Jamie never ceases to amaze me

You know the saying ~ "Jack of All Trades, Master of None". Well Jamie is a Master of All. We got a really nice surround sound system for the living room. Most people would need the store to install in as these are the kind that go into the wall. Well not us, we have Jamie. He can do anything and personally I think he does it better than the *pros*. I don't know, maybe I'm biased. Anyway, he was off today and did the speakers.

Before ~ cutting the holes into the walls



*Yes, we have a dart board in the living room.*



After







Isn't he amazing? How awesome is that craftsmanship? And the sound is simply amazing. And we don't even have the subwoofer yet.

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.

Spring Cleaning Starts

With two adults and five children, our house is always cluttered. I'm making it my mission to make it uncluttered, or at the very least, feel uncluttered. I am in a challenge to rid this house of 150 items by January 31st. I am just over 100 items currently and most of these items are big ~ infant toys, TVs, lamp, etc. It feels so good to get rid of things you don't use or need.

I found this great site called Organized Home. They have a lot of great advice on cleaning, decluttering and organizing your home. It's for real people, with real families, real lives. You can work it into your everyday life. I'm currently doing the 14-week Spring Cleaning Challenge.
Doing it over time may actually make it a completable task! And our everyday routine and normal chores won't be sacrificed.

I'm sure my blogs will be slow as I do not want to give up on this. Wish me well!

Out in the Country

Behind our home is state protected forest. It's beautiful with all the leaves. It's beautiful covered in snow (even though I dislike the snow). During the winter, without snow, it can be so beautiful with deer walking around. Lately, we've had a lot of deer visiting up close right behind our house. Jamie and I have been taking a ton of pictures in hopes of getting a few good shots to be able to frame and put up. Here's a few I took. I'm sure we will have more soon.