A manly post for my husband

Josh this post is for you. We are missing you down there in the south. We will be there with you soon. I wanted you (and all my readers) to see the new shop. I can picture it now. You putting on your work boots and your man coat and going out to do something manly in your new shop. I can't wait until we are all back home again so you can try it out. It looks great. Or atleast I think so from a woman's point of view. I am excited about the storage that will happen within its white steel walls. I love you, see you Saturday.

Our Yard Before:


Our Yard After:

Our special girl

I am sure that most of you have heard by now about the tragedy in Steven Curtis Chapman's family. I've had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I think about it. I can't imagine what that family is going through. I do know that God is all powerful and He is merciful. I pray that He will give them peace and comfort during this time.

I read that little Maria had just graduated from preschool. This really hit home with me since Wednesday, my little princess graduated from her preschool. She was the only child to skip across the platform. She made everyone laugh. Our hearts swelled with pride. Little Sis is a girl who can bring a smile to anyone's face. Here are a couple of pictures from that day, and a video clip from a fun day with friends at the children's museum.

The Kitchen

We are finally finished with our kitchen makeover. And by we, I mean a bunch of guys from Romania. They did a great job. They replaced the formica counters for granite, added a back splash and all new stainless steel appliances. My fav is the undermount sink,but I love it all.

Here are the before and after pictures of my lovely kitchen. I am so happy with how things turned out. Yay!!!

Before:

After:

Life and Times of the First Grade

My first born baby is almost finished with her first grade year. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. She has done really well this year and I am proud of her. She has had some exciting things happening lately.

First of all, she was asked to include a story that she wrote in the Tri-Lakes Young Authors Conference. She enjoyed a day of writing and illustrating activities and received a certificate and a gold seal on the cover of her book. The book is entitled "The Bird That Said Moo." It's a very cute story. She was proud to be a real author. Maybe, God will use her someday in that area. She has so much potential. Here are a few pictures I took that day.

Another exciting thing that happened was a special surprise at school. The third and fourth grade had spent time in state testing and this was a little treat for all their hard work. The Principal and my husband Josh set it up. It was a visit from our favorite helicopter pilot, Big Sis's Daddy, Josh. He landed at the school Monday morning and all the kids got a chance to look at the aircraft. Big Sis and her daddy both had an awesome time. I wasn't able to be there, but the secretary took these pictures for me.

Cousins

CR,JM, Little sis, Big sis and C

Doggie Dilemma

A few weeks ago I got the girls a butterfly tree house. You know, the thing where you send in for the caterpillars and they come in the mail. Then they grow and make a chrysalis and you put them in the container until they come out and then you release them. Super Fun, especially with two little girls who love butterflies. After our release I left the container out on the back porch for a few days. Well our puppy found it and got himself into a predicament. Somehow he stuck his huge head into the door and couldn't get it out. I saw him out there running around the yard with the thing stuck to his doggy head. It was pretty comical, needless to say I snapped a picture. It would have turned out better if he would've sat still for me. But, turns out a puppy with his head trapped doesn't like to pose.

I thought I would add one more picture of Thunder after I saved his life from the dreaded butterfly cage. Has he grown? He is just about 16 weeks old. What a bruiser. We are hoping he grows into his ears and paws someday.