The Big Reveal

Well..........it seems like forever ago that we began the renovations to our home, but today,  I'd like to take you on a tour of our project, from start to finished.  

Inspiration

A few days after I graduated in May, I rewarded myself for all my hard work by "binge watching" the home improvement show 'Fixer Upper'. I love Chip and Joanna's farmhouse style. I immediately wanted to transform our home. After mom and I visited a friends beautiful new home, we started talking, and you know what happens when two women start talking about re-decorating their home don't you? The ideas start flowing and the walls come tumbling down! 

I started the changes one Saturday afternoon by buying a gallon of paint and in a few hours, my bathroom had a new look. The picture below shows what the bathroom looked like before. The walls were a light sage green.

This is the after............

I love the cocoa walls with the white trim. You can see in the top photo, the old enamel topped cabinet that I found in the basement and painted a few years ago. It matches the walls perfectly now. 

Two days later we started the kitchen. The very first thing we did was.....

Set up a coffee station, of course! 

Seriously, though, here is a look at the kitchen before we began. When we bought the house 10 years ago we removed the wallpaper and painted the walls a warm cinnamon color. You can see it was basically a "U-Shaped" layout with the fridge opposite the stove and the sink between.

After choosing paint colors etc. Mom and I started painting cabinet doors and walls. Dan and Kate (the daughter of a dear friend who is like a niece to us) started taking cabinets off the wall and moving the fridge, re-routing electric, and moving the water lines. Then it was time.......

Left: Abi takes a shot at it. Top right: Britni takes over Middle: Kate takes a whack. Bottom: Little Belle with a little hammer.

Demo day!

 The wall is finally coming down! Even little Belle got in on the action. The wall we took down was the wall that the fridge was on in the "before" pic. We all worked tirelessly.....making and installing a base footer( to sit upper cabinets that were on this wall under a new counter-top), putting up bead board ( I settled for this, I really wanted shiplap) installing new lighting and tile back-splash (guess who learned how to grout it all by herself...thank you Youtube!)........and after weeks and weeks........Here is the moment we have all been waiting for..................

Now you know, as Dan was working his magic in the kitchen with the construction, I couldn't just sit around doing nothing, so the living room and dining room got a new look as well. Mom & I started by painting the walls a steel grey color and painting the trim a crisp white. We painted two armoires, six chairs, and a piano black. We re-arranged all our art-work etc. and came up with this.............

This is the foyer

These pictures from the living room don't really do it justice but you can get the idea. There was a pass through over couch, but it was only half of this opening. We extended it up to the bulk-head and removed a shelf that stuck out into the room over the couch.

And last but not least, the dining room. I don't think the pictures give the full effect that you get in person. We love the new look and are looking forward to entertaining over the next few months so we can share it with family and friends in person. 

Thanks for touring our home.

Finally--I'm Back

I know I have been absent from blogging for way too long but I didn't think that I would have an issue finding my blog on my dashboard or signing in to blogger when I decided it was time to pick up my "blogging pen" again. Wow- was I wrong. It took me two days but finally after many attempts at resetting passwords and hours of frustration, I somehow stumbled on to the solution. I only hope that I can remember how to get back on in the future!

What have I been doing with myself since my last post in January of 2015? Well- I have been going back to school and will be graduating with my A.A.S. in Accounting on May 11th 2016. Until February, I was also working full-time.

I am now hoping to start my own bookkeeping business so that I can work from home. I am most excited to return to homeshooling Abigail full time. I am thankful that Dan's schedule allowed him to oversee Abi's schooling while I worked and went to school so she didn't have to leave home but I am so ready to be a full-time homeschool mommy again.

So for the next few days I will be busy with final exams but after that I will be back to regular blogging.

God Is Holding The Umbrella

I am sure you have heard the phrase "when it rains it pours". I have heard it all my life. Something told me when I woke this morning that it was going to be a gully gusher kind of a day, and there was nothing on the local radar forecasting rain! 

It all started with me oversleeping...(you don't need the details)...racing to the bathroom to get ready...calling out to number 2 child to hurry up and get dressed, take the dogs out, feed the dogs....the phone rings....it's the husband...."have you eaten yet? I want to take you out for breakfast." (He has been on out of town trips all week, bless his heart, and wanted to do something fun with the family)....but it's a school day......Oookay...we'll go out to breakfast...child number 2 is still not up, no dogs have been out or fed and dad is pulling in the driveway..."why aren't you ready?"...(Let's not go there)....number 2 child is finally dressed, dogs have been out and fed...pile into the car and on to the restaurant...after we are seated I notice that number 2 child's hair is making Einstein's hair look professionally styled...

And that was the calm part of the day.

After "breakfast", we had a few errands to run, so it makes sense to just do them while you are out right? While driving hither and yon the check gauges light on the dash comes on..."no big deal" I thought...husband had the mechanic at work test the alternator and battery last week when it did this and the voltage read fine...husband thinks it is a malfunction in a computer chip....(you do need the details on this one)...sometime during the morning rush husband tells me he is going to go to a computer customer after work so won't be home until late...call number 1 child and arrange to have her bring number 2 child to her house after youth meeting for husband to pick up on his way into town...(sounds like a plan)(insert distant thunder rumble here)...rush home just in time for husband to go back to work...phone rings..it's number 1 child..instead of picking number 2 child up pack a bag so she can stay the night to help with grand-babies on Saturday...(thunder is a bit closer now. Why? you ask...the laundry isn't done yet for the week and who knows if number 2 child even has clean clothes at this point)...call to number 2 child to pack a bag....with the hour left before we need to leave for dance class(I decided to run to Walmart before dropping her off)....load the car with props to drop off at the dance studio for a performance tomorrow...realizing I hadn't eaten since "breakfast" I decide to do something that my OCD self has never done...ever... throw a few sweet potatoes in the oven at 275 for the hour(at the most) that I will be gone so that I have something ready to eat that is on my new eating program when I arrive home.(Note: at this point I am not really hungry and can wait until I return so I don't even grab a small snack)(insert flash of lighting and large clap of thunder here).....rush out the door and notice that number 2 child has on a ratty pair of flip flops...oh well she is just going to youth after class and will be inside and the weather is nice....not paying attention, I miss the first road I was going to take and had to go down the more crowded highway(insert large raindrops here)...the check gauge light comes on..not to worry it's been doing this...a few seconds later the airbag light comes on...not wanting to scare number 2 child I think to myself "what does that mean?... I have no air bag?...the airbag is going to deploy?...what do I do if it does?"....stopping at the light to turn into the Wally-world parking lot, all sorts of bells start going off..every light on the dash is flashing yet I have no turn signal or any dash lights...as I pull up to the car in front of me I see that my head lights are barely visible... I pull down the first parking isle and coast into a spot.(thunder, lightening, rain) I call the husband and leave a voice message that the car broke down and call number 1 child, who is on her way to work at the dance studio to come and help. Number 1 child doesn't have a voice-mailbox set up....great.....decide to go into the store to get the things I needed...forgot one of them...and while I am at the self-checkout husband calls and says "here I am going to hand the phone to my bus aide..tell her what happened."...trying to insert the right amount of cash into a self-check register and having a second party conversation with your husband while low blood sugar is setting in is not all it's cracked up to be....walk back to the car with a slightly hysterical child when number 1 child calls back.."did you call me?"....explain what happens...she can't come because she has to open the studio....great...low blood sugar hits hard and triggers my memory of the baking sweet potatoes in an oven I never leave on while I am not home! I send an emergency text message to a friend to swing by my house, look for the hide a key and turn off my oven because I don't know when I will be home...(insert loud stomach rumble here) Across the parking lot is a McDonald's. I can't eat at McDonald's(not on my new eating plan)...(louder stomach rumbling and shakiness sets in) I have to eat something so number 2 child and I walk to McDonald's, get something to go and walk back to the car to wait for husband to arrive...while walking back number 2 child cries "my shoe just broke". 

How is God holding the umbrella? My normal reaction to a situation like this would usually be one of complete panic and although I had one moment of snappy words due to the low blood sugar, I had the peace of the Lord that everything would work out. Not only did He give me the presence of mind to get the car to a parking space, food when it was needed, and Walmart's shoe department, but there was a service center that checked alternators and batteries across the parking lot. Husband arrived, we jump-started the car, brought it over to the repair shop just before it closed and it was fixed within the hour. And..my wonderful friend got the text message and turned off the oven. Most importantly, I was able to show my little girl how God cares about us and provided for needs we didn't even know we had yet. 

Psalm 73:28

But as for me, how good it is to be near God!

    I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

Thank you, Lord, for holding the umbrella today.

Chicken Littles.......not so much

Three weeks ago I posted here about the 10 baby chicks we added to our flock. I was amazed at how quickly they outgrew their first little home. At two weeks we moved them to their new digs.....

We cleared out a space for them in the garage and my handy man Dan rigged up this baby pool with chicken wire and netting and voila'........instant chicken brooder!

Today, they outgrew their waterer. (who knew chicks drank so much!) It was almost a full-time job trying to keep it full. Thankfully, a few weeks ago, I bought another large waterer with the anticipation of needing it for the new coop. I don't even want to talk about the amount of chicken feed they are going through! Here is what they look like today, at three weeks old. 

Abi found a long, thin piece of bamboo on our walk through the park the other day and it perfectly spans across the brooder as a roosting bar. Some of them just started to use it a few days ago. You can see how they are loosing their chick down and getting their feathers. Their new coop will be going up next week and as soon as they get all their feathers, and if the weather will finally cooperate, we will introduce them to the Three French Hens.

This is a picture of what a full grown Buff Orpington hen will look like.

Welcoming Our New Arrivals

Life has been rather crazy here so there has not been much time to "blog", which I have very much missed. I knew earlier in the week that I would have several hours to myself tonight, with Abi out with her special friend Miss Kate and Dan driving a trip, but I had the hardest time deciding on what to share. Then, this morning, we welcomed our new arrivals. 

It began last night.............

Preparing the "brooder"

Then bright and early we picked up our friend, who knew more about selecting than we did, and drove to the next town an came back with a "Munchkin"-looking box ......

Our box of munchkins

If you haven't guessed, we have added 10 Buff Orpington chicks to our flock. 

We had planned a space in the garage to keep the brooder because the temperatures have been more mild here lately but, this being the crazy winter from I don't know where, the temperatures are going to dip down into the teens again tonight. Even after leaving the heat lamp on all night last night the temperature in the brooder was still only 60 degrees when we came home with the chicks so we had to move everything into the laundry room until the cold snap snaps! They are the cutest little things I have ever seen. If you would have told me years ago I would be raising 10 baby chicks I would not have believed you. Abi is thrilled with her new little fledglings. She has chosen two names (8 more to go) but I told her to wait until we can actually tell them apart before she assigns the names. What are the two names, you ask?  Greta, named after one of Mr. Popper's penguins, and Isabelle, after her niece. Not sure how big sis is going to like that but, oh well. I am planning on posting pictures each week as they grow so you can see the change. Now....to build the new coop!

{31 Days To organize the "hidden" areas of your home} Day 27~Hi-Ho Hi-Ho it's off to work they go...Kids Chores!

 I love teaching my kiddos to take responsibility around the house and rewarding them for their efforts. Every week for years, I would make lists or print out free chore charts from the Internet. The first few weeks all went well. Then week after week I would forget to print out a new list/chart or we would be out of ink in the printer. One day while browsing in a local children's book store I saw something called "My Magnetic Responsibility Chart" made by the Melissa and Doug company. I love Melissa and Doug stuff to start with but when I saw that this chart not only had chores listed but also character qualities- Sold! When Abi finishes a chore she puts a smiley face in the right spot and when I see that she has demonstrated the character quality she is working on, I add the smiley face. She gets a pre-determined amount of money at the end of the week for each smiley face she has earned. This is motivation to really work on the character quality because mom doesn't put the smiley face on the board for a one time a day effort. We can change the chores every week or keep the same ones for several weeks. But the best part of this is....I have one less thing to remember each week!

Summer Highlights

It is time for Vee's note card party again. This is only my second time linking up with the party but I love seeing the wonderful pictures that the talented bloggers post.  Check out the party at 


I decided to share some of the highlights of our summer. Enjoy!

We had a great summer. Hope you did too!

Family Night Friday

We usually try to have Family Night on Friday's so I thought that might make an interesting  blog series. This week Zack and Britni left the grand-babies with us while they went out to dinner(as a belated Anniversary gift). We started the night off by enjoying "Crock-pot Orange Chicken", served over rice, made by Nonna. It was delicious but I forgot to take a picture so you will have to use your imagination. Next Aunt Abi and Alex played with blocks......

 Made funny faces at Poppi...........

 Wrestled with Aunt Abi...........

Snuggled with Nonna.......

Then, Alex dumped an entire box of Cheese-its on the floor (didn't get a picture of that either!) Soooo.....to change the atmosphere...........

We went for a walk/bike ride.......

Belle is not too sure about this.

And after all that....Zack and Britni came back and the big people had coffee and watched a big people movie and the little people watched a little people movie on Nana & Poppi's bed. Not fancy but lots of family fun!

In The Third Week of August My True Love Gave To Me......

 Three French Hens.....

We have finished the coop (almost). We needed to get the coop finished by Monday the 20th and were working around Dan's work schedule. It poured most of the day on Sunday so we worked all day Monday to finish up in time to pick up "The Girls". I still need to paint the roof and make some minor adjustments but it is secure enough for now. Abigail has changed one of their names from Esmeralda to Henrietta. Here is a first look....

Claudia is the chicken closest to Abi. She is so gentle. She runs up to Abi as soon as she gets near the coop. 

We brought them home last night around 8 O'clock. This morning when we got up to let them out of the coop and into the run, one little girl was not a happy chick. She kept making a sort of a growling sound (who knew chickens could growl). But by this evening, she seemed to be better adjusted and not growling any more. (I'm thinking the tomato pieces that Abi gave her might have helped improve her mood a bit) But the best part of all was..............

This afternoon, we got our first egg! 

Isabelle- My First Granddaughter

 Here is a sneak peek at some pictures of Isabelle. I just realized I had not added any pictures of her to my blog. 

Baby Belle with big brother Alex and mommy

Little Man Turns 1

One year ago today I was blessed with the most amazing little grandson. 

Zachary Alex Ilczuk Jr.

Yesterday we had a birthday party with family and friends  

balloons......

                & gifts..........

                         & cake!

And today we had a special birthday lunch with 

our own

cake

May God bless this sweet baby boy.