It helps to remember Emory has a creative side when you listen to his knock knock jokes or look at his selection of toys. . .

Emory, Age 4 with his beloved BearBear a new Suess stuffed animal and a cowboy mask and gun????

Have you ever been entirely certain your child is growing up way to fast?

yup, me too.

Cameron at 14. cute do huh? cute kid.

A Christmas program for preschool and breakfast with my kids

This morning I did not hear my hubby leave for work. He always bends down to kiss me good bye before he leaves. I do not remember this either. The fact that he showers, dresses, and rumbles around for 45 minutes prior to this tells you just how tired I am!

Anywho, at 8:15am my phone rang. Apparently this was enough to wake me from my drug induced slumber of the night before and make my brain function enough to think
"OMG! It is way late and I have to have 6 kids out of here to go in 2 seperate directions in 15 minutes! Yikes.

8:35am. (okay, 20 minutes but really, who is counting!)We are now traveling out of our neighborhood in one vehicle. The older sons van has no gas, I mean NO gas. We will attempt to drop off 2 jr. hi age children for their Mops babysitting duty early with a cell phone in hand in case something comes up and they are not needed or whatever and then get to the grandsons Christmas program by 9am.

Being the stroller addict I am, I think it will be wise to plop the wee one (who is now just over 20 pounds and not so "wee" any more) into her pink polka dotted umbrella stroller(complemented her outift nicely if I do say so myself) for the "hurry up let's get in there before we miss the opening" wild ride across the street and into a very old church I have no knowledge of floor plans for. . .

Forunately another poor soul was arriving just as late as I but knew the layout and got us in and to a elevator that would put us right outside the sanctuary where said program was beginning!! Unfortuanately, it was right outside of the front of the Sanctuary full of people in very tight pews and all inclined to wondering eyes (what? the live Nativity and beautiful baby couldn't hold their attention?) .

Alas, I am prudent enough to shove the stroller under the coat rack and tromp, ummm, I mean tiptoe in and make my way 3/4 of the way back with my 6'1" son, my loud nearly 4 year old son, my heavy 1 year old daughter and her blanket and bottle. oh my. Fortunately, the hubby was at work and did not have to witness this!

In retrospect, I think we were one of the more quiet parties arriving actually! After three somewhat bland songs, and one Christmas story where we almost got the point, we were dismissed to said grandsons classroom for one egg free, nut free sugar cookie and paper cup of juice. Oh, and communal play dough and other such stuff. I think I homeschool for more than one reason. 'nuff said.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world though, being my grandson was so cute and all and in the very front row!

Haven't mentioned yet that the other cell phone rang 4 times, each with a more dire message than the last, "Mom, no one is here, no one is coming, it is cold, when can you come get us? , they must have cancelled." aaahh, sent older brother in my precious car back out to pick them up (yup, he got turned around and lost!) and they all make it back in time to meet us leaving. Oldest son (Daddy to grandson) gives them each a glittery sugar cookie sans nuts and eggs of course which they all take with trepidation and much thanks!

We decide maybe a late breakfast out might be a good idea.

Off to Bob Evans and the next series of misadventures. . .

Me, my 6 kids, my daughter in law, and my grandson.
(Hubby is still happily at the office having his own Christmas lunch with his department.)

Yup, good times. Merry Christmas.

Here's our Emory (on the right) with his cousin Dusty enjoying the wild ponies on Assateague Island during our family reunion. We drove around a wildlife loop for nearly 45 minutes before we spotted even one pony! Thrills a minute let me tell you but once we found them, the kids did enjoy seeing them.

The kids craft of painting frames for all the pony shots and family pics was just as big a hit!

Movie night was fun. . .

The hike up to the lighthouse, game night, and the family auction were all memorable moments as well.

But the best part? Being together for more than a few hours. What a nice Thanksgiving and no one had to cook. . .(yeah for me!)

My calendar tells me it is December. My clock tells me it is the wee hours of the morning on a Friday. My body tells me it is so out of wack from the tyranny of the urgent that I may never sleep a full 8 hours again.

I am incredibly thankful that November is past. And although December is equally as daunting, at least it has some joyful interludes to be anticipated.

I have spent at least 3 or 4 time slots of 30-60 minutes on this blog in the past few months "posting" interesting and even inovative stories of our life and times only to have them dissappear in heartbeat of unreliable and ornery internet access! bother!

Such good memories lost to my middle age muddle of a brain!

I'm thinking some sort of a list may be a good way to go to try and catch up. . .

1) currently residing under my roof:
one husband which I send off each day to an office to enjoy his work, get a break from the craziness of this home, and bring home a paycheck to keep it all running;
one grown child residing with us trying to balance out being a child in our home, being an adult in our home, being a missionary in our home, being a missionary headed for Cambodia in a few short weeks, being a sibling to his brothers/sisters, and being half a dozen other things to at least a half a hundred other people;
one 14 year old son trying to find his way with his family, his church, his peers, his acquaintences, and a half a dozen other people who would like his company;
one 11 year old daughter trying to be the very best daughter, sibling, follower of Jesus, and friend she can possibly be and learning sometimes, it is enough to just be you if you are thinking of others and following Jesus the best you know how;
one 3yr,11 month old son who one is never quite certain what new insight the day will bring forth from said son's little lips;
and finally one 19 month old daughter who is moving in leaps and bounds toward being a bonified toddler in most every way!
oh yes, and then there is me. what to say about that. one stay at home Mom, trying to keep her sanity in balance with her love for family, love for organizing and planning events, love for shopping and a Christmas budget (okay, so love there may be a stretch) and finally and "firstly" her love for her Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

I'm on overdrive folks and sometimes after a particularly hard run when an engine doesn't get proper care, it just shuts down and needs to idle for a while to cool off and be ready to run at full capacity again. . . oh, and this model is slightly older than she likes to think about and remembering what I used to be able to handle in my 20's comes back to haunt be regularly!

2) currently working on
I think I just decided to post what I have written before my connection is lost and post more seperately.

putting stuff in it's place

Hi Again,

I've obviously not given up completely (yet) on blogging. I can't seem to fit it in but I sure want to.

The picture relates to nothing in genreal. Just a day with a box full of Kiley's clothes that needed to be gone through and gotten out of my house or put into the "Jillie may use this" catagory.

Tip #1 If your girls are 10 years apart in age, you really should not be saving very many things at all! What was cute and in style and couldn't be parted with in 1996 doesn't look quite the same in 2006! Yikes!

So another box sorted and a few pieces saved or put into circulation (do you like the vest?) . I have figured out that at the rate I am able to go through these boxes which are taking up the entire storage side of my basement, I will have a neat and organized basement somewhere in the neighborhood of 2010. Yup, just in time to wonder what to do with every last one of these Fisher Price and Little Tikes toys I have been saving, recycling and letting my kids hang onto for oh. . 20+ odd years.

This is so nuts. I actually participate in resales, consignment shops, give things away regularly, and keep the donation boxes at goodwill quite full on a regular basis so where oh where does this all come from? Guess the secrets out of the bag, I love to shop and love even more when I get a bargain. oh bother. (which reminds me, picked up 2 winnie the pooh tapes videos for 1.50 today. . .)

So all of that to say this, it's just stuff. Having 6 kids sometimes really makes you stop and think. Tonight the thoughts are how precious each one of them are. Different, unique, even trying but precious, absolutely precious.

Sometimes stuff clutters my life so much I lose sight of what matters most. I get busy with cleaning or sorting or shopping or even attending Bible study or church and before I know it another day is gone. Finished. Over.

This week baby Jillie had a one day stomach flu. Yuk. Just plain yuk. But not completely. I found myself relishing the entire day of holding her, cuddling her, knowing she needed me in a big way and then, even though I was dead tired and not feeling so good myself, I found myself looking at each of my other children and wondering how it would be if I never forgot what a special gift they were and never thought about tomorrow with them but focused on today?

Guess I needed that "slow down" more than I wanted to admit. Sure am glad the good Lord knows what I need and when. I never seem to on my own!

And so tonight, after Jillie was in bed (well, Daddy put her down after we went out the door. . .)
Kiley and I had a little bit of Mommy and daughter time at the Old Navy and the WalMart. Yup, she doesn't fit into any of the clothes in her closet at the moment so we have to pack them all up in a box ( no, just kidding, we are over that! really! just save one or two of the bestest things) and go hunt for more! Fun stuff! But so tiring. Good shopping, good company, good memories.

Not sure what the point of this post was but just wanted to think through my fingers maybe. . .

'nite.

Jillie's 1st camping adventure

So, did I mention Mommy and Daddy took all five of us kids camping (yes, that would be tent camping) for an overnight?

Isn't Jillian adorable in her gap denims and white fallish turtle neck and her red goose leather hiking boots? After all when you are one and Mommy can still afford to dress you this way, you must take advantage of it! (um, shh! don't tell Jillie Mommy is an excellent shopper and gets most things at 75% off or better!)

Anywho! We got scrumciously filthy and no one cared, we ate way to much sugar in the form of toasted marshmellows and hot chocolate with whipped cream and it was okay. We played in the dirt, picked up nasty things off the ground and even tasted a few and it was still okay. Then we burnt the baked potatoes in the campfire and they still tasted good! We slept in two different tents and one of us even ended up in the car but that worked out too. Oh and then we also got to see stars, play with flashlights, take hikes, play on the playground, eat ice cream bars, and it was so fun! Daddy makes really good eggs and bacon and Mommy can sure mix up that quaker instant oatmeal with the best of them. . .we even had toast and juice!

You should try it sometime, it makes home look oh so good when you get back there!

pondering my blog life

I've been reading blogs on and off for most of the day. I haven't done that in a while I guess, usually just an hour or so here or there once a day or every few days.

I'm busy you see with life. I so wanted blogging to be a part of that and to be honest it has but in a different way.

I started out reading Lisa Whelchel once a week and getting so much from each of her daily journals. Occasionally I'd have time to play around and look other places on her site but mostly, I just read her once a week journal. Ben doing that for at least 3 or 4 years.

Then she sent me over to Sarah's blog, In the midst of it, and I got steamrolled into something so addictive I was up to my ears in reading and trying to write. Yikes.

As a mom of 6 (only 5 at home now, actually soon to be 4 again in January) I have more than enough to do with my time.

Actually when ever I hear people make comments about "well, in my down time. . ." or "sometime when you have nothing to do . ." or "when you are looking for something to do. . ." I just feel so insanely jeoulous it is almost unbelievable.

I truly do not ever have a time with nothing to do. Don't get me wrong, I do quite often choose to do one thing over another but there is never just "nothing" on my plate.

Like today I am suppose to be cleaning, laundering, getting packed to go away with hubby, getting kids organized to stay home without us, etc. . .and instead I have chosen to slip into this chair every hour or so and read between folding, giving instrustions, making list, picking up, feeding lunch, etc. . .

Thankfully, she says with sarcasm in her voice, my wireless interent connection has been out for several weeks on and off so I've had very little ability (using dial up) to upload pictures and other stuff I would typically like to put on here.

I am of course ramblnig but it does have a point I think. Instead I've had time with my books again. I do so love to read. I've had time with my Bible study and have even caught up on my scriture memory and gotten the kids memorizing along with me. I've emailed a few in the flesh friends and gotten back in touch and it is good.

But I have to amit, I am addicted to this blogging. I love to put my thoughts into words, remember and record stuff, and most of all I love to read the insights everyone has. So I know I will continue to read blogs for now. I hope also to post. But pray for me (if you get this far in this epistle!) because I want to use my time wisely and do feel the need for a break here and there but so many things call my name and yet the daily responsibilities do overwhelm me at this point in my life.

So in the never boring, always consuming, never ending, always enlightening adventures of parenting which go from here to there and across the board and back again it seems, I'm just typing for pleasure today and parenting as I do it from 1 year old to 19 year old. How fun is that.

Keep up the good work you faithful bloggers. I so envy you and enjoy my peeks into sanity every now and again.

Oh and to Tammy I think it is, thanks for tagging me for that meme a long time ago, it was just to long for me to get to but a short one would be fun. I've seen a couple of those lately. I'll be around lurking and learning from you all and commenting as I can.

time to switch the laundry . . .

Badlands or God's Sandbox

How fun to see landscape the likes of which was alien to us east coasters. As our 14 year old son put it as he explained it to the 3 year old. . .

"Emory! Look what happens when God plays with sand! This is like God's great big sand box and this is what He built!"

Wow. On the landscape (Badlands) and the 14 year old son.

We did lots and lots and lots of this.

Thank you Father Above for some very very nice (read clean here) highway rest stops and van seats that recline nearly flat! Oh and those wonderful disposable changing pads! I'll never go back to the cloth/vinyl diaper bag ones.

This little sweetie (just a tad bit of sarcasm in Mommy's voice there) on average (read sometimes more!) went thru 3 yes, 1-2-3! changes of clothes a day! Not because of her sweetness factor let me assure you.

Oh and thank you Jesus for those little blue smelly bags to toss used up boppers in because it's just not nice to leave that kind of smell around even in trash recepticals.

and just because I have such a fact I feel I should share it, she went through 102 of those diapers in just under 13 days! That does not count swimmie diapers!

Her brother only used up 65 in the same amount of time but twice as many swimpers!

ah well. . . we did know who we were taking on this trip before we started!

back and busier than ever

and we are back. 5000 road miles later, we are home and Mr. Independant decided now that we are home again he would use the potty!

3 years, 8 months. do you think he just didn't like the idea of any more rest stop diaper changes?

just going to try and post little snippets here and there. not able to find time in my life for more than "lurking around" and a comment or two on the "faithful ones" sites.

gotta run, timer is going off for dinner! enjoy the fall and cooler weather if it applies to you! In the 50's last night here in Delaware! woo-hoo!

time flies when you're having fun . . .

Well, it appears to be August 29th ( I only know because I just asked my husband) and my 3.5 yr. old is making me a blanket cake (?), strawberry of course with the pretend kitchen things while the 11 and nearly 14 year old do math. The 19 year old is "in house" and the 1 year old is in bed for the night and that is all I know for now.

I will be back once I get my vacation pictures uploaded and have so much to write about! Nearly 5000 road miles produce a host of interesting writing topics to be sure.

Enjoy your week,Kim

He's home, Safe and Sound

Yes, he is home, not much else besides the clothes on his back but home.

Took another 24 hour stint awake/traveling to get him here but it is oh so good to have him home.

Thank each and everyone of you who commented and prayed and checked back in on me. God's answers are not always so easy to understand but this time, I'm thanking Him I can humanly understand His ways. Thank You Jesus!

Can't share much more without some sleep so I'll try again tomorrow.

PS Did I mention he's home and sleeping in my bed right this very minute?!!!

He's on his way

I sat down at this computer the minute I had changed diapers, and nursered the baby. Oh, and had taken my BP and meds (cringe) ~not even reporting what that number was.

7:24 am here. 12:24 pm there.

Hubby has arrived in Birmingham by high speed train w/o incident and after getting some lunch will start off to find the hotel he booked there. He leaves on early flight tomorrow to Frankfort, Germany. That will be a relief to have him out of England! Even if he does have to fly out. Not so relieved that his passport promotes him as a male, US citizen, traveling alone for first time out of country, My brain keeps saying "target". I know, dumb.

New prayer item. His car keys are in his luggage so I will be driving the 45 minutes up to the airport to pick him up and take along the spare key. I do a lot of drving, even city driving but I do not like driving to PHA. ah, well, for this, I'd drive in my underwear and slippers! Except I don't own slippers. . now where did that come from??


Again, thanks so much for praying, I'm being a wimp I know but what a scare.

Kids need Mommy to shape up now and get going with the day.

He's stuck, but safe

Can not even believe on his first trip "across the pond".

In a Heathrow airport hotel is where he stayed last night to fly out to Dublin this morning.

Not sure if anyone heard the news this morning but a terrorist attack was thwarted at Heathrow (the likes/size of 911 they believe) and the airport is chaotic. Closed down for now.

Still stuck at airport, trying to retrieve luggage. Alternate plans (for now) have him getting in a day late with no further buisness happening, just trying to get home.

Thank You in advance for all your prayers.

UPDATE: I was able to keep in touch via cell phone/e-mail most of the morning hours but than I did not hear anything until 5pm this afternoon. It was a long day no matter which side of the ocean you were on today I think.

Latest update is this.
He was finally able to leave Heathrow Airport this afternoon. His luggage had already been checked through to Dublin so is being rerouted back here to the states, home in fact. He asked me to watch for it, like lugage matters to me at this point! Tracking down luggage and finding alternative means of travel home took all day.


Latest travel plans for now.
He will stay overnight in London again but not at airport, closer into the city. He will then take a train to Birmingham (and yes that is the city where several of the suspected terrorist have been picked up and arrested) and spend the next night there. On Saturday he flies out to Frankfort, Germany and then on to Philadelphia and home. Still not much more than a day or so late, if all connections happen and flights don't get cancelled again.


Praises: He has been able to keep in touch with me for most part. He almost checked his phone thru (no taking it on plane now) when he heard his flight cancelled.
Although his words this morning were "It is pure chaos here." He seemed very calm and ever reassuring to his wife.
He was able to make alternate travel arrangements.
I have only cried twice, away from the children and remained mostly calm and in control. What else is there to do really?

Prayer: He has only his phone, no charger, it is in checked luggage. Pray his phone will hold a 3 day charge!
He has only the clothes on his back for the next two nights in hotels/planes/trains and he is a male. Will he shop? Doubtful.
Please pray Birmingham is peaceful and calm and there is no trouble with the train, etc. as it seems to be a hot spot for this group of terrorist.

Thank You again. Kim for my clan.

PS after I heard from him around 5pm (10 pm his time) I just had to get away from this computer for a while. I piled the kids in the van and took them to Friendly's. Dinner and ice cream. Then I went to Old Navy for some shopping therapy. I needed to get my hubby a new swimsuit but did not do it before he left and felt the sudden need to do it today,the mind works in strange ways hhhmm.

Home and exhausted.

He called!

Now, we had e-mailed a few times and that made me feel good.

And I've been keeping up with the time difference and all so I knew he was just about ready to turn in for the night and still no e-mail for the day. . .probably couldn't get computer to work or something or just way tired.

But no, HE CALLED! Sometimes little things like that just mean a lot to me. It's been a great trip so far and he has been able to fit a lot in and see so many things as well.

So tomorrow he is off to Dublin, cool. Hope it is another spectacular day. I miss him but no way I would want him to miss this experience.

Kind of makes me feel like I should be doing something really great here too, like cleaning a whole bunch or organizing our never ending paper trail or getting ready for this trip that looms ever closer but it's not happening. So frustrating.

I have had lots of giggle time with the little man, snuggle time with the walker, talk time with the preteen and no knock down drag out fights with the resident teen ager so I guess something has been accomplished! Oh, and visit with the parents, phone call to the in laws and the college boy, cooked dinner two nights (of course you'd have to know me to know what a big deal that is and "cooked" is a relative term) and well, survived without that break in my day that always says to me "okay, this part of the day is done and there is only so much more to go" . . .you know without hubby coming home, my day just never seems to end and that's just exhausting!

So anyway, I'm just happy he called!

She Walks!

Yup, Little Miss Jillian Elyse Walks! I know I said I would not be excited by this because of all the extra work involved and added freedom and all that other stuff but ... well...

There is just something so precious about those first little steps. And to couple that with her rocky start in life and her excruciatingly slow weight gain, well... it's just so fun to see her do something so normal and cute and sweet and and well, you know, so precious!

She gets this little look on her face like "hey, look at this, look what I can do, hey did you see that?"

She had been cooped up in a stroller, our arms, a hotel room and the car for the better part of 2 days and when she hit the family room floor after that at 10pm she just had a look of sheer delite on her little face.

She has been standing randomly for a while now so we had produced the required "walk behind toys" and all of that. She mostly just pushed them for a few minutes and then squealed for someone to come do it for her. Smart woman I say.

I think little Miss Jillie decided that since Daddy was going away for a whole week she should preform for him before he left. And what a grand preformance it was.

Jillie took several jaunts of about 3-4 steps each time. So cute to watch.

Since Daddy's been gone she has progressed rapidly! Tonight she "walked" about 8-9 steps across the room to her big sister while her MomMom and PopPop were here. wow!

Wait until Daddy sees this!

He's Off

After almost an hour delay, his flight has departed.

That means by my time 2am, the hubby will be arriving in Frankford, Germany at their time, 8am and hit the ground running, so to speak. I pray he was able to sleep across the Atlantic. I pray he can function properly at 2am, his body pretending it is 8am and checking out of the airport and customs and going straight to the office there. . .

He is actually one incredible guy, this hubby of mine. As he held me in his arms as I bawled last night for no apparent good reason other than my fear that he would not come back safely from this international week long trip. It is an irrational fear right? Lots of people do this all the time I know but not my hubby.

So, although he has never been overseas before and had to be ready to go into work (here at home) this morning (he left before 6am this morning) before he came home to pack and leave for airport this afternoon, he spent all week end with his family, away from home. And let me tell you, home is most often where my hubby wants to be when he is not at work. He never seems to have enough time here. Yet, instead of "puttering" around here, we were off to a Family reunion 3 and 1/2 hours away.

We often make the trip a "day trip" albeit a long one. This time hubby let me book a room to make it a bit less rushed and a little more leisurely. The reunion itself was neither great nor awful so average is kind of nice for a change. We were able to get away at a reasonable time, drive over to our hotel and check in before we headed to a local amusement park. What a fun time that was as well. And the late night swim after. And the nice big suite and the super comfy beds, the wonderful breakfast buffet, and then back to the amusement park for a few more hours. I thought we would head right home but no, hubby wanted the kiddos to have more time to enjoy trip. We ended up leaving there much later than I thought we would, and hubby still had to drive home. We made it home inside of 10pm but that was still plenty late after all week end. Only a guy totally committed to his family would try to fit in all of that right before going away!

And now, he's off. I cried again, when he left. I already miss him. And, well, one incredible guy.

It's Friday

And I'm so sad because I had a great post on time all written out and my Internet connnection went out on me.

Bum.

Not nearly as poetic but it's been a busy week, it's going to be an even busier week end and even busier month overall if you can even believe that!

And the one precious statement I just have to retype is this,

Each time my 3.5 year old ask me what time it is or is it time for ________. No matter what my response is, every single time his response back to me is the same.

But Mommy, the hands just keep spinning round and round.

Oh my goodness, they sure do and time just keeps on moving but his statement always reminds me how precious each and every moment with my little ones really is.

No matter how tired, or how busy or how many minutes there are. . .each one is a gift to be thankful for.

signing off for now, but treasure each moment because those hands just keep spinning.

One more room and a precious one year old!

Okay, so I've been a little busy lately (I'm sure to hear murmurs of aren't we all?) And as much as I truly want to have you over and invite you in. . .there has just not been time to clean up anything! And when I don't clean, you really don't want to see what happens around here (think two Jr. Highers watching two pretot/toddlers and Mom ignoring not only the housework but the kids and nutritional needs of her family as well [um, McD, Pizza, and Pop Tarts nearly everyday] and then Dad throwing in some "more fun than all this work, let's go! suggestions" and you have a sorry looking mess!

Confession time! The pic of my daughter is from the State Fair and is as close to live animals and their surroundings as I go all year long. My 11 year old once called horses "big dogs" because her Mother had not taught her any differently at the age of 4 years, opps. So now, come rain, heat or whatever, we head down to the rural part of my small state and see horses, cows, pigs, goats, chicks, rabbits, and on and on it goes I'm afraid. We even climb on tractors. My favorite part? Touring those mega motorhomes and double wide modular houses! They'd be perfect for a place at the beach. . .so I like to dream! Guess there's just not much country in this girl.

Now the 3 yr old is properly versed in all domesticated, farm and wild animal names so you could say I'm reformed, sort of. I still do not have any pets and leave no hope in my children's minds that I will change my mind anytime soon.

But isn't it a cute picture? Barefooted and hay! so cute.

uh-anyway, confession number #2 I actually threw stuff off the couch onto the floor by the couches so you could not see it in these two pictures of my family room!! Don't look to close or you'll see lots of stuff I didn't move at all or look hard and have a grand time seeing the lovely toys my children drag around each and everyday from all over this obnoxiuosly large house (yup, I don't feel guilty and I love it! Hey, 7 of us fill it up).

The shot on the left is taken from my kitchen (which you will not get a picture of today for sure) into my backhall and family room. Down the hall is my powder room and to the left you can see my overflowing bookcases in my office. There is a 3 year old being babysat by public television and a 4 foot pink stuffed bunny from Easter that the little ones think is a great chair. Otherwise I love my big chair and halfs as we call them. These shots are from early in the day. I have morning sun in this room which is wonderful in the winter streaming through my double french doors and 3 Palladian windows (they match the window over my front door). You can just catch a corner of them in shot number 2. Oh, before I leave shot #1, notice the back hall has been painted. woo-hoo! It only took me 5 years to convince hubby that I could not stand builder white any longer. I guess shot #2 is pretty self explanatory. We sit in here everyday. We read in here. We occasionally watch the news or tv in here (only once or twice a week actually for the adults) Seeing the 3 year old in here is kind of deceptive and not of my choice. His Daddy has started a morning routine and I can not seem to break either of them of it. Every morning while I am still in bed (yup, he does not want me up and under his feet he says, I'm happy to oblige.) before he leaves for work, this little guy hears his Daddy putting his shoes on (He drops them on the hardwood for goodness sake as he comes down the steps! We all hear him!) and gets up out of bed to say good morning /goodbye to him. This also includes Daddy indulgently making him a cup of choch-ey milk and turning on PBS. Not a big deal? AAHH! This is builder grade carpet. This is a 3 year old prone to spills with no supervision, this is the big people family room, the kids have their own finished basement family rooom with a perfectly good tv down there. . . .oh , never mind, I have given up and besides, it is kind of cute that they have their morning thing going on. . . even if I'm not invited.

Other points of interest? My antique barn box, my grandmothers 100 plus year old quilt, one of many oil paintings ( Hubby I like to shop for art) and a stack of library books. The couches do not even have their throw pillows or throws on them (heaven alone knows where they are this morning) . The french doors need dressing up but I can't really decide which unobtrusive treatment to apply to them. All suggestions welcome, under $20 of course which is about how much my decorating budget would be this month! And please make it colorful, it's a very brown room (which I personally love but hubby thinks I'm nuts) . Can't quite see in picture, but accents are there in red and blue and yellow! Fireplace was suppose to be between those doors but we built it in the basement family room instead and now don't really want another in here so we must decide what to do.

So there you have it, the center of all activity in our home, the family room not the kitchen(I avoid the kitchen whenever possible to be honest except to entertain or buy pretty things for it or cook with kids . . .it's that regular meals thing that flusters me) . It's a lovely kitchen though, so keep checking back and I'll show it to you!