Sunrise. . .

I saw this sunrise after seminary this morning.

It was too beautiful to not share.

Dooooo…..doooooo……doooooo

Lookin' out my backdoor.

~CCR

The World

While You Were Sleeping, probably one of my favorite movies of all time. I always thought it was so romantic that Lucy's mom had given her father a globe. And, being the romantic that he was, he thought she had given him the world. That was how he knew he was in love with her.
For years now, Andy has wanted a map of the world. Not just any map, but a huge, ginormous map to hang up on the wall.
One day, while lurking on decorating blogs, I came across this one. It was so unbelievably awesome and perfect that I had to show Andy.

And so, being the romantic that I am, I gave him the world.

(Technically, it was with the $$ my parents had

given us for Christmas, but you get the idea.)

After painting the room (Nordic Blue), hanging the map, (no small feat, it came in 3 sections), painting the trim and hanging it to make a frame, the map was complete. We just sat and stared at it, it was so beautiful. Kids are not allowed to touch. (Abric shows how big this map really is.)
And Andy, being the realist that he is, gave me an Oyster Card --- a pass to the London Underground.

We are going to England!

Yes, it will be next month in February.

Yes, it will be freezing.

But we got a super deal.

And I would rather be cold than hot, anyway.

Yay!

Laundry Quandry

I have been looking for a tried and true system for my laundry. Since we moved to our new house, our washer and dryer is upstairs. (Which I love more than words can say.) BUT, to Andy's dislike, our bedroom has turned into the Laundry Room.

I'm not the most thrilled about it either, but watching TV while folding clothes is my multi-tasking, guilty pleasure. I can't give it up.

Therefore, we must compromise.

I finally found what I have been looking for! Knock-Off Wood saves the day again.

Check out the plans HERE. I can't wait to get started.

Crafty/Organizational Attempt

Decorating has never been my strong point, which is obvious when you look at my bare walls. I have this odd, deep-rooted feeling that decor has to be functional. I've noticed a whole lotta numbers when I look through the Pottery Barn catalog, so after months of thinking about it, I finally decided to just go for it.

Here is what I did:

• I chose a font in photoshop, enlarged each number, then printed them *mirror-image* on some scrapbook paper.
• I cut the numbers out, then distressed the edges with walnut ink.
• I mod-podged the numbers onto the TRONES shoe storage from IKEA.

We use the shoe cabinets to hold the boys' backpacks because there just isn't any room in the closet. I use the shelf about the cubbies for library books because we recently lost a library book and had to purchase it. (Which kind of defeats the purpose of going to the library, doesn't it?)

Beginnings….

One of the things that I truly regretted leaving our old house when we moved was my blackberry bush. I had nurtured it for over 3 years. The last summer before we left, I got a bumper crop. We ate fresh blackberries, made blackberry jam and cobbler. I was in berry heaven.

This is the replacement.

We also planted some rhubarb. It is a small start. Next year, we are hoping to plant a real garden.

Building Bookcases - Part II

This past weekend we installed the second bookcase. Andy had already moved the cable line from the other side of the fireplace. You should have seen Ewan fishing for the cable. He had the tiniest arms, so Andy volunteered him. He was so excited when he finally got a hold of it while Andy fished it up from the basement. Here, Andy is taking the trim off when the bookcase will go because we want it to be flush against the wall.
Andy then had to move the switch and the outlet over to the left. We didn't want these inside the cabinet. We needed the outlet for the TV, etc.
A couple hours later, and both bookcases are now installed. After Andy secured them to the wall, we cut the crown moulding. It was a lot easier than we thought and it added just the right touch to finish the bookcases off. We seriously just sit and stare at the bookcases. They turned out so much better than we thought!

(Pay no attention to the mass of cords all over. Our next project is to build the mantle up and out to a 12" shelf just for the DVD player, the DVR, and the Wii.)
Yesterday I had so much fun unpacking our books. It was like being reintroduced to old friends.
We loosely based our bookcases on a THIS pattern from Knock Off Wood. It is probably the coolest wood working blog ever. I already have a list of more projects for my talented hubby. Like THIS bed, and THIS for the entry way, and THIS console table. The list could go on and on. All we need is extra time and money, which we all know grows on trees, right?

Building Bookcases

These bookcases have taken up almost every moment of time the last two weekends. They are so close to being done, but I just can't wait any longer to post about them.

Here is the beginning phase. Andy and I cut the wood and put them together last Saturday.

I spent Monday and Thursday priming them.

Friday night Andy and I were able to finish the topcoat while the boys were at their friends' house. (Thank you Mike and Ang!)
Today Andy and I cut the back panels, painted them, and then painstakingly measured the light switch and outlet in order to cut it out of the back. These bookcases are going to be built-in so we needed to access the switch and outlet.

One down, one to go! Then we just have to add the crown moulding to the top and build up the mantle for our DVR and DVD player.
We are almost there! Then we can finally unpack all those boxes of books that are in the spare bedroom.

Virgin Lawn

We mowed our lawn! Andy and I have been carefully watching our newly planted grass grow, counting down until we could mow it. We practically fought over who got to mow it first.
You see, our previous yard was the size of a postage stamp; hence, the motor-less mower. But it does the job. It will be easier for the boys to push when they start mowing. The newness will wear off when Andy and I aren't fighting over who gets to mow the green good-ness.
And, no, I usually don't let my kid run around the neighborhood without pants……too often. We recently started using cloth diapers and they are so cute I'm having a hard time putting bottoms on him while at home. Don't you love how his red diaper matches his Superman shirt? It's all about aesthetics and coordinating, you know.

A better day

From one tiny green sprout

to a whole slew of them! We have grass. Baby grass still counts.

On a side note, my craft table is complete. Andy finished it this weekend! We painted it in the garage, brought it upstairs to the craft room/office to put it together. It is still a little tacky, so I haven't put anything away yet. Plus, I need to find some baskets for some of the cubbies.
Here is the other side of the desk. You can find the plans HERE.
Don't be deceived by the cleanliness of this room. It is really a literal mess. We still need to build some bookcases before we can put our books away.

Formal Dining Room?

One more room in the house is somewhat completed. Well, completed enough to finally post something. This is the formal dining room, but with four young boys we won't be formally dining in here for years to come. Can you just imagine the messes and spills? We have plenty of room in our kitchen for our table, plus it is more convenient than carrying food to a different room.
We were thinking about turning this room into a playroom/kids library when we had a slight change of plans two weeks ago. I was called to be a seminary teacher again and, honestly, I couldn't be more thrilled! The mornings come very early. Let's face it, sometimes it is hard to roll out of bed before the sun, but I love the peace and serenity that seminary brings into our home. I love getting to know my students, but most of all, I love being able to teach about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Plus, seminary is FUN!

Can you see my dry erase board on the wall? It is from wallies. Basically, it sticks up there just like vinyl lettering. I love not having to fiddle with an easel. Plus, during the day, I give Ewan a chair and a marker and he gets to draw to his little heart's content.
The walls around our house are still pretty bare, but I am trying. The hardest thing is deciding what to hang where, what colors to use, etc. Knowing the purpose for the room has helped me to make some decisions about decorating. I knew I had to hang this picture in my new seminary room.
I put it above the window with a picture of Christ and Joseph Smith on each side. I think they compliment each other really well. Plus, when I walk into this room, I just get a happy feeling inside.

St. Patty's Day and the driveway

I made the kids a dessert of green rice krispie treats and a fruit rainbow as a side dish. Ang brought some amazing Irish Soda bread and corned beef and cabbage. For the adult dessert, I made a 'Meringue Treasure Chest', courtesy of Martha. It was divine. We gobbled it up before we even thought about taking a picture. What a fun night with friends. We barely even heard the kids as they all played to their little heart's content.

Doesn't this look magically delicious?

And the most awesome news of all. . . . we have a driveway! But we can't officially drive on it for 7 days. That is perfectly OK with me. I keep imagining sidewalk chalk masterpieces, baby bicycles, and a basketball hoop.
My boys' hands are now immortalized in our driveway. My heart couldn't be happier.
Along with their hands is Ewan's sneaky footprint. He ran across the driveway just as the concrete workers had pulled away. D'oh!

Four-Square anyone?

Weekend Update

With a promise of 50 degree weather, we couldn't wait for this weekend to come! As the snow melted, more of our yard was revealed. But who loves a big ol' pile of mud and rocks better than a little boy?
Ewan helped Andy move some of the larger rocks back over to the driveway. In the Spring, the builder will be putting in our driveway, bringing in some top soil, grading the yard, and planting the grass. I know that I joke about our yard being a mudhole, but I still absolutely love that mudhole. It is just so nice to have some space for the boys to play!
Abric couldn't be happier to finally be allowed to venture outside.
The most exciting news of the weekend: Andy took Zane's training wheels off. Since Saturday morning, you can find Zane outside riding his bike. He just can't get enough.
Harrison decided to be a little more daring and rode his bike through the water/mud holes in the road. He got splattered with mud more than once. (As you can see, he isn't too fond of the mud.)

My washing machine has been going non-stop. I make the boys take their clothes off in the garage and then head up to the bathroom. I throw their muddy clothes in the wash right away. I really can't complain too much. I'm just so happy that they are spending time outside. I just keep telling myself that messes are OK because they can always be cleaned up. (Click HERE for my inspiration for this.)

Example #2 of mud splatter.

Besides playing outside, Andy and I have been busy getting the basement cleaned up. It was filthy. We shop-vacced, mopped, and painted one section of the basement. It made a huge difference.
Now I don't mind the boys playing downstairs in the basement because they aren't tracking red dirt all over the house when they came back upstairs.

Our tax-return splurge: a rotating shelf system.

We heart it.

It was a Monster Bath. . .

I was so excited for the boys to have their own bathroom (translation: I no longer have to share with them. Hooray!) This was the first room that was put together.

The boys picked out the monster decor all by themselves.

I think it rather fitting.

(They are monsters, but lovable monsters all the same.)