Just for fun....

I love changing little things in the house just for fun.  I don't spend a lot on decorating, so that when I get tired of it I can get rid of it without feeling guilty. :) 

 

The girls and I went on our annual girls' trip a couple of weeks ago.  I need to post about it!  It was quite the adventure!  We spent most of our time outdoors doing activities, but we did spend one day shopping in downtown Blue Ridge!  I was not finding anything to spend money on (which was great!), until we went into two of the cutest stores!  One was a cotton store and when I saw this pillow it made me laugh.  The girls were like.... "Yep, that is our family!"  :) 

I decided to go ahead and put some of our patriotic décor out instead of waiting until closer to the 4th of July!  Why not enjoy it a little longer! :) 

I like simple.  Too much clutter makes me crazy!  I don't want it to be bare either though.  Typically, if I find something new that I like, something else has to go!  That has helped keep things from looking too busy!

~Until next time......

Projects.....

We are finished with all of our big home renovations, but it seems like there are always small things that need to be done!

(The bunk bedding is in the wash.)

 

 

The boys' room is a work in progress.  Marc and Matthew put new ceilings up about a month ago which made the walls look bad. (What is it about a project that leads to another project.... which leads to another project.... :)   )

 

This bed is just waiting for more foster kiddos!  However, we are contemplating building some new bunk beds with built in drawers.  I'm just thinking through how to make the most of our space!  This room is very large, but we have a lot of boys! :)

I have eliminated about as much clutter as I can.  I minimized Macheus' clothes over the weekend, but I still need to do the others.

Books.... I love books!  This little stand holds the board books.  I didn't take a picture of the closet because it is still a mess. :)  The clothes are pretty orderly (although need to be minimized!), but we have large bookshelves full of books that need to be sorted!  Marc is going to build some sturdier shelves and that will motivate me to go through them!

You can see a tiny part of the closet in this picture.  The basket in the corner holds dress up clothes for the boys... camo hats, Indian outfit, bandanas and cowboy hats.  That kind of stuff drives me nuts, but they love playing with it.  I've told them as long as they keep it in the basket  they can keep it.
Under the big bed is a basket of trains and a box of matchbox cars.  We have a storage room that houses a large container of Legos and a large container of wooden blocks, tinker toys and Lincoln logs.  They have to get permission to get them out and they have to be put away when finished.  It has helped keep their room tidy.  I've minimized their toys about as much as possible.  They do play with their stuff!

I am glad that this little project is finished!  We plan to travel some this summer and enjoy the kids, but I do want to get a few little things done!  I am hoping to paint our piano soon!

If you are a minimalist I would love to hear your tips!  Clothes and books are what I will be working on next!

This is my absolutely favorite time of year!  I am a minimalist for the most part, but not so much when it comes to flowers!

 

My porch is the one spot that the horses and chickens can't get into!

Some of my favorites are ivy, hydrangeas, gardenias, lobelia, lantana, impatiens, and of course..... FERNS!

My ivy all survived the winter this year! I had to trim it up and added some new dirt, but it looks pretty decent!

This is "Haven's garden" where we buried one of our tiny miscarried babies. The rock is one that Mariah made when she was little.

 

We are finishing up most of our school work.  The temperatures have climbed this week, so these two (can you spot the kids? :) )  were chilling out with some Jeff Corwin.  I am having to keep hollering out when things aren't true.  It is full of evolution. This is why I love our movies from AIG!

 

With the abundance of goat milk means ice cream...…

                                                         and cheese!!!!

Update on "Baby ".  We continue to wait on paperwork.  We are very weary but trusting that it will all happen in the Lord's time.  Please continue to pray!

We are headed out to the splash pad!  Hope you all are having a fabulous week!

~Until next time.....

 

 

Spring days...

We are desperately trying to finish home school up for the year.  We will have a little that we do all summer, but hoping to wrap most of it up next week!  When my older kids were school age I always managed to finish up on time and take the summer off.  It seems ever since my mom's health failed, and she passed away, that we have never been able to have a normal summer break.  My goal is to get the boys caught up this summer and next year to stay on track!

 

 

We introduced "Baby L" to smoothies today!  I made one with goat milk, kale, banana, carrot, and pineapple.  He screamed when his cup was empty!  I guess it is good that he likes them since he will be seeing more of them! :)

 

This sweet fellow came running to the edge of our property when he saw me coming home from my run this morning. 

 

When you have an abundance of goat milk...… you make ice cream!

 

Isn't this little freezer adorable!?  We had one that was way overpriced from Ace Hardware.  It seemed to take forever to freeze, and it gave up the ghost on Mother's Day.  I ordered this little freezer off of Amazon and it was here the next day!  It is only a gallon but it made it in thirty minutes!  I told the kids I will be making lots of ice cream this summer!  It is better for them and we have so much milk!

                                                       (Machues anxiously waiting.)

My recipe is super simple!  My mom used to make home made ice cream and she put raw egg in it.  When I was pregnant with McKenzie she stopped putting the egg in it and never did again. (I wouldn't have a problem with putting our farm eggs in it, but it really doesn't need it.)  All I do is mix a gallon of goat milk with two cans of sweetened condensed milk, 2-3 tsp vanilla, and 2-3 cups of sugar.  (I usually cut it back to two cups.)  Super easy and doesn't have the garbage that most store bought ice cream has!

~Until next time....

Mariah

Mariah's spring theater performance was a week or so ago.  They all did a wonderful job!

 

She has had a really busy school year!  She did theater all year with Acting For The Almighty, and she took violin and piano lessons!  The girl kept me hopping!

She looked adorable in her dress!  They let them keep their costumes this time!  I told her I bet she will have a little girl that plays in this dress one day!

                                                      Sisters

My sister and her daughter came down to see one of the performances.

The siblings minus McKenzie!  I have pictures of McKenzie with her too, but they are on McKenzie's camera!

                                             Grandpa was proud of her!

I went to all three performances and Myles was my date on night two.  He wanted to have dinner at Chick fil A!

This week was her spring piano recital!  Thankful to be finished for a couple of months summer break!  The only thing we continue through the summer is violin.  She has taken piano since she was four, but only recently started violin.  She is trying to progress as fast as she can with that.

~Until next time...

Jekyll

A couple of weeks ago we spent a few days on Jekyll Island.  It is one of my favorite spots filled with so many sweet memories!  Marc had a conference for work, so everyone but Matthew and Madeline tagged along!

 

These water guns caused so much trouble!  Mariah asked me if I would ever learn. :)

We pretty much had the pool and the beach to ourselves!  It was so nice!

I have been to many beaches and I don't think you can find a prettier one!

We went to St. Simons for dinner and walked the pier.

My sweet man.  I am always amazed that he actually wants us to travel with him.  I mean, he could sleep and read and sleep.... in peace!  But he loves the commotion! <3 p="">

Sweet little fellows were waiting on daddy to come back up from the van.

                                       They were all over that beach!

Baby "L" loved the sand.  I was bit surprised!

The boys loved climbing the rock barriers.

Well, I guess Mariah did too! ")

This bird cracked us up!  He wasn't the least bit scared.

Our favorite spot to eat on St Simons.  The soft serve ice cream is what Macheus goes for!

Our condo was fabulous! Two stories and we had our own rooms!  Well, Baby L roomed with Marc and me! :)

It am a homebody, but it was nice to get away for a few days!  Life has been so hectic lately!

 

Things are moving along with Baby "L"'s case.  So stinkin' slow though.  Prayers appreciated!

 

Well, that is it for tonight!  Hope you all are having a wonderful spring!

~Goodnight