Look Who's Walking!

He took his first steps the week of his first birthday and then showed no interest for several weeks.  I mean, why walk when you have sisters to carry you!? :o)   Mariah is ALWAYS there to pick him up!

 

 

 This past Tuesday something clicked.  He just took off.  His problem now is that he tries to run.  He will take several steps and get to going so fast that he falls down and crawls.  It is so cute.  I love toddlers!

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It has been crazy around here lately.  Trying to finish up with the majority of our home schooling so we can test the end of April.  Matthew is finishing his second semester in college at the same time as finishing his senior year of home school.  I will be really glad when that is all behind him.  He is gearing up for his second year of college.  McKenzie is extremely busy with all of the things she is involved with on top of wedding planning.  Wedding planning............ that is a post in itself! :o)
We just finished up our year of home school co-op classes.  Madeline, Mariah and Malachi all took two semesters.  It was a pretty good experience for them.  The girls expanded a lot of skills like sewing, quilting and crocheting.  I am glad we are finished for the year though.

Tonight we had the year end "Family Night" program.  We all loaded up (in the rain) to go watch the program and see all of the projects the kids made this year.  It made me a little bit sad looking at my oldest two and wondering where the years went.  It seemed like they should be my "big kids" at co-op instead of Madeline.  Of course, technically Matthew could have been in the co-op classes this year if he hadn't done college dual enrollment.  Part of me wishes we had just done a normal senior year with him.  I know he is glad that he has a years worth of his core classes out of the way, but still...... they grow up so fast!  This fall McKenzie will be married and Matthew will be even busier than he is now with college and work.  I am very proud of the two of them.  They make me crazy sometimes (like when Matthew forgets that it is trash day and we have an overflowing can outside! I mean.... he HAS been taking out the trash since he was seven!) but I love them fiercely!  I was talking about motherhood with another mom the other day.  She described loving your child so much that it hurts.  Yep, I get it.  I think when you look at this young adult that you have raised all of these years, it's like their whole childhood seems so fast.  You have so many memories and when they were small it seemed they would be here forever.  Then all of a sudden you realize your years of pouring into them and helping to mold them are almost over.  It makes you proud of what they have become and sad all at the same time.

Well that was a random post.  It's been a long day and we are in for a long weekend.  Guess I should head to bed! :o)

Good night!

Kitchen Remodel

Ok, so we had one of the ugliest kitchens ever. :o)  When we bought our home over nine years ago it was not because I loved the kitchen.  The cabinets were a really ugly, dark wood.  The countertops were cheap formica.  Shortly after we moved here we painted the cabinets white and changed the hardware.  It was a cheap way to make it look better.  I still didn't love the kitchen but it was an improvement.

 

See the lovely chipped formica that Myles picked at? :o) 

 

 

The sink was leaking and our water filter needed a new faucet.. 

 

We are committed to "cash only" with our budget.  If we can't pay for it, we don't do/get it.  This means that sometimes we wait, and wait, and wait.  It seemed like every time we had the cash ready to do the kitchen, something else would take the money.  When they say the kitchen is the most expensive room to remodel they weren't kidding!

I had to throw this picture in here.  I painted this at an art party.  We started with a blank canvas and the artist showed us step by step how to draw it with pencil and then to paint it.  I have no artistic ability whatsoever, so I was very excited with the way it turned out. :o)  It has the "Fruit of the Spirit" scripture painted on it. (I put this on here for you, Oliva!)

My new cranberry curtains make me a little bit sad.  They replaced the last set of curtains that my mom ever sewed for me. :(

 

Originally we were going to gut the entire kitchen.  Daniel was so sweet and offered to put trim on our existing cabinets and he and Marc painted them.  This cut the cost in half and they look much better!

 He also cut one of the cabinets off to match the length of the others.  I'm not sure why they were made that way in the first place.

 

I'm still planning on putting a black glaze on the cabinets.  I haven't gotten brave enough to do it yet.  I want to watch some youtubes on it before I tackle it.

 

                         Madeline's birthday flowers from her daddy. :)

                                            New sink =  MUCH better!

We picked a black granite countertop and a stone back splash.  I am happy with the countertops, but I LOVE the back splash!

 

I like stainless steel appliances.  They are very pretty when they are shined (which with little ones have to be done a lot!)  Our stove is still the old one.  I can't justify replacing it yet.  The girls are hoping it will die soon!

 

 

And...... just for fun,  a picture of some of my Food Network cooking utensils.  I used to have all black ones.  I like the fun colors!

 

 

I am happy with the way it turned out.  We remodeled our front bathroom last fall.  We have a couple more projects that we want to do soon and then the rest will have to wait until after the wedding and our budget gets a break! :o)

Happy Spring!

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day He created Spring.
~Bern Williams
 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Here is a little "green" from our day. :o)

 

I am in a local organic produce co-op.  The produce is wonderful!  I mostly order stuff to make smoothies with.

 

 

I told the kids that I had made them green smoothies to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with.  They said,  "Mama, we have them every day!"

 

 

So.... I made them a green banana pudding for after supper tonight. :o)  They were a little more excited about that!

 

We have had so much rain lately.  Everything is very GREEN!

 

We read about Saint Patrick today in school and I found some fun videos to watch.  I was surprised by what they had remembered about him from last year.

Off to bed!

Daffodowndilly

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead."

A.A. Milne

 

 

Little Blue House

I love that things are turning green!  Spring is my favorite time of the year!

 

Malachi made this little blue bird house at his home school co-op class.  He came home and proudly told McKenzie that it was for the mama birds to "poop their eggs in". :o)

She said, "YES"!

Well, I haven't posted about this before now because I was waiting for McKenzie to announce it on her blog.  You can read her first post here.

Our firstborn, McKenzie Elizabeth is officially engaged to be married this fall!  We are both excited and if I am honest, a little bit sad.  She has been courting this young man since last summer.  We couldn't ask for a more Godly young man for our daughter.  He has done exactly what Marc and I have expected of him.  When the courtship began there were very high expectations and we were not going to settle for second best for our daughter.  The neat thing about Daniel was that we didn't have to give him a set of "rules" to go by.  He had his own standards and convictions set up in his own life.  He came to McKenzie both physically and emotionally pure and he intended to continue to do things the right way.  Not one time have we had to worry about her.  It has been a blessing!  No, they aren't perfect and they have imperfect parents, but their courtship was all that we had hoped for her.  It has been so sweet to watch the two of them get to know each other and fall in love.

When he asked Marc's permission to marry her we weren't really surprised.  I was excited but it's also very surreal.  The thing that we have prayed for since she was born is becoming a reality.  Our hope is to raise our children to love the Lord and want to serve Him.  McKenzie has a love for the Lord and a desire to serve.  She is more than capable of running a household and taking care of children.  As much as I am going to miss her, it is time.  Time to shoot our first arrow into the world!

 

 

Our days are extremely busy soaking up these last months with her at home and planning a wedding.  It was a bit humorous the other day when we went for her to try on wedding dresses, and I was watching her while nursing a baby.  Haha.... the joys of a big family! :o)  I will try to post more about our progress as we plan the wedding.

Happy Birthday, Madeline!

On March 3rd (Yes, I am a little behind in blogging.) Madeline turned fifteen years old!  I'm not sure how that happened.  It seems just yesterday she was our little bitty girl running around on her tip toes. :o)  She has grown up to be a sweet, responsible, smart, and hard working girl!  She has always been our positive encourager.  She has a very easy-going personality and rarely has a negative thing to say. 

McKenzie asked me a while back about hosting a birthday party for Madeline.  I thought it was so sweet for her to want to do that for her sister and the fact that SHE was willing to do the work was great!  She did the shopping, decorating and the food prep. 

 

 

 Madeline had a Pride & Prejudice style dress that she really wanted to wear so the girls all dressed up. The light blue dress Mariah is wearing is one that my mom made for McKenzie years ago to wear to a father/daughter retreat.  All three girls have now worn it.

 

 Madeline really enjoyed seeing some old friends that she hasn't seen in a long while.  Very sweet bunch of girls!  One of the first people she wanted to invite was one of the girl's grandmothers.  I hate that we didn't get a picture with her in it!  Mrs. Miller is Madeline's prayer warrior and such a sweet, Godly example for Madeline.

 

                                                               Cousins

Macheus with his cousin Carrington.  She loves babies and he was very willing to be held!

Aunt Monica was sweet (and brave) enough to take the boys to Chick fil A for lunch.  They all had a great time and it was nice for the girls to have a quiet lunch!

 

Sweet girls

 

On Madeline's actual birthday we had our family dinner and dessert.  She asked for roast, mashed potatoes and..........CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE!!!

                                              My only daughter that looks like me. :o)

 

The crew minus Macheus.  He was in the bed. :o) Not sure what Myles was doing!

 

                                                        Madeline with her daddy.

 

Madeline, I pray that this year is one with many blessings in your life.I pray that you will always love the Lord and strive after His ways.  I love you sweet girl!
"For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess."  Deuteronomy 30:16