MR2

So this is what it feels like to have more cars than people old enough to drive them.... My husbands project car came home this week..

It had been sitting in my grandparents garage for about 3 years...
...Its dirty..
...Its dusty....
...Its all his 
The boys LOVE it
Hopefully since it is at our house now he will be able to find some time to work on it

I have a love hate relationship with the car... I love it because for some reason he does... I hate it because well I am "thrifty" and cars are an expensive hobby... it takes up a lot of room in our small slightly over-sized 1 car garage...

My car still fits but I don't think there will be a SUV in my near future

Our House Project

Paint! we have been talking... and talking... and talking about painting the house... we looked at MANY different colors and many different houses to get idea's... 
we knew our house really needed it when we moved in.. and I was kinda excited about the idea... but still VERY overwhelming! First we had to take it all off....

Front of house with paint off

 Back of house with paint off

Next step was getting some primer on the house

It was already starting to look MUCH better!

 Side of house primer coat

What color should we choose?... (there are actually 3 different colors on the house in this pic.)

Next Step was sanding the primer getting the house ready to paint

On goes the paint... 

 House is looking good... still missing the shutters

The house was looking good but not the garage

 ...now it has some color and is starting to look better!

 House

Front of house all finished

 We really like it and I am Very happy with it!.. Next project.. Back porch..? and township wants to put in a sidewalk....

Six Years Ago

Six years ago yesterday I married my husband...We have always been a perfect fit

We met in college when I was 18... He was 19

We dated through school... He proposed to me in my Grandfather's field while watching fireworks (totally unplanned and unrelated fireworks)

He truly is perfect for me... he is the planner... and I live on emotion

He is my sounding board for life...

Together we have Two great boys...

Yesterday he bought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers to celebrate our special day. The best part... only $6.00!  (yes he told me how much they were) gotta love road side stands! My frugal heart skipped a beat! Perfection!

It Happened...

Yep it happened... Connor gave himself a hair cut 

I know this day would come.... I know that it happens to every mother.... but so soon?
it does not look to bad...since his hair is on the shorter side ....
When Daddy asked him about it he admitted to cutting it right away... and said that he was trying to cut a hole in his hair "like pastor Keith" (our pastor is balding on top)... he stated that Pastor Keith has a big hole in his hair. Connor continued to explain to us that he didn't want hair on top he just wanted it on the sides...Daddy tried to explain that some men loose their hair and it was called balding... not usually something people do on purpose...


I LOVE MY KIDS!

Grow Garden Grow

I found a little surprise in my garden this morning...little baby tomatoes and peppers!

I was so happy to see them... and I don't even really like tomatoes.... I like them in things but I couldn't just go out and pick one and eat it... *yuck*

My little helpers were all out helping me weed the garden and tie up the Tomato Plants...  I know I need to treasure these moments and keep them for when my babies are too big to help me... or too busy with their own lives... Sometimes I get frustrated when the plants get stepped on...(seriously! I even staked them and roped them off)... I learn patience when they want to help me cut the string ties... and it takes them 3  or 4 or 5 tries... Parenting isn't a race to the finish and some days I need to just slow down and enjoy it.

 At 2 and 4 years old to my little helpers almost everything is new and Mommy knows a lot about a lot... I really need to enjoy this!

Changes...

Things are always changing here at our "new" old house... We just finished getting our house painted!!! (more to come on that later)... and in the next month or two the township is putting in a sidewalk and taking down some of our tree's...

OLD

NEW

I have been putting off landscaping because they are going to change the appearance of our "front yard" ... now imaging a 4 foot sidewalk between the curb and our porch....I don't know exactly what I want to see happen.... honestly I don't know how to take the picture I have of my house in my head and make it into a reality.... I want privacy, and low maintenance....We went for a walk around town today so I could gather some idea's... Strasburg is a great little town, with lots of old homes and buildings....

 ahhhh inspiration.... Smile

This gate was so great! I loved the look of the metal and the vines growing around it! oh how I wish I could have a fence and gate like this!... already established and always blooming! (of course)

close up of this great sign... not too much not too little...

"shabby chic"... This house struck me because the their color choices... I Love that blue around the windows along with the chippy white paint....the red brick showing through was perfect... I don't know where I could use this look (my house is log and German siding)... but still I love it.....

 A Juliet balcony with a rose bush!  who wouldn't like that? still not sure if I could incorporate it into my house... but I Love the roses... I would like to have vine roses on front fence...

The next question I ask myself is: To have a front porch or not?...
This house does and it look similar to ours.... I really like the small round bushes leading up to the house.... this might be the low maintenance solution to my front garden "situation"...

I think the thing that bother's me the most is that the porch is off center.....

This house has no porch and sits VERY close to the sidewalk, I picture this is how close our house will sit with the new sidewalk ....
maybe our house would look better without the obvious add on porch we have....

This house had some wonderful landscaping... with no porch... but there was separation from the sidewalk using plants (LOVE).. I would really like to incorporate this look into my house somehow...

It seems I was attracted to the houses with no front porches.... I just love how cute these houses look... and they all sit VERY close to the sidewalk...

Back at our house when the sidewalk comes these tree's will be removed....

 And I would LOVE to see something like this replace it.....

 

Almost every house had one of these... I would like one... maybe not from Strasburg... but from the Village of Lampeter.... or Pennsylvania...

 

We had fun on our walk... I found many idea's...added many wishes to my wish list... but with every want and with every desire I remember the words of the Lord...

Luke 12: 16-21:

¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

   ¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

   ²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

   ²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

....I find the more I have the harder it is to ignore the wants of the world... especially when dealing with my home..... Lord, I ask for your guidance in everything I do, please help me to stay focused on your will for my family. In your perfect name I pray, Amen

Summer Lovin and Having a Blast!

Summer isn't here yet but we have had some really warm weather..... and together we have all been enjoying our time outside!

 

Lazy summer days mean nothing to my kiddo's it is Go GO GO!! all the time and i love it (really i do!)

Walks to the Turkey Hill...hanging out in the back yard... I couldn't ask for a better beginning to summer! let the fun begin!