Late Nighter

So, here it is almost midnight and I am sitting here at my computer trying to do ebay stuff and Graceful Designs stuff and I really should be in bed. I'm so gonna hate myself for staying up this late in the morning. That is kind of how my days are seeming to run lately. Really late nights, really early mornings, and go like mad during the day. It is a vicious cycle. I think it is time to take inventory and evaluate what is truly important and what is not. See, even though I detest Superwoman, I think I still want to be her, and I am just not. I'm accepting that but it is still so frustrating sometimes to know that you have been busy all day and then look around at the end of the night only to find that you are still very much behind. Oh well. I desperately want to make sure that I am giving my husband and children the focus that they need and deserve instead of putting "stuff" ahead of them. Sometimes I fail miserably at that. Isn't it awesome that they are so forgiving and that God gives us a fresh start every morning to try to do better? I have been praying for several days that God would fill me up so I can be poured out. I think I will continue to pray that but also add that God would help me to pour myself into the things that HE wants me to do, not what I think I need to do. Does that make sense?
Today was a busy, but good day. I went to work this morning then got Tyler from school and we went to Kayla's school for her portfolio conference. If you are not familiar with these, it is a time when you sit with your child and look through a binder of different things that they have done since the beginning of the year as well as view their "Star" test results from different periods of the year. What I learned is that my daughter is very looked up to by her peers and that she is smart as a whip. She tested out at around a 6th grade level on reading and math - she is in 3rd grade. She is definitely gifted in the intelligence area - I just pray that we can make sure that she is also as diligent about growing spiritually and emotionally as she is about improving in her learning. Tyler did very well while we were there. I was home long enough to get some stuff listed on ebay and some of my junk seperated out. I have an obsession for cleaning out toys and closets periodically and I throw everything in a pile and then I have to go back through and sort the pile. That's what I did this afternoon. Then we all went out for a fun dinner before church. At church I got to hold a precious little boy for an hour and also got some exercise as I walked him through the halls at church and then got to sit and just hold him while he slept - that is true relaxation - to hold a sleeping baby! After church we tried to do the $.31 scoop night and Baskin Robbins was PACKED, so we opted for Sonic with Larry and Julie. We had a great time visiting with them and the kids wore themselves out running around! They will definitely sleep good tonight.
Okay, I know this is getting long and it is only getting later. I skipped the ice cream tonight and drank two huge glasses of unsweet tea! I have been having serious tea cravings lately. Maybe that might have something to do with why I'm not at all tired!

Spring Has Sprung!

I love spring!!! Today was a gorgeous day! A little bit cool, beautiful sunshine, and a nice breeze. Craig and I got out and worked in the yard together tonight. He trimmed while I mowed. Our yard looks so nice now! Our backyard was beginning to look like a jungle. The kids played outside while we worked and Kayla helped a little bit too! I spent the rest of the day filling Graceful Designs orders and I think I am now caught up. Yea! Now, I just have to finish some stuff for myself for end of the year teacher gifts and that sort of thing.
Tomorrow I am back to work and both kids are off to school. I think we are all on the mend from this nasty cold. Kayla has a portfolio conference at 2:00 tomorrow, so I will be at the school checking out all her work that she has done this year.
FYI--go to Baskin Robbins tomorrow - it is $.31 scoop day! We love ice cream!

Big Boy Underwear

I'm thinking that God surely has a sense of humor - there seems to be an "underwear" theme to my day.

So, this afternoon Tyler comes out from his room, "Mama, I have big boy underwear on." You may not agree with me on this and that is okay, but I made him go and take them off because he has been doing this lately where he goes and puts underwear on and then proceeds to poop in them. I do NOT enjoy cleaning poopy underwear. That is right up on my list with killing spiders! Okay, so he proceeds to go in the bathroom and poop. Okay, I'm not trying to be disgusting, just trying to set the stage for you - it was, like, smaller than a rabbit pellet. Seriously! But, of course, I praised him like crazy. Then he wanted to know if he could wear big boy underwear since he had gone in the potty. What do you do? You want to be encouraging but not be a moron right? Well, apparently I got stuck more on the moron end, because I let him put on underwear. By this point of the day, chores are done, toys are cleaned up out of the living room, Kayla is laying on the couch reading, and Tyler is....where is Tyler? I notice that he has been very quiet for quite some time, so I tiptoe back to his room, and he is actually playing quietly BY HIMSELF! I'm thinking to myself, "life is good", "my kids are great", "I have 5 minutes of quiet"! So, I am enjoying my quiet by going over a few bills, clipping coupons, and doing AWANA stuff. Pretty soon, here comes Tyler and I notice that he is walking a little funny. Yep, he pooped in his UNDERWEAR. How gross is this? So, he gets on the potty and I'm sitting in the kitchen fuming and all of the sudden I hear, "Mom, come see how much toilet paper I put in the toilet!" Calgon anyone?

Pull Up Your Big Girl Panties and Get on With It!

That is my motto for this week, specifically for this day! You know, sometimes it just plain stinks to be a grown-up. Yesterday was one of those days. It has been a crazy weekend. On Saturday I had two showers, a baby and a bridal. Those were fun - it has been a long time since I have been to either a baby or a bridal shower. It was fun to just visit with some other ladies and see all of the fun gifts! After the showers, I stopped to buy the strawberries for my strawberry jam - I bough SIX gallons. What was I thinking? By the time I got home, I was already worn out and I was up to my eyeballs in Graceful Designs stuff. Oh, did I mention that Craig and Tyler were both sick? Kayla was on her GA trip to Perry, GA, and she had a wonderful time and is feeling much better. SO, while I embroidered, my sweet husband sat and cleaned strawberries. He is awesome and the fact that he was helping while not feeling well was just way too cool to me. I got caught up on the embroidery stuff; the strawberries all got cleaned and put in the refrigerator to deal with on Sunday afternoon. Well, at some point during the night I started to feel sort of like I had been run over by a big truck, and he didn't think he got me good enough the first time, so he ran over me again. Along with that, Tyler was burning up with a fever Saturday night and spent a good portion of the night in bed with us, which means NO SLEEP! Needless to say, we all ended up staying home from church on Sunday morning. I was so sad - I feel like with Masters, and sick kids, and being out of town that I have not been to Sunday morning church in forever. So, mid-morning I ended up having a meltdown. When I get over-loaded, I cry - yep, so cry I did. Craig let me get it out and then, yep, you guessed it, I had to "pull up my big girl panties and get over it". So, heads spinning, coughing, and hacking, Craig and I made the strawberry jam, all 70+ half pints of it. I still have a couple of batches left to make because I ran out of sure-gel. I even did some laundry and even managed to get about 1/2 hour nap. Then we gathered up our children and went to AWANA. We kept Tyler with us and pushed through the night. It was a crazy night with the AWANA store and year end issues that had to be dealt with and lots of noise. Why is it when you are sick, everything seems so LOUD!
Anyway, Tyler did not run fever last night and hadn't had any since early Sunday morning so he went off to school this morning. I think Craig is feeling some better and I am telling myself that I feel better because I have too much to do to be sick.
I have to share this thought with you that I had this morning though. I was laying on the couch trying to decide if I was going to go to work or not and I had that verse come to mind that talks about how in Heaven there will be no pain and sorrow and I got to thinking that when we get to Heaven there will be no allergies or head colds. I think so many times I only think of that verse in context with people who are seriously ill with cancer or heart disease or something. But, this morning it really registered that it is for everything - headaches, colds, the pain in your shoulder that won't go away no matter how often the chiropractor adjusts it, etc., etc.:) So, that is my encouragement for the day - one day we will no longer suffer from even so much as a runny nose or a scratchy throat! Hallelujah!

Everyone is Sick

Well, everyone (except me) has the spring time allergy crud! Craig's started yesterday afternoon; Kayla is on the tail end of hers since hers started on Sunday, Tyler is just starting with his. Yuck! Kayla is supposed to be out of town all day tomorrow with a Church trip so I broke down and took her to the doctor today only to find out that there is nothing wrong with her. However, our wonderful pediatrician did give us a prescription "just in case" we needed it over the weekend. Bless her Lord! Our pediatrician is one of the doctors that is going on the Mission trip to Mexico this summer. We spent most of the visit talking about everything that goes on there - this will be her third year going.

Kayla is finished with CRCT testing. Yea! Those weeks of testing are always a little bit stressful because we try to make sure that everyone is down to bed EARLY so that they get plenty of rest - that is sometimes hard to do!

This weekend is full of showers - a baby shower and a bridal shower tomorrow. They are both drop-ins. It will be fun to visit with everyone!

Yesterday was spent embroidering pretty much all day. Graceful Designs has been pretty busy the past couple of months. Plus I had to do up all of my own stuff for the showers:) I love having an embroidery machine.

Oh, I have to tell one quick funny about Tyler, because he uses these words and expressions that crack me up. Yesterday we were playing with his walkie talkies and he said, "I got an ID on a monster that needs to go to jail"! It cracked me up - an ID???? Where did he get that from?

How Many Buttons Do YOU Have?

This is my question to myself for the day and, subsequently, my thought for the day - how many buttons do I have? AND, why do I allow people to get away with pushing them? See, Craig and Shannon tell me all the time that my children know exactly which buttons of mine to push to get a reaction. How are they so smart? I have a really bad habit of letting other people rile me up and my children are no different. This morning is the perfect example - Kayla got up to get ready for school and came out looking all chipper and dressed and ready to go. I'm thinking to myself - "very cool, it's going to be a good day". Well, then I look down at her shoes to find that she has on pink shoes and there is not another stitch of pink on her. At this point, I'm thinking to myself, "oh, crud, this is not going to go well." Sure enough, I explained to her that she couldn't wear those shoes and that she needed to put her tennis shoes on. Yep, melt down. "Those shoes are awful, they just make me feel so ashamed." (and I quote) Now, let's pause for a moment - these are the Sketchers that she was so excited about, that she always wanted, that she loved, and now because they are a little bit dirty, they make her feel ashamed. Oh my. This is where the buttons come in. At this point she changes her shoes and comes out to flounce around with attitude and pouting and my button is this: react to the negative waves oozing off of her or ignore it? This morning I chose to ignore it. Then I receive attitude because I don't have time to put her hair in pigtails. And, this for me is the button - I felt guilty because of it and beat myself up over not making time to put her hair up. Is that right or wrong? I mean, some mornings you do and some mornings you don't. Why should I feel guilty about that? Guilt is NOT from God! So, my thought for the day is this - will I react negatively by allowing people and family members to push my buttons or will I let it roll off of me? On that note, I also heard this song on the radio on the way home this morning. Country, of course. It's called "You're going to miss this". It really made me think about how little time I have with my children and what is taking first place in my life. That ties into something that I read in my quiet time yesterday morning about just simply listening to your children. I have one child, who will remain unnamed, who has a tendency to repeat everything in very great detail and sometimes I find myself zoning out. However, I was reminded yesterday that it is important to even listen to those things because it shows them that they have worth and are important enough to listen to. I'm going to sum all of this up: My prayer for today is that I will have the maturity and wisdom to look past the times when my children are just trying to get a reaction out of me. That, perhaps, if I do react that it will be in a positive, unexpected manner. I also pray that I will learn to cherish each moment of every day even the difficult ones, because I feel sure that one day I am, indeed, going to miss this. On that note, that I will listen to my children even when I want to go screaming from the room with my hands over my ears; the stories about John Peter, the details of a 3rd grade day, etc. May you all have a non-button pushing day!

Cleaning House

Can I just take a moment and tell ya'll that my house is a disaster? I'm still working my way through laundry from camping and it just seems that everything is in a state of confusion around here. I hate that feeling. Today I am planning to be home all day and just work around my house. I have closets that need to be cleaned and dresser drawers that need to be gone through and a host of other things! That is my agenda for the day.

I have to update on my Mexico trip. We had another meeting Sunday night and things are really beginning to take shape. I brought home three bags of medicines that have to be counted and labeled and distributed into Ziploc bags for use in the "pharmacy". I started on that last night and got through about 1000 pills and still have another 3000 of that kind to go through! I have all of my money ready to turn in. Let me take a moment and say thank you to everyone who contributed monetarily. Each one of you are such a blessing and I am so appreciative and can't wait to tell you what your contribution helped to accomplish! I found out last night that my job is going to be to work with the children whose parent's are being seen in the clinic. We will be coloring, doing the gospel bracelets, singing, and doing puppets. I hope I can get home without having stick several of the kids in my suitcase and bring them home with me! I can't wait! We also got our itinerary with all of our flight information. It will take pretty much two full days of travel even though Mexico is not that far. By the time we travel by bus to Atlanta and then by bus from where we are landing in Mexico to where we are actually staying, it ends up being a pretty full day. Last night I got my gifts for my interpreters as well as all of my samples for traveling - I have to have my hair spray! Oh, I also found out last night that I will be working with the pastor's wife. This is the wife of the man who wrote and asked us to consider coming for this mission trip. I am really looking forward to that.

In other Churchill news, Kayla is taking the CRCT this week so we have been trying to be kind of low key and make sure that she gets enough rest, etc. She still is not feeling 100% better, but she is no longer running a fever and only through up that one time on Sunday. She brought home her progress report yesterday and has done great the first part of this 9 weeks - all A's! Tyler's potty training took another turn for the worse last week after 3 1/2 days of doing great we fell off the wagon! John Peter is still a big part of our family. You gotta love that fictious little boy! It seems that everything we are talking about at the moment that John Peter has also done that. He was sick on Sunday too, for two weeks! This boy's imagination never ceases to amaze me!

All right, I am off to be productive...

Our Camping Trip

We are home! It was such a fun and relaxing weekend. I have to admit that most of Saturday I spent in the bed! I just could not seem to get my body to wake up - I think I got out there and relaxed and turned to jelly! We got set up pretty quickly on Friday night and had dinner and S'mores. We took a short walk up to the park and let the kids play for a little while. I slept like a rock Friday night - it was awesome! Sometime during the night it began to rain - thanks Dad, I'm pretty sure you caused that to happen! It rained off and on Saturday morning, but never really that hard, just a sprinkle here and there. It was actually very nice because it kind of forced us all to just hang out in the tent and relax and not feel like we had to be up rushing to go find something to do. Craig took the kids to the park while I was sleeping:) At the park there is a swimming area and the kids were beggin all weekend to get in the water even though it was pretty cold. Well, Craig let them wade out in their clothes and Tyler "fell" in. He was actually going back in for a rock that he had thrown in the lake. Craig said he didn't even realize what he was doing. He threw it in and then decided that he wanted in and went back out to get it!! I thought that was pretty funny. Saturday afternoon we were all back in the tent just hanging out and I think all of us ended up with a nap. Tyler fell asleep on the floor of the tent on top of his coloring book! While he was sleeping, the sun decided to come out. Craig had told Kayla that if the sun came out and it warmed up that he would take her swimming. As you can see from the pictures below, it was pretty chilly! After Tyler woke up we ended up going for a short hike and coming back down to the playground to play some more. We did more S'mores and marshmallows and then put the kids to bed and Craig and I got to stay up and enjoy the fire. It was so peaceful! Last night it got to be FREEZING cold!!! It was downright frigid! We all had trouble getting up because nobody wanted to leave their nice, warm blankets. Craig and I slept with the blankets over our heads most of the night because it was so cold! Ya'll know that it would not be a Churchill family vacation if there wasn't at least a little bit of drama, right? Well, it came this morning! Kayla woke up moaning and I do mean moaning - it was pitiful! She was complaining that everything hurt, her head, her throat, her stomach, EVERYTHING. We finally decided to pack it up early and come home because she was so miserable. We got everything pretty much packed up and got her out of the tent so we could take it down and guess what? Yep, she threw up! She is just like her momma - she loves to throw up. Ten minutes later she was good as new, but we were already packed and loaded so we just came on home.
So, all in all, it was a great weekend of family time and relaxation. We played games and walked and just had a great time.
I have to tell you about the bird pictures below. There were beautiful birds around our campsite all weekend and they were so much fun to watch. There were several blue jays and then these cardinals. Tyler calls them "red jays". I thought that was cute!

The Wilderness Family

When I was a kid we had this movie called "The Wilderness Family" and it was about this family who lived in the city and did the crazy, busy city life and traffic and all of that. Well, one day they decided that they had had enough and they packed everything up and moved to the country where the air was no longer smog filled and there was grass instead of pavement and mountains instead of sky scrapers. They learned to rough it and live off the land and built their house with their own two hands. I'M ABOUT TO GO THERE! This weekend we will become the wilderness family. We will leave our city streets for what I pray is a nice, SOFT spot of land by the lake. We will trade in our warm, comfy, though somewhat disheveled house for a one room tent - we WILL put it up with our own two hands. We will trade barking neighborhood dogs for grizzly bears and cougars. Okay, okay, okay - I'm kidding! But we are venturing out into the great outdoors this weekend to go camping. Yikes! Tyler's first camping trip:) As we have been getting our stuff together and making a grocery list and such, I feel the need to expound on some things that I don't think that the wilderness family took with them in the movie:

1) Fixins for S'Mores
2) An off the ground frame for their blow up bed
3) Chips Ahoy cookies
4) Ant Poisoning
5) Pre cut fire wood
6) An Electric griddle for pancakes in the morning
7) Lighter fluid - we will try not to let Tyler get a hold of this!
8) A Piece of lovely outdoor carpenting for everyone to wipe their feet on so they don't track into the tent! I'm a stickler for dirt!

More on this trip later...

Settling In

I feel like I am finally beginning to feel human again and settling back into life after Masters! I went back to work today and did some laundry and caught up on AWANA stuff. Craig and I started back walking tonight and it felt good to get back to it. The kids are doing well. Kayla is starting a poetry unit at school that will actually turn into a project of sorts where she has to write some poetry, illustrate it and also do an oral presentation in class. I know NOTHING about poetry so it should be interesting! Tyler has gone three days now with no pooping accidents! I'm scared to get my hopes up! He actually went to school in underwear today and did not have any messes. I'll keep you posted on that one. He crashed and burned in the living room Monday night. He is now sporting a bruised cheek bone and a small scrape up closer to his eye. He was running 90 miles an hour through the house and hit a wall! We are having pictures done next week and I really hope it fades by then!

I finished my first lesson in my novel writing class. There are 26 lessons in this course compared to the six that I did in my last class. What have I gotten myself into? The lesson was interesting. The writing assignment was not nearly as fun as some of the ones I did in the last class, but hopefully they will perk up some!

Back To School

I enjoyed my Creative Writing class so much that I have decided to sign up for another one. Today I have enrolled in Novel Writing 101! I'll keep you updated!

Repair Work

So we are down to drywall all the way around the kitchen, but as you can see from this picture we do have a "small" amount of repair work to do to the drywall. By the time we got behind the refrigerator we had figured out the best way to get everything off without tearing the drywall. I guess maybe we should have started back there where nobody sees! Oh well - it will get fixed and I am so glad we are done stripping wall paper. My plan for the day today -- how many times will I have to mop my kitchen floor to get all the glue and goo up?

Tyler Finally Gets to Help Make Pies!

Pretzel Making with Grandma

I Survived!

I survived another year of Masters! What a fun week! We had a great group and everything went pretty smoothly. It is always fun and exhausting at the same time! I have a whole year to recouperate before we do it again!

Yesterday I took a "Lisa" day. The kids went to school and I went to the nail salon and treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. Then I went shopping and bought myself some new clothes - that is always fun! Last but not least, I made a trip to the chiropractor and had my back cracked - that was awesome! On that note, I have to tell you, the chiropractor did an adjustment on my toes! I never thought I would have anything like that done. My big toe has been bothering me when we walk and I mentioned it to him and, well, he said he could fix it - so I had my toes adjusted! I thought that was pretty funny! Last night, Craig made me work and we got the rest of the wallpaper down! Yea! We are down to the drywall - I'm so excited. At some point this week I have to go and look at paint. I thought I knew what I was going to do in there, but after talking to Craig last night I realize I have more options so I have to go look at paint samples - I LOVE paint samples!

Today, I will continue to play catch up with laundry, paper work, bills, etc. - all of the stuff that got put on hold last week. Although I have to say - my mother in law was such a blessing! She did laundry, helped with the kids, and even helped strip wall paper! Thanks Ruth - we sure enjoyed having you here!

Grades

I forgot to say that I FINALLY got all of my grades and feedback back from my writing class. Apparently the instructor thinks that I do have a small amount of writing talent. She offered some great advice and some nice comments. That was encouraging. Hopefully when life settles back down I will sign up for the next one. It was so much fun!

What's Happening

Oh my! Where to start of all that has gone on the last few days. Our kitchen/living room renovation has been put on hold for this week while I am in the midst of catering and the kids are out of school, so no news there.

I am catering for Masters this week and it is always a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of week. It is tons of fun to cook all this wonderful food and meet new people. My friend Janna usually caters with me, but she is enjoying a much needed rest, so my new partner in crime is the boyfriend of a friend of ours that used to babysit for us - hi Kimberly! It has been fun to get to know someone so special to her and he has been an awesome help this week. We have a great group and they have been so nice and personable. So, my mother-in-law came down on Saturday to help with the kids this week. She is awesome! I didn't have to cook on Monday so we went to Hamricks to shop and shop we did. I think Kayla was the lucky recipient of most the shopping that we did. She is now outfitted for summer! Monday night the kids and Ruth tried out my new oven and baked cookies. Tuesday, they tried out the new oven again and made homemade pretzels. The kids love to bake with Grandma! I took some pictures and will try to post those sometime later. Tuesday afternoon it was off to the dentist for both kids - Tyler's first trip. They did great! Tuesday night was our first night to cook and things went very well. Yesterday after cooking breakfast, I came home and grabbed a nap while Ruth and the kids went to WalMart for ingredients for pies. After I got up we had some lunch and went to an inflatibles place - the kids loved that! This morning I came back home after breakfast to sleep again and while doing so, the kids made pies with Grandma! Are you seeing a pattern here? Sleep, cook, bake... sleep, cook, bake! I guess that is it for now - I think I am caught up!

It's Here!

My new stove is in!!! Yea! I have to just really brag on my husband. He is so awesome at doing this stuff. He had to cut some off of the countertops and cabinets and he has finished it off and it looks great! Here are some pictures. I cooked Craig an egg on it after it was all installed!

I'm Exhausted

Okay, so today has been ridiculously busy as has the rest of the week been. I was out from about 9:30 until about 3:30 today running errands - pure craziness. Craig and I spent part of the evening mulling over our projects - more on that at a later date. I have tried to clean my house tonight and have just decided that I refuse to mop my kitchen floor while my kitchen is under construction - it is just not worth it!
My mother in law, Ruth, is coming down tomorrow to help out with the kids next week. It is spring break and I always help a lady at our church with catering. It is a fun week, but by the end all of us are ready to drop! We do breakfast and dinner and sleep in between:) It will be a busy week - my mother in law is a blessing! She was here last year with us as well and helped with the kids and the housework and everything!
Tomorrow is also a "girls" day. We are taking Janna out for her birthday. We are off to lunch and then to paint pottery. I am so looking forward to that. While I am off with the girls, Craig is going to go and buy my new stove. Yea! Ya'll have to understand - my stove is ancient and I am so excited about a new one!
Graceful Designs has also been keeping me busy this week. We have introduced some new purses and totes and such that seem to be pretty popular. I have spent the last two afternoons at the embroidery machine. However, Gertrude is going home to Holly's tomorrow so that I don't have to deal with orders and catering at the same time. I think I would have to be committed at the end of the week if I tried to do both!
Okay, folks, it is 10:00, I'm worn out, I'm off to bed!

Home Improvement Update

My husband is flying on my new closet and doing such a good job! He is awesome at doing home improvement projects. The closet is now fully gutted and my door has been put in on the kitchen side. The wallpaper is a whole 'nother story. See the pics below and you'll see what I mean!

Had to Share This One

Early in the week Tyler decided that he did not need to take a nap, but that instead he would tear his bed apart. So when I went in there he had pulled his comforter, his flat sheet, AND his fitted sheet off of his bed. Well, I have to admit that it ticked me off because we had just cleaned his room so I told him he was just going to have to sleep with it like that. Well, I went in there just a few minutes ago to check on him and see if he was sleeping (yeah, right!), and the child has some how gotten himself underneath his mattress cover - it was all still attached! It looked like something from an alien movie or something! What a nut! It's a wonder he didn't suffocate himself under there.

Home Improvement Begins

Well, the home improvements begin. Every time we do this it is so scary, yet so exciting. Craig tackled our wet bar as you can see. I sure hated to see that wine rack go! Hahaha! A friend asked me if it would fit 2 liter drinks - that would be a good use for it. As it was the only thing that it ever held was the fluted glasses that Craig and I used at our wedding to drink sparkling grape juice! Anyway, the wine rack was the first to go, then the upper cabinets, then the tile along with the dry wall, then the lower cabinets, then more dry wall. Right now we are down to studs about halfway around and cement floor. Well, I couldn't let Craig have all the fun so I started ripping wallpaper down in the kitchen. I was going along really good until I realized that 10 years ago when we hung this wall paper we only took off one layer and then primed it, so now I am going through two layers of paper and a layer of Kilz. Lovely - Dad I wish you were here - we had such fun stripping that peach wallpaper in the old house! As it stands now, we will have to fix ALOT of drywall. Craig was trying to talk me into putting up more wallpaper. I said - no thank you! More on this project to come. For now, here are some pictures of what has been done so far.

YeeHaw!

We had Farmer Night at AWANA Sunday night. We looked for costumes, but came up with very little. Kayla did pretty good - here is her outfit:

Tyler the Toolman

On Saturday while Kayla and I were at Kendall's birthday party, Tyler and Craig had "big boy day". Tyler got to do big boy stuff! He and Craig put together a little wooden tool box that he had gotten for Christmas and then Tyler got to paint it. Here are some pics...