empty fridge

ever wondered
what a nearly empty
fridge or two

looks like

for a family of eight
about to leave on a trip?

and I must say...
we are so blessed in this country
to have access to an abundance
of good food,
and I thank God everyday.

my postage stamp kitchen

it's a tiny kitchen
a tiny old kitchen with ugly laminate floor
the tiniest kitchen I've ever had

one small trip to the grocery covers the floor with bags
one small meal covers the countertops
one cook & a few helpers overfill the kitchen

there is no dishwasher besides us
no pantry besides the cupboards
and no room for our fridge so it sits on the porch





it's our postage stamp kitchen
where we bump into each other as we cook
and wait in line to wash our dishes


it's where I prepare 3 meals a day
and make smoothies by the gallon
where we sing songs and make waffles with dad


it may be really small
and I may really wish to have a big kitchen one day
but today it's ours and I am so grateful for that


it's our postage stamp kitchen
ugly floor and all

we colored the walls

oh yes, we finally {after 2 1/2 years} painted the house
....the farmhouse
....the hunters house
....the old house
....the tiny house
it goes by many names.

the boys {all 4} share a room
it's a bit crowded
and it's been a challenge to organize
but it's been fun to fill the room with them.
they have each brought their own style and passions into the room
along with their colors.
Which was why the walls needed to be neutral. {grin}

we loved and miss{ed} the color of our bedroom in our last home

so we painted it the same color

it's so nice to have it back.

{you can see our old bedroom here and here}

and now... finally now that they are 3
the girls have their first painted {girly} room

the house needed painted

we needed to switch rooms

and it's been a long 6 weeks working on the house

and we're not even done yet

but I am so happy to have color back in our home again

and since the paint is already out

...I have a list of furniture to paint too!

like a hot pink dresser for the girls

{that needs knobs still but I am not sure what I want on there}

I'll share more pictures as we finish
we're still cleaning mildew from the basement
moving rooms around
painting walls, furniture and floors

this is not an ideal to be working on the house
and trust me if our basement didn't flood and mildew
and our bedroom wasn't down there
we would not be doing this
....so I guess I should be thankful for the mess, huh!

When you

...spend an hour on the phone with your sister

your daughters may try on everything in their dresser.

...tell your husband later & ask "why do they have to change clothes all day long?" he may laugh out load and tell you to call your mom.

...start to put all the clothes back into the dresser you may decided to just throw them in because you're sure the same thing will happen again tomorrow.

...sit down to blog about it while everyone is getting ready, you may realize that this is the {happen again} moment you were anticipating.

have a wonderful day friends!

as seen in my sink

the plates

did I ever show you what I did with my plates?

...the ones I didn't give away
before we moved
and when we did this

didn't think so!

This is what we did...



...they hang above our kitchen table
and I just love it!

11:36 PM

As Seen In...

the little-old FARM house

{the front room}

{the basement-laundry room}

{Paul, Brittany, Ozzie, Eliza & Nolia's room}

{the GIRLS have taken over the closet}

{Gavin's room & view down the hall into his room}


{view down the hall into the dining room... that houses a bed-laundry folding table that Paul and I occasionally sleep in}

{Grayson and Vance's room... and yes Papa THEY-Grayson did make their own bed}

{the bathroom}

{THE SHOWER... in the basement}

As seen in...

THE little... old... farm house kitchen

it's about time huh! We've been here just over 2 weeks now... hard to believe!

We are staying in Paul's grandparents old house. Their new house is right next door. My father in law was raised in this home and Paul has fond memories visiting the farm and this home as a child.

He specifically remembers the kitchen cabinets and how grand they felt. It was his GRAND fathers home after all. I tried to capture what it looks like to a child in this kitchen...



see the oven ABOVE the cook top... it is not a microwave. It is the coolest oven and I am completely smitten. {grin}

The kitchen carpet has little be desired.
But HEY it doesn't show dirt!

I found this AWESOME turquoise bowl in the basement collecting water and decided to swap it out with a less awesome bowl. Then I promptly filled it with fruits and veggies {after scrubbing it clean of course}

my next find was this HUGE tomato can that was calling out to be filled with cooking utensils that were stashed in drawers.

And the little porcelain frog I found on the basement sink

No one has lived in this home for years.
They rent it out to hunters in the fall... which is why the turquoise bowl, tomato can and frog were not getting the attention they deserved. {grin}

NOW I have a question for YOU! There is no dishwasher... you know besides me & Gavin.

I know there are lots of you out there that live day to day without a dishwasher and I would love to hear how you make it work without having piles of dishes everywhere.
Do you have an awesome routine you can share with me? {grin}

I'm here today...

...my laundry room...





almost all of the stained glass was my grandmothers, she made them. Se died when I was 3 years old and I don't have many memories of her. But I do remember the stained glass hanging in her home and I LOVE having them in my home now. They are very special to me. I made a few a long time ago and I dream of having the time to make stained glass again. I absolutely adore it!

here is my laundry I mean diaper sink...

and a picture of my grandmother and me...

This IS one of the reasons we bought our home, the laundry room and the wood floors, 40 windows, 10 + ft ceilings and a whole lot of potential. We didn't buy our house for the kitchen, bathrooms, walls, linoleum (that's gone thank goodness), plumbing, curb appeal, ect.... We painted, put in the black & white tile and were gifted from my wonderful father the best washer and dryer money could by. It's a mothers dream... really... they're absolutely awesome!

originally posted on Monday, January 28, 2008

*********************************

although TODAY it is not quite as tidy

it is actually quite FULL of laundry

So I am spending my day

sorting.washing.drying.folding.hanging.putting away

LOTS and LOTS of clothes!

**********************************

Hope you're all having a wonderful rainy or not rainy day!

See ya later gator!

As Seen In...

...my kitchen

What would YOU like to see next?

Missed the other As Seen In posts?

It's real life time again...

I'm joining in the fun again for week 3 of It's a real life...

okay... seriously... it's real... there's dust & dirty floors and that is so NOT like me. But hey, it's real life right now. *grin*

this weeks theme is WHERE the MAGIC happens

on my dresser...
the drawing is of me as a little girl & the red dish is a pinch pot Grayson made for me.

IN my dresser...
I am slowly cleaning out my dresser so the twins will have a dresser in our room since they're going to be sleeping in our room. I have another dresser in my closet. I'm going from 2 dressers to 1... I think we'll be taking some clothes to goodwill. Ha!

What's on my nightstand....
my 'belly bar' lotion, the orange ribbon at the bottom of my lamp is a note that Grayson printed from his label maker that says "i love mom & dad"
there is usually a glass of water too