Sunday, July 26, 2009

Song Lyric Sunday

Wait and See by Brandon Heath

I was born in Tennessee, late July humidity doctors said I was lucky to be alive
I’ve been troubled since the day that I got here, troubled to the day I disappear
That’ll be the day that I finally get it right

There is hope, for me yet, because God won’t forget, all the plans he’s made for me
I have to wait and see, he’s not finished with me yet, he’s not finished with me yet

I never really was that good in school. Talked to much, broke the rules
My teachers thought I was a hopeless fool all right.
I don’t know how but I made it through, it’s one of those things you gotta do
I always had a knack for telling the truth.

There is hope, for me yet, because God won’t forget, all the plans he’s made for me
I have to wait and see, he’s not finished with me yet, he’s not finished with me yet

Still wonerin’ why I’m here. Still wrestling with my fear
But oh….He’s up to something,
And the farther out I go, I’ve seen enough to know that I’m not here for nothin’
He’s up to somethin’

So here’s my time to be a man, follow my heart as far as I can
No tellin’ where I’m ending up tonight
I never slow down or so it seems, but singing my heart is one of my dreams
All I gotta do is hold on tight.

There is hope, for me yet, because God won’t forget, all the plans he’s made for me
I have to wait and see, he’s not finished with me yet, he’s not finished with me yet
He’s not finished with me yet, He’s not finished with me yet.

Sorting it out - the Answer for kids art

If it weren't for my husband, who likes to throw everything away, I might just be a pack rat. I am a very visual person so I really hate working around clutter, but I am kinda sentimental so I am sad to get rid of things. One thing I have a lot of trouble getting rid of is my kids beautiful art. They make something every week at Sunday School and then at Daycare, and Preschool. That doesn't even take into account the stuff they make at home. I am at a loss for what to do with it all. I did try taking pictures of it, but that is hard to keep up with. I tried sending it to my Grandma who lived far away, but she is gone now. I still like the idea of sending something to Aaron's Grandparents in the mail every month even though we do see them in person. The kids would probably like that too. But again, that is hard to keep up with. So at A's urging I finally purged it all. This is what I started with.Pretty bad, I know, considering my oldest just turned 5! Well, I successfully weaned it down to one drawer, only partially full! I put the rest lovingly in a bag and told A to get rid of it quickly before I changed my mind.
I got rid of anything without a name, date, anything that was essentially a duplicate, and anything broken.
I saved a variety of things for each kid (well mostly just for the boys, L is pretty young yet) from different times and different types of crafts, drawing, cutting etc. I felt great afterwards knowing that what I did save is organized by kid and dated and safe in a big drawer. Now I just need to be selective with the new art that comes through our door.
I also spent some time sorting out some other stuff...
Can you tell what it is? I have a system for this too. More on that next time.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Kids' rooms

There have been some major developments in the downstairs renovation, but the fact that it is now plumbed and framed doesn't make for a visually stimulating blog post. In fact it looks beautiful to me (my hubby built it with his own 2 hands after all) but to everyone else it just looks like a construction zone!
Unfortunately, everything else in the house has come to a stand still because we are pretty short on free time right about now. I have many decorating ideas in my head but I am either at work, or my hubby is at work, or if by some strange fluke we are both home at the same time he is working on the basement. So my projects have not been getting done. Maybe you can use your imagination and picture a few cute projects in the kids rooms....See there on the wall above baby L's crib? A blank wall you say? No, it is a monogram and stars pasted on the wall in pink fabric. Cute don't ya think? Oh and her fabulous rug? Great isn't it?
And here on this side of her room under the mirror that I painted that was my Grandma B's once upon a time is not the IKEA dresser and change table but a white painted wood dresser with dovetail joints and all that the previous owners left in the basement. All I have to do is strip the many layers of paint off it and re paint it white and get new hardware, then presto it will appear in this very spot! I am happy with her little wood kitchen though. All the kids play with it and I think it will be enjoyed for a long time to come.

Now on to the boys room.R's bed, complete with the star quilt I made him when I was pregnant with him.
And this is K's bed (you can tell can't you?). When made, it is very similar to his brother's but the quilt at the end has some greens in it and was made by my talented friend Christina. Oh and the stars above his bed were yellow in his nursery but he destroyed them when he was 2. So I remade them in a more appropriate colour scheme for this room. They are just wood stars from Michaels covered with scrapbook paper. This paper has vintage planes and cars and boats on it. It is perfect! And took all of 15 minutes to do.

And what about using your imagination in this room? Oh my, each by has their name in big white painted letters over their bed and these adorable red shelves in the shape of an airplane, for storing their treasures (lego and such).

This is the area right by their door and it is pretty much done. The top picture is R's birthday etc and it was painted by his great grandma Nan. It is beautiful and very professional quality. Then below it is K's picture that was a baby gift from my work, it is gorgeous. It has his name and all his birth info is hung on each letter with a little tag. On the back the meaning of his name is written out. It is so classy. Then the bottom rack is three star hooks that my mom brought back from Pennsylvania many years ago, and A mounted on a board for my. They are metal and the hooks are rough hewn nails. I love it. This is where clothes live when they can be worn another day before going in the wash.

That's it. I wish there was more progress to show, but I am afraid there is drywall and wiring and windows that need to happen before I get to any little details like these.
For now the rooms are cozy enough and fun. They do the job!