Dinner is served.

Welcome to the last room of the downstairs.

I know I've taken forevah to show you around. But at least you know when you do come visit, you can't overstay your welcome. I mean, you've been hanging out in my first floor for, what? ...over a week now?

And I haven't even kicked you out. Not even after the OB visit from...*ahem* ...elsewhere. I'm pretty impressed. You?

Worries go down better with soup. ~Jewish Proverb

Ah yes. What a proverb! I know I feel better when I get to eat comfort food. surrounded by comforting people. in a comfortable setting. *contended sigh* Don't you?

I always wax sentimental when it comes to meal times as a family. I've said the before. And I'll say it again because I just can't get past the The Leave it to Beaver Ideal.

And I really don't want to.

Because This is the place where we spend soo much time as a family. the place where so many memories are made. and the place where tastebuds as well as conversations mature.

The Dining Room.

Statistics talk about how few families actually sit down for a meal together, and even then, some are eating in from of the TV. And those same statistical studies show that the frequency of family meal time dwindles as children grow older.

I want to do everything in my power to make sure that this is not what happens to MY family. Because:

"Social scientists say such communion (family dinner time) acts as a kind of vaccine, protecting kids from all manner of harm." TIME June, 2006

And who doesn't want to protect their children from 'all manner of harm'?!

Admittedly, it doesn't always come easily though. At least not in MY house. Conversations don't always flow. Sometimes the Intimate-Family-Moment-Ideal never happens. And the thought of extracting teeth seems a little more inviting than convincing myself that it's worth the extra time and energy.

But only sometimes.

Because I know years from now (think TEENAGER) Jet and I will be deliriously happy (I don't know why but that word picture cracks me up. so I just had to say it) that we took the time to let our girls know we love them, want to hear what they have to say, and respect them for their opinions.

And no, Lani is not relegated to eat by herself, up against the wall. We do move the highchair to the table to include her. :) How could we not? She's soo funny!

Dinnertime is one of those moments that I'm SOO very thankful to not be a single parent. Because I've been with my girls all day. I feel I've said everything I can. or care to. *wry grin*

BUT THEN *cue trumpets and the angel choir* DADDY COMES HOME.

And all is alive with potential again.

Thanks, in large part to his energetic creativity, our meals become something worthwhile. We play games (I Spy and Twenty Questions are two favorites). We talk about the day. We He make up crazy songs.

He goes around the table and asks each girl one of three questions:

• What animal?
• What color?
• How many?

And then he goes on to make up songs about Twelve Green Toads. Or Five Pink Elephants. Or whatever else the girls have thrown at him. It's hysterical. and rather ingenious.


This room was the first room that we really started to fix up when we were moving in. The decades-old wallpaper actually fell off the wall. in large contrast to the remainder of the house's plaster walls.

where steaming, scrapping, and "proven-true" concoctions of wallpaper remover didn't quite do the trick.

I cringe at the memory. But *rejoice* that it's done. because this room continues to evolve a little more every month.

Not too long ago, I was on a quest to change the color to something bold and vibrant. But have since decided against it...because I can just change the decor as I am inspired. (one of the reasons the room now appeals to me so much)


My overall goal in decorating a house is two fold. I want to be surrounded by beauty. Yet I want it to be practical, usable, and inviting to families.

I want every room to be a room that my girls feel at ease being a part of.

Growing up, we'd go visit a family member who's house was not set up like this. (Maybe this is why I don't like trinkets? because they're breakable, not to be touched, and completely off limits to the only people who actually care to look at them: kids).

As soon as we arrived at her home, we were sent downstairs to play in the basement while the adults stayed upstairs talking. As you can imagine, "fun memories" didn't really happen there.

Don't get me wrong, I expect our children to be respectful of our home. to understand that there are certain things that should not be used as toys. certain rules that need to be followed (ie. we don't let them run around the circular downstairs. Just think: colliding heads as you round a corner. Or into a pregnant mommy's belly. <--THAT was what first brought about The Rule).

But we want for them to enjoy life here. all while learning how to maturely treat a home. So we have toys/play areas in all the rooms, giving them the ability to relax and play in every room of our living area.

Like in the dining room, we have their white erase board and pegboard (in above picture) where they can do school work (or just play "School"). And a world map and school chalkboard...
It's amazing to me what geography they learn by just casually observing it from time to time. We haven't been intentional about studying the map this year, thus far.

Though it is my heart to be a bit more intentional about teaching them that not all nations have the same freedoms as we have. that there are some Christians who are beaten and/or killed for simply loving Jesus.

Along with the fact that it's our responsibility to go to those places and share Jesus.

I know I have to do more than put strategically placed scripture and bumper stickers up throughout the house. BUT at the same time, I know that putting those things up will help in cementing those ideals into their everyday thinking.

maybe this is the Lazy Mom mentality? but eh. I'm good with that for now. *wink*

Yes, this is random. But I got this "plant" (weed thing) for my birthday.

Love the character its dried up booty brings to the room. ;)

Kind of snazzy, huh? :D

And this is the new door that Jet just put in this room...

giving us a view of a section of our backyard. and of course, at the aging back porch. :)

Man, my husband is some kind of talented. *le sigh*

And this is what the dining room looks like when I have a party and am quickly trying to take pictures of people in the different rooms without missing out on the fun.

I wish you could have been sitting at that table. or in one of the other rooms. The fun we would have.

And hopefully you're not tired of my house. Because there are two more floors. that I'll get around to showing you. One day.

But for now, I'm getting ready for another party tomorrow. My first annual Choctoberfest. Something I've been wanting to do for three years now, and am finally getting around to making it happen.

Ironically, when I've removed sugar from my diet. Oh glory.

Potty talk

Yup. Here's the downstairs bathroom...of sorts.



And oh look! Rather conveniently, there's laundry detergent handy to wash your (potty)mouth out with soap. Right. in. the. same. room.


*this is where I'd love to just shut the door and move on in our lovely little House Tour.*

Welcome to my Everything Room... the room of my house that I love/hate relationship with.

One that I've talked about before, here. So I'll spare you the repeat.

Though here recently, thanks to the addition of the little pantry cabinet in our kitchen, I've been able to reorganize what's behind Curtain #1.


And if you know me at all, you know I love getting my house practically organized. :) On the shelves, in an assortment of baskets are:

• cloth diapers and covers

• disposable diapers for those moments I just don't feel like going cloth

• GermX and Lysol (we welcome the death to all germs in this home and do whatever possible to encourage their demise)

• Bugsprays and SPFs

• etc etc (meaning, I'm too lazy to get my pregnant rump off of the couch to go see what else lurks in the baskets of The Room)

Behind that curtain (which is a lot longer and taller than you can see in the picture) used to be our canned and boxed food.

Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen. Food. Toilet. and Laundry, The complete lifespan of the foodcycle right there in one single solitary space. *groan*

And thus, I present to you the "hate" side of my relationship.

Well, that and the odd fact that there is no sink...and no place to install one. Unless we invest in a stackable washer/dryer combo. Which we won't do since we bought this pair, brand new, 5 years ago.

Behind that curtain now are the cleaners, paper products, light bulbs, and all those household fix-it types of things.


...along with all sorts of craft supplies for the girls that I don't want Raegan to have access to (paint!).

As well as medication... up high and out of their room, so no one can reach it. You know, since I'd rather avoid the First Name Basis with Poison Control thang.

It's all so convenient because remember, I live in a house where"closets" don't exist.

And thus, I present to you my love side of the relationship. A place to store stuff! Oh, and the fact that it provides a toilet downstairs for when I'm potty training.

Which, having 5 children 7 and under, means Potty Training stretches out endlessly before me. Thankfully, I can teach them to wash their dirty laundry all at the same time!!

Ahh, the joys of a multi-tasking moment. ::)

Let's eat, shall we?

They (whoever that is) say that the kitchen is the heartbeat of the home. A place where memories are created along side the creation of meals.

Well? ...this is the corner of my kitchen where I'm constantly telling the girls "Please give me a little space." as I throw together last minute preparations for said 'creation of meals'.



They like to be in on the action. Tasting, stirring, asking question after question. Right there underfoot next to me, as I repeatedly remind them that they will get stepped on if they insist on not moving out of the way.

What that says about my home's heartbeat, I don't know. ...Okay, maybe I'd prefer not to know. ;)

One day, I'll so be that woman who does bulk cooking. where I spend one Saturday with my girls putting together enough meals to last us an entire month. Maybe after this next baby makes her appearance, I'll introduce my culinary self to her.

But either way, it's on my Things to Do before I'm 50 List. heh heh

For now, I'm all about simple, fast, and inexpensive...oh, and usually last-minute. But no worries, with you being here, I've made something special.

Courtesy of Papa Johns. *tease*

One of the things that people comment about our kitchen is the massive amount of cabinet space we have...as they reach up to our 9-ft ceilings.

And yes, they are in obvious need of some refinishing. But that's so not priority.

Someone once asked me, right after we moved in, if we were going to paint them white. Nope. Though I like that look for some kitchens, it's not the look I'd go for.

It's either refinish their oak behinds and "distress" them. Or paint them black. Ever seen a kitchen make-over with black cabinets? Soo classy.

But I digress...

Were you here and I needed to get some of the cutesy, serving platters out (since God knows serving pizza is all about presentation *hee hee*), I'd be jumping up on top of the counter...so as to reach those very tall shelves.

Yes, I balance on the countertops even while pregnant. I'm part acrobat.

Well. except for that one time....

This is where I would tell you a story about how the cabinet latch once got caught on my pants. ripping straight through my sweatpants and latching onto my underwear, while I sort of hung there. like a fish on a hook. completely cracking up.

I would tell you, but I want to maintain some semblance of pride. ;)

Remember I said I'm all about the little details? This little corner is full of them for me.

• A magazine cut out that say If He can create a plan for the entire universe, imagine what he can do for your finances." I've written about it here before.
  
  
• A picture of Jet and me the night we got engaged.
  
  
• Handprints when Charis and Selah were little.
  
  
• A drink caddie of sorts, filled with hot teas, hot cocoa packets, and such. The girls feel really special when I pull it out for us to have a special Tea Time.
  
  
• And this magazine cut out that I saw years ago and kept...

It just spoke to me.

Especially since I know I'm an emotional eater, where far too often, I'm feeding my body when it's my spirit that's actually hungry.

Along that vein of thought: Last week I took sugar out of my diet. for many reasons that I'll most likely talk about sometime later.

But one thing that's definitely come out of this "little change" is the ability to plainly see how I mindlessly eat sugar to curb boredom or stress or...whatever other reason presents itself as convenient. Talk about eye-opening.

It's amazing depressing the places sugar hides. *groan* I feel I've been relegated to eat apples and cardboard. But moving on, before I talk myself into a craving I'm not allowing myself to have.



That blank white space at the bottom of the picture? There used to be a multiplication poster nailed up there. until Lani learned that persistence could tear it down.

Years ago I probably wouldn't have considered putting up "decor" like that. But since then, I've totally changed my perspective about what makes my house feel homey. which now includes bright, colorful things to make the KIDS feel at home.

With things like this pegboard, hanging in my kitchen for the sheer purpose of having a place to post kid's stuff to do...


Along with a basket of coupons that I so intend to use, but normally throw away when I realize *opps* the expiration date has run out. Yet again. (one day, Kristy, I'll be like you!)

And that gift bag? Yeah, it normally doesn't sit there. It was a gift of TUMS from a friend. :) It's become Raegan's my candy of choice when pregnant.

And then there's this...

my daily reminder of what I'm accomplishing. whether I acknowledge it or not. :(

Meaning, my girls are always watching me. Sometimes, like today, I can see them out of the corner of my eye, trying out the exact same facial expression or body language I'm currently expressing. *yikes*

So I know that they're always learning from ME, in arenas such as how to love. internally trying to model that which I play out before them.

Dear God give me grace because that thought can be IS overwhelming to me.

Especially on those days where I am feeling less than loving. (like when my inner cravings are screaming and my body is detoxing itself from sugar...it's amazing what small things in life can set our emotions off, isn't it?)

But wanna know something about me that effects my emotions in the positive realm? :) When Jet attacks yet another project off the House List.

Maybe one of my love languages is acts of service? I've been meaning to read that book for years now to "figure us all out". ;)

House Project #2871. This particular corner used to have a door in it.

It was an obnoxious little corner. Having three outside doors in a span of a few feet. Doors that leaked cold air in the wintertime no less.

So this fall he tore the kitchen door out and walled it in.

Ah. Gorgeous.

The cabinet is on loan from my parents while they add an addition onto their home. At which point, Jet will replace it with a cabinet/pantry he was planning on building for my birthday (last month).

I LOVE having a cabinet there! Because it suddenly gives me a place to put my food!! A pretty place, no less!! I'll show you the obnoxious place the food used to be...tomorrow. ;)

The one Jet will build me will be taller and a bit wider...but I have to say I'm thinking I'll keep the color. If I'm talented enough to be able to duplicate this "primitive antique" look.

...
This is the corner that used to house a rather large desk. But when we got the new dining room table, we moved Nana's antique table (sans the leaf) into here for a breakfast nook of sorts.


And yes, I am totally aware that one of the frames on the wall is empty. I'm still trying to figure out what to do there, but hated having a blank wall staring at me every day.

Maybe I'll just buy a large canvas and let the girls paint me some crazy picture.

Those little plates on the wall (on the left)? I JUST put them up a couple of weeks ago. They've been in the attic for YEARS.

But being that I bought them while in Romania (two weeks after Jet and I had met and were trying to figure out our relationship status), we both felt it was fitting to have them finally hanging up on display.

being that we finally figured out the ol' relationship status and all. :D

And this is what that little corner looked like last month, when I had a Women's Party. All the women were spread throughout the house (and I only got about 3 pictures) but man, I loved it!



This weekend, I'm having another party. My first official CHOCtoberfest. And yes, I planned it before making the decision to remove sugar from my diet.

Oh the irony.

But please stop by...I'll have a houseful of women and enough chocolate desserts to choke a zoo. Sounds divine.

Moving right along...

Let's adjourn to the Family Room, shall we? (named that way for no other reason than because it's where the TV is located. *laughing*)

But before we step in, allow me to show you the way this room used to look a while back.

A little FYI:

• The plaid couch and rug are now in the front room.
• The maroon chair and side table have been giving away.
• The tiered basket shelf and wine-colored cork shelf thingy on the wall are in the laundry room.
• The white curtains are in the attic... unsure what to do with them at this point.
• And thanks be to God, the paint color (that did NOT fess up to its peachy side until painted on the wall!!) is now gone.

That last one, in and of itself, was enough to make me do a jig! Stand back...that can get rather scary.

But it's just that I had to wait four years to fix my painting faux paus, since other house projects took priority over redoing a wall we just did. It was a L.O.N.G. four years.

Truth be told, this room has been the bane of my Home Decorating Existence from Day One. It felt like no matter what I did, that odd fireplace, surrounded by wood paneled walls refused to be tamed into something appealing.

And trust me, I tried a little bit of everything...outside of spending additional money, that is.

Here's the OLD room from another perspective. (There are two doorways...one on either side of the entertainment center. This doorway leads to the kitchen....we have a circular first floor.)

Take note of the entertainment center. You'll soon see that it had a run in with some powertools. and lost.

Anyway. Enough of the old view... little by little, we're making headway on the New Look. Ta- Da!


Though there are still things we want to eventually do, this works just fine for me!
Especially when my oldest niece came to visit, not knowing we had done anything to the room, her first reaction when walking in was "Wow! It feels so cozy!"

Did her hear her?? "Cozy". Mmmm, my favorite word.

Here's another perspective:

Complete with princess attire strewn on the cushions, right next to my laptop where I usually blog (only with the ottoman pushed over to my socked feet!) :)

And yes, I so realize that we hung that beast of a picture frame up too high. But I haven't figured out how to best utilize that big ol' blank wall. (you know, without spending $$$).

And yet another perspective:

You can see the two paint colors we chose...the darker one is the accent wall.

And those black towers...yeah, they hold CDs. But being that Alana likes to take them all out, I had to turn them around. in attempts to make her forget the fun little breakable things she so loves to dismantle.

The tall chimney cabinet (a yardsale buy!) holds all our DVDs, keeping them out of reach from little hands. But Raegan just pulls the chair over and climbs on up. Should I applaud the intuitive genius? :/

(Note: There are things you can buy to attach furniture to the wall, so children can't pull them down on top of their heads. Every piece of furniture in our home is braced against the wall just in case that intuitive genius goes a little astray.)

And another perspective:

of my trusty treadmill and the sweet design my husband set up so I can do other things while mindlessly walking. I'm so spoiled. ;)

The treadmill is probably one of fifteen (?) total house items that we've bought from an actual retail store. Most of those items being frames from Costco. Really, it doesn't take spending loads of money to create a place you actually love being in.

It's all about patient pursuit of hidden treasures. found in the racks of Goodwill. Salvation Army. and yardsales.


Recognize those shelves? Yup. I hear the sound of a buzzsaw dismembering an entertainment center that was too big for this room anyway. I love the way that those tall shelves help to balance an otherwise obnoxious wall.

And lets pretend that you were here for more than 10 minutes (which I'd hope you would be), this is what the room would really look like.

Only possibly worse. :) What can I say? We like to play.


And this is where my little Lani would be perched.

Directly in front of the TV. either bopping to the music or messing up the TV screen, if the girls happened to be watching a DVD.

She's one of the reasons (or so I say) that I'm saving up money to buy Jet a flatscreen TV for Christmas. Yes, he knows. I kind of needed to ask him his thoughts before trying to stockpile money he knew I was attempting to make. ;)

Outside of the treadmill (which was my every-occasion-known-to-man-gift for yearsss) we never do big presents. But for some reason, not too long ago, I thought about how I'd love to get him a flat screen.

He NEVER gets anything for himself. Really.

So I've been selling unused possessions on Craigslist for the last month... to use for Christmas money. I'd obviously have to sell a LOT in order to be able to have extra money left over to use on such an extravagant gift for Jet.

But *shrug* we'll see. If nothing else, I'll have enough money to get him something else. ;)

Anyway...were you here, surrounded by the toy-covered family room floor...this is what my family would inevitably be doing...after I asked them to clear a path in the middle of the floor. Again.

No, it's not some new form of kickboxing or Chinese torture where crazy 2 year-old gets hung upside down. though I'm sure it's a tempting form of discipline.

They're actually playing The Nutcracker CD and dancing. ;) Our nightly ritual these days years. At least the dancing part.

But apparently Alana is ready to move on to the kitchen, fearlessly leading the way...

Mowgli-style (think Jungle Book).

She's "crawling" like that because, at the time of the picture (a week ago?), she wasn't walking, but SO wanted to put her feet to use. like the Big Girls.

Shall we follow her into the kitchen? I'm getting kind of hungry anyway. ;)

Sorry my time hanging with you in the Family Room has been a little chaotic. My two littlest are sick and my brain is wrapped up in snot-wiping and persuasively presenting naptime as a fun alternative to being to being with the older sisters.

Apparently, I need to work on my persuasive skills.

Making the rounds...

Sorry to have kept you in the entryway for so long. Hopefully your legs didn't cramp up from all that standing around and waiting. *wink*

SOOOO to continue, IF YOU WERE HERE...

We'd most likely walk directly into my...yet-to-be-named-room.

(How do YOU come up with which room is called the living room or the family room or den or...something else? I have no clue. So for now, by default of some sort, this room gets dubbed the "Front Room" or the School Room. *shrug*)



I don't think the lighting in this picture does justice to the cozy feel of this room. But oh well...I guess you'll have to come here to really get the full effect, huh? Hint, hint :)

Our Front Room, going clockwise from the left...

The School Desk:
Though we like to read together on the couch (we're all about comfy-cozy, remember?), I've found that having a designated place where they can spread out with their books and work is really good for them (and me).

A place that isn't used for anything outside of their creative learning time. This table has made its rounds throughout the house, but I LOOOVVEE it here because it's so much a part of our everyday living space, they use it non-stop. All. day. long.

Creating books. Writing letters to friends and family. drawing masterpieces.

Even when it's not School Time, they still gravitate to this spot...essentially doing school. only without me at the helm. ;)


There's just something about having an Official Learning Spot that I find motivating. Maybe it's just the way my brain works? But either way, my girls seemed to have inherited my DNA because it works really well for all of us.

And it doesn't hurt that it's in front of a trio of bay windows. I mean, we're talking natural light, plus the chance to daydream about nature every now and then. :)

Nothing like stimulating the imagination with a wall full of outdoor distraction inspiration.


(BTW, those "curtains" are just one long thing of fabric hung up on hooks of some kind, gotten from Wal-mart.)

Beside the table is where we keep a big ol' basket of MegaBloks. ALL of the girls play with those things for HOURS! And FYI, we got them at a great price last year during the pre-Christmas sales at Walmart.


One thing that I've decided in past years is that even though we have lots of children, we are NOT going to be a house over-run by toys.

The more toys my girls have, the less they enjoy them. So I've gotten rid of A LOT and they haven't missed them. (not to mention we rotate what we do have with bins from our attic)

The kind of toys that we add to our collection, from here on out, will be toys that stimulate imagination play for HOURS (for us, at this particular stage, means Barbie dolls and dress up).


Or things that encourage outdoor play. like the pool. or add-ons to our playground.

Or things that will serve some sort of educational purpose. Like a sewing machine or tools. which means I'd actually have to:

1. Pay big bucks for someone else to teach my children to USE fore-mentioned presents. Or
2. Actually learn to sew and "fix" myself.

Uh, anyone know a kid's sewing tutor with good hourly rates? *wry grin*


HOMEMADE SHELF:
I've been blessed with a man who, literally, can make or fix anything (opposites attract, right?).

He's built a house from ground up. He's the reason why we've been able to buy fixer upper houses... without hiring contractors. or going crazy.

Because he can do it all. and do it all WELL. And nope, I'm so not biased...I'm just gifted with the ability to state the obvious.


He made this little ditty of a shelf for me one afternoon because I was needing someplace to store all the girls' overflowing stuff.

Like the table, it's made its way throughout the house. Upstairs. Downstairs. and back again. Housing toys. books. and ...other items I can no longer remember.

But I'm thinking it's found its permanent home.


It houses a bin of crayons, telephone books, school reference books, all the girls' Bibles...

But what I really love is that it's where I now keep a large part of the girls' daily homeschool work. If we're working with something, that's where they'll find the books. Each school girl (even Raegan) has a cubby/shelf with her personal school books.

Those little cloth bins at the bottom are from Lowe's (maybe $10 each?)...and they hold the random little things we use for homeschooling. like a tub of clay or some craft things (that aren't harmful if Lani happened to pull them out), etc.

I have to say I've loved this corner since changing it two months ago. It just feels so practical, kid friendly, and colorful! ;) I'm loving being in a house that possesses those qualities. It just FEELS beautiful to me, you know?

THE BIG BOOKCASE:
All these things used to be spread through the house...sort of hidden away. But now it's all there for convenient, daily use. It has meant that I've had to box up Jet's and my books to store in the attic for the time being. But oh well...with writing a book right now, it's rare that I get to read one.

So now, it's filled to the brim with Homeschooling stuff. Coloring supplies. Baskets of flashcards. Board games. Children's books. and a bottom shelf of easily accessible baby toys in attempts to distract Lani from tearing into the books.

It works, most days.



The little sitting chair is one that I almost gave away. because children live here and it's white. Enough said.

Then I started adding color to the room...and gave away ANOTHER white chair from the same room. And suddenly its lack of color no longer bothered me. (which is nice since it an antique from my Papa...so I'd rather keep it if I can make it a practical part of our existence)

And above it is one of my favorite picture of my girls...which the glare from the camera keeps you from seeing. But you can go here to see the framed picture and here to see the photographer's site. She's awesome, period.



On the picture, I have this verse. Rather fitting for a house filled with young daughters, huh?

When my parents bought us the new dining room table a couple of months ago (for our Christmas present), we began to revamp the entire downstairs. This buffet was one of the pieces of furniture that had to be removed from the dining room...and I absolutely love it here.

complete with those highly expensive 12 x 12 scrapbook papers taped to the wall above it. :) Yes, I'm some kind of classy.

Because our home was built in the early 1900s, it lacks one key thing that forces me to be really creative in organizing our home...and brutal about purging the extras.

Closets.

We have a grand total of five small, weirdly shaped ones in our 2100 square foot house. So this piece of furniture, inherited from my generous Nana, is treasured for many reasons. One being that it offers space to beautifully store...

scrapbooking supplies, homeschooling supplies, construction paper, planners, pencils, pens, tape... all things that I need at my finger tip on a daily basis. but don't want at Alana or Raegan's finger tips.

Have I mentioned the generosity of my family?!?

I love small decorative details, yet I'm soo not one for "collectibles". In my opinion, they're a waste of money and just collect dust. But these particular pieces, to my family, hold so much meaning.

When Baby Girl is born, we'll get another bigger girl figurine to represent Raegan (and her personality).

Charis is the figurine holding the heart. The year we bought it for her, she had randomly told me that Jesus had given her to gift of love. If you know her, you'd know this sums her up to a T.

The girl loves people to no end. sometimes to the point where I'm half-tempted to tell her that she doesn't have to be that nice when people are that mean. Such the saint of a mom I am.

Selah is the girl holding the flowers. She is so thoughtful in always wanting to bless me...and always wants to be outside playing. Flowers convey both qualities.

And there you have it...in a quickie run-through... our front room, living room, school room ...area. :)

I've talked about this room before. How I sat around one morning and just stared at the walls...wanting so badly to do SOMETHING with it. And then the Lord said to fill it with color because that's when I feel the most alive.

Well, this is the most *Alive* this room has felt since we first moved in. I just wish you were here...to liven it up with your conversation.

I love meeting new people, or getting together with family that lives far away, or reuniting with friends I haven't seen in a while. Whichever category you are a part of...I know Jet and I would enjoy your company.

As we welcome you into our home.