my favorite lamp last week.  It was a beautiful mercury glass lamp from Pottery Barn (on sale!), and I loved it so much.  It was my fault..I knocked it over with a box while looking for something in another box.  I didn't even speak.  I didn't want to say mean things, and it was my fault anyway.  Ok..so back to PB.  They don't have them anymore, and nothing was as beautiful.  I guess it's fine..I don't think I'd put another beautiful lamp in that spot now anyway!
 

Kinda like the one on the right..but they don't sell it anymore. : (

ps-I swear I'm a poet and didn't know it.  I don't know HOW I happen to write about rhyming things.  And some things with such alliteration.  It's crazy!

Hugs, ya'll!