Halloween 2007

What another great Halloween! All the kids picked out great costumes this year. Jenna was SuperGirl. Jacob was Buzz Lightyear. Jasmine was Princess Jasmine (hard to believe that this was her first year doing that!). James was Venom (or the evil Spiderman). Jordan was Blade.

Early in the afternoon, we went up to the school for the kids' parties. They were a lot of fun.

Jenna really enjoyed it up there.



Jasmine and Mrs. Howington



James in the parade



Jordan in the parade



Jamie took the kids around. Becky and Chady came along this year as well. Chad was a cow. Sooo cute!! They all got tons of candy.

As usual, I made up the little baggies of candy to pass out. The kids really enjoyed helping to hand them out when they got back.

My new toy

Since Daddy got a new toy, it was definitely Mommy's turn. Jamie knew I wanted a new sewing machine and took it upon himself with Becky's help to get me one. He got one much better than what I had been looking at. I haven't be able to use it much because I have a pinched nerve in my back and using the computer and other creative things like sewing, put a hurting on my back. It's a super nice machine though and I can't wait to really get into making some fun things.

This is my new baby....

Jamie's new toy

Well I guess it goes without saying that if you get a new deck, you get a new grill, right? Jamie was looking online and found the Weber (is there any other kind of grill? I think not!) he wanted. Silly me told him about a store near us called Barbeques Galore who just happens to carry this grill. I went to the fabric store and came home to find Jamie and Jacob putting this monster together.



Boys and their toys. Hey, don't get me wrong. A little part of me wanted him to get it. It means less cooking for me and lots of yummy grill eating for all of us!

Cool Crayons

I stumbled upon (literally...check out www.StumbleUpon.com) and found this really cool site to make these crayons. Check out Crayon Nibbles!

Here's a pic of creation. The kids love using them and we look forward to making more for the kids and gifts.

Who knew the deck would save on the water bill?

Who knew that this wonderful investment would also save on our water bill and in turn help the environment saving on the water.....



Yes. Busted.

Our deck is done!

The great crew that came out to build our deck worked feverishly today to get it done. It's almost there. We can walk on it and everything. The temporary supporting posts are still there while the concrete completely dries and one of the guys will be here tomorrow to do a little finishing work around the french doors. Oh and the french doors! Jamie is awesome and picked out the kind that has the blinds INSIDE the glass. That man ~ always thinking! Love love love the doors.

The kids just loved it. It was bittersweet for Jamie. He totally loves it but like so many things lately, wanted to call his Dad and tell him about it. Richard sure would have loved that deck.

We will be getting some new patio furniture and of course a grill for it! We can't wait to be able to just sit and enjoy!

Here are some pictures of our new "room"!



Here are the kids getting ready to enjoy dinner, picnic style!

Cleaning, decluttering and decorating

We so many changes this year, Jamie and I are trying to get our house to be more like a home. We recently got new windows on the house, which we love. Not only are they nice looking, they keep the cold or heat out and don't have mold. They are super nice.

We are getting a deck soon. We are just awaiting the approval of the Homeowners Association....so honestly, who knows how long it will be! It's just a basic deck and it's going to be so nice to have it.

I just cleaned out the girls' room today. I'm hoping to paint it this weekend. I have some really nice fabrics to make them cute decorative pillows that match their curtains I made. I'm also hoping to get the crib/toddler bed out and the bunk beds up. I'll post pictures when we are done.

The boys want their room painted as well but can't decide the color. Once they do that, we will go full force with getting it done.

Last night Jamie and I talked about redoing our room as well. I think it's time to go to Home Depot to get paint samples to see what we like best.

I'm also on a hunt for a new kitchen table ~ it's a corner nook breakfast table. Just trying to find the best price since so many people have this set. Once we get the french doors for the deck, we will need something that is closer to the wall.

I love our house. I just want to make it more of a home.

My next project is finding five matching frames to put each of the kids' pictures in. We just got back the older ones' school pictures which turned out great. I'm going to attempt to take some of Jacob and Jenna because I just don't think they will cooperate at a portrait studio and that stuff isn't cheap!

The kids are gearing up for Halloween. We got their costumes last weekend. Jenna is going to be Supergirl. Jacob is Buzz Lightyear. Jasmine is Princess Jasmine. James is the evil Spiderman, also known as Venom. Jordan is going to be Blade. You will have to wait for pictures on Halloween.

I really need to get to the store and get the candy and bags. Sandy always made up bags with lots of candy for each child. This is very dear to Jamie's heart so I like to keep it going.

Lots of fun changes going on around here and I'll be sure to post pictures when each project is complete.