We are Moved!!

So much has gone on since my last post. We finally are now officially moved into the house. I am forever amazed how much stuff we have accumulated in just 3 years worth of time. Boxes upon boxes of memories. I realized that there are so many thing that I value so very much that may just look like a simple piece of paper to someone else. I truly value every moment and memory of my life. So, we packed up a billion boxes and loaded up the moving truck. Of course the kids were so excited and begged to sit in the truck. I must admit, there was a moment that morning that was exciting and refreshing to me as well.

Once we got in to the house and got all the furniture and boxes stacked on top of everything, it was time to settle down. Yeah right! Now comes the process of organizing and putting away and getting rid of. We did make our first home transformation purchase. I am really quite excited about it. We bought the primer to start on kitchen and trim in the dining room. I am so very ready to get started. I am reminded though, every time I walk into the dining room and kitchen how much work there is, and that oops, I still have to take down that purple wallpaper. YUCK! I did however decide to make roman shades out of old mini blinds. I found this great blog on here with easy step by step directions. I think for my first time, they turned out pretty nice!














That first night in the house, I really was nervous about. There are alot of memories of my fathers last moments in the room which my husband and I now sleep in. There are moments in ever nook and cranny that my husband will never be able to understand that I carry on my own. As I thought about the difficulty of trying to make their house my own, I began to think about how it must have felt for my mom to be on the outside of her home. That made me really take a step back and realize that I am not the only one struggling with this change. As I laid my pictures around the house and set beds up, there was the most amazing peace throughout it all. I know this will be hard some days and some days the excitement is overwhelming. I am ready to change it and get started. My dad would be proud. We did finally get to spend some time outdoors with the beautiful weather while on Spring Break. The kids and I went on a nature hike , and ice cream to top it off. Then......back to work.


So, now that my computer is back up and running and we are officially moved in, hang on.......here we go!!

One Day at a Time

The day started with the beautiful sunshine returning and the ice quickly melting away. The news says that tomorrow will be a high of 69! I am so excited. Once again, had my list of things to do, but only able to get a few of them done. I have decided that I want to go with very neutral tones and colors and can't wait to get started.
The first item on one of my many list, is the kitchen and dining room. I have to do only one room at a time or I will become too overwhelmed and throw my hands up in despair.

We have decided to paint all the trim white and cabinets throughout the house. Right now they are the typical brown wood that you see in every house. I love the look of the white trim and cabinetry up against beautiful colors of the wall and flooring. I have never nor has my husband ever done anything like this before. I have spent several hours worth of research to find out the best way to get started. First thing though.....get rid of the ugly wallpaper. I have NEVER yes NEVER been a fan of wallpaper. I will also be taking on the task of making homemade curtains and roman shades as well as some little decorative touches that I see in my head. They always look great in my head. LOL I found a great Blog today with great step by step instructions on how to make these great roman shades out of old mini blinds and material. I can't wait to get started.
So, with all these things running around in my head, I needed and my kids needed me to take a break. So, we went back to our current home and took a long break for the rest of the afternoon. We thought it would be fun to make Flubber and watch the "Flubber" movie. Me and the kids had so much fun making the flubber and it really was so cool to see it all come together. Let me know if you want the recipe. It was so simple. Right now, the kids are watching the movie and playing with the Flubber they made. I have nothing profound and deep to say about today,It really was just a productive day and just simply beautiful outside. Tomorrow is a new day, with new ideas and twist and turns.

Spring??

So, last night as I tried to calm myself down and go to sleep, I went over and over the list of things to do in my head. My plan was to move as many of our things and boxes as I could from the old house to our new house, (my parents house), still not quite sure what to call it! Anyway, this morning when I woke up, there was about 2 inches of ice covering everything. Of course this caught me off guard and threw a wrench into every plan that I had for the day.
The crazy thing about it is that just two days ago, we were wearing shorts and flip flops. WELCOME TO MISSOURI!! We packed up the van with many little boxes and headed down the road to the new/old house. It really was a beautiful drive this morning. Hardly anyone was out and you could hear the branches cracking with ice. Every tree looked like glass and some so heavy with ice, bowed and bent towards the ground.When I pulled onto the street, I saw that the beautiful cherry blossom tree that hangs over the driveway looked so beautiful I had to stop and take some pictures. The tree on the side of house had ice balls on the tip of every branch. So we unpacked the van and opened a few boxes. I turned on some Joni Mitchell and tried my best to add my touches into these new surroundings. My pictures on the wall, my little touches on the mantle. It does seem quite strange to have my things in the house.
As I was organizing the hall closet, I came across an old book of my fathers poems. It was high on the shelf and covered in dust. I read through a few of them and realized how talented my father really was. I wish I would have listened more to his stories and songs and told him while he was alive how talented I thought he was. I guess I didn't appreciate him as much when he was here as I do now that he is gone. Lesson learned! Tell those around me what I really feel and express without fear my love and thanks for them and their many talents.

The Journey Begins

I have decided after many nights thinking to restore and fix up my parents old house. It is a great house in a great neighborhood, yet really needs to be updated. This home has so many memories in it. Not all good, and not all bad. My father passed away in this house 2 years ago and now my mother has decided it is time to move on and get a place of her own. While I think it is good for her and great for my family to move into, it is met with a little bit of hesitation.
Every corner of that home and every scratch has a memory or a thought attached to it. There was alot of laughter in that house and sometimes alot of fear for my dad. Those walls have seen and heard so many things and if they could talk, hours of stories some good and some not so good would be told. None the less, they are our families stories and are cherished by myself. I feel as though my fathers spirit lives on in every room. There is a deep and long scratch down the hallway. For most, it would be one to fix right away, for me.... It is where my father first tried to ride his power wheel chair down the hall and got out of control. There is paint splatters in the guest room that will be my son's room. To him it is messy and needs to be fixed, to me it is the night that my sister and I decided to re-do the room and got carried away with the painting and dancing at the same time. Memories of me my brother, playing music and singing and recording songs together. No matter what went on, music always seem to fill every part of that house, and still does!
I am not sure where to start this journey, or what room to start fixing, but I do know that it is time. I have a feeling that in the midst of all the painting and tearing up and knocking down cleaning, that I will learn many lessons and maybe in the process be able to let go of somethings and memories that are attached to that home. I hope as well to just begin to really enjoy where I am and what I have and the life that I am so blessed to live. So, that being said......... My Journey begins.

The Beginning