christmas photo dump.

here are photos of our life and around our home this christmas.  enjoy!

merry christmas from
workinman, littlemama, oldestboy, sportsboy and baby.

im not washing any more glasses.

now i don't mean that im never washing another glass, like ever.  but im not washing 13 glasses for only the 5 of us who live here.  this is how im going to solve the problem.  while browsing pinterest this morning i found this.

brilliant.  not my idea.  but brilliant.  so i scrounged around my house to see what i had that i could make something like this but more my style.  hers is nice but a little too nice for me.  and i wanted to use what i already have here.  spend no money.  so this is what i came up with.

i collect old cutting boards.  don't ask me why.  i just like the way they look.  but sometimes im nervous to actually use them for food.  ya know.  so i have this old one that i really like.  i found some glass knobs to use as feet.  then i found some scrapbook paper that i used in place of where she has coasters. 

see the old cutting board.  then i gorilla glued the knobs to the bottom.

 then i cut squares the size i liked out of paper.  no measuring, just eye balled it.  glued them down with my glue stick and put a layer of modge podge on top to make it water proof. 

i found this name plate thingy and tacked it on with a scrap of paper behind.  this making a cute label and just kind of finishing it off.  not necessary but cute. 

so here it is all finished.  Baby's cup sits out on the counter all the time.  he uses it off and on all day.  so now it at least looks like i meant for it to be there and less messy.  my boys are old enough to remember which patterned square they put their cup on.  but you could also do letters or numbers or names.  make this yours.  its fun to see a "pin" come to life.  give it a try!

thanksgiving decor.

halloween is over. thanksgiving is coming! in our house we don't pass this decorating opportunity.  i feel like Thanksgiving gets passed over for Christmas.  now don't get me wrong, we love holiday decor just as much as the next family but if we put it out too soon then we are tired of it before Christmas even comes.  also it is a great time to remember to be thankful before the craziness of Christmas comes.  so here is how we do it.....

and this last picture that SportsBoy took of me.  just because it's funny! 

little mama.

thoughts.

thoughts for today in no particular order.

1. chili is much better as a left over.
2. Baby is starting full day school.  2 days a week.  he is thrilled.  i am thrilled on the outside, sad on the inside.

3. i have never had all the laundry done. ever. like in my whole life.
4. i am making my first pumpkin pie today. it's in the oven.

5. i think i would like to move to somewhere far away with only the ones i love. we would live off the land. and not care what anyone thought.
6. i think i would miss target and getting tattoos. maybe once and awhile we could come to town.

7. it bugs me when people are mean. but everyone else thinks they are nice.
8. i have our desk/command center in the living room. maybe that's weird. but it works for us.
9. i wish people didn't act so happy all the time.  like they never have a bad day. makes me feel guilty when i have one.
10. there is a Goodwill going to open up very close to my house. this will be dangerous. but i think i will give lots away.
11. my 3rd grader has to read 1000 min a month for an A. are these really his min.? because i feel like they are mine.

12. hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12  this one is hard for me. maybe it is hard for you.
13. in my bible study this morning i read this...when conflicts arise, chose to cover over with love wrongs done to you.  this takes humility,but let it go. release it. refuse to dwell on it. hmm.. that's a tough one.
14. Baby sings numbers with his ABC's .
15. he also recites the Pledge of Allegiance all the time. usually in a mean shouting voice. i wonder who he is trying to convince.
16. i hate carving pumpkins. but we do. and i smile.

17. do dust bunnies ever go away ? how do they get there anyway?
18. i love spray paint.

19. i ordered another bag from Ika bags on etsy. i have a stripe one. bright for summer and spring. it is so great i have carried it every day since February. i got one for fall and winter. it is mustard yellow corduroy. she is making it right now. in France. just for me. there is only one. swoon.
20. there are babies and puppies popping up in my life everywhere. weird.

little mama.

gate.

we have a picket fence.

we adore it.

so cute.

but no one can find the gate.

i changed that.

i painted that pretty little gate.

yellow.

just like the shutters.

love it.

here it is from the street.

here it is from the inside.

that flower box was made by oldest boy.

when he was little.

he painted it too.

i love it.

be well.

little mama.

wow.

so. i am only here for a quick moment. my life has always been busy. it is now beyond busy.  it started with my sisters wedding.  we had it. it was beautiful.  football had started for the two big boys.  busy schedules and lots of practices. and lots of fun.  then football abruptly ended for one of the boys.  at SportsBoys first scrimmage of the season, on the 4th play, as quarterback he faked a handoff and began to run toward the goal line.  he planted his left foot, cut up to the right and was tackled by two other boys.  his femur broke.  many agonizing days later and a surgery behind us. he is home. he is safe. on crutches and in a wheelchair.  with two rods in his leg.  he is doing very well.  i have not processed it all.  it was terrifying.  i am totally concentrated on my family and need to take a blog break.  OldestBoy will start middle school on tues. and Baby will start his new preschool on friday.  school is still up in the air for SportsBoy.  keep us in your prayers.

little mama.

hello monday.

hello Myles.

our attendant on the Minneapolis Queen.

the boat we took this weekend.

for my sister's bachelorette party.

big fun.

yes.

i think he must be 12.

hello snazy new haircut.

almost ready

for the weddin'.

hello clean countertops.

ahh.

hello new boxer cups.

from Targets dollar section.

looks just like our Baxter.

hello cute new frame.

bought with Kohl's cash.

price-free.

love.

hello sneak peek

at new wall of frames.

lets just say,

Katy Hall has outdone

herself.

again.

http://www.minneapolisphotographer.com/

hello first night of

football practice.

we.are.ready.

little mama.

we now have a pillar.

pillars.  can't say that i have ever thought about them.  im not much into architecture.  it's fine.  i can take it or leave it.  our house was built in 1969.  it was super plain.  being the young couple we were when we bought it we just wanted a decent place to live.  we have done our share of sprucing up.  tore out carpet, put in hard wood floors.  took out cabinetry and put in open shelving.  built a privacy fence for the backyard and a picket fence for the front.  but the bones of the house have stayed the same.

bring in friendly and talented woodworker neighbor/friend Tim.  his wife had wanted 2 pillars she thought.  after he built them she decided she only wanted one.  so they asked us if we wanted a pillar.  hmm. i guess im not sure.  but i am always willing to save good projects from the burn pile.  so i went over and had a look at hers and decided that maybe we also could use a pillar.  hers has a lot of molding on it.  ours is more simple.  more our style.  their decor is a little more refined than ours.  one free pillar, free trim and leftover paint and i now have myself a bit of architecture.  go figure.

this is the view from the living room.

this is the view from the kitchen.

this is the view from the hallway.

note i did not pick up

one thing before taking

this picture.

there are cleats in the floor.

toys all over.

real life people.

this is the view coming in the front door.

i actually quite like it.  especially for something i never thought of before.  WorkinMan really likes it so that makes me happy.  so never be afraid to think outside your box a little bit.  for me bright colors are the norm for you pillars might be.  you can blend styles very easily if you make the item your own.  

little mama.

hello.

so.  i am not a summer blogger. 

 so sue me.  i am a great summer mom tho. 

 we are busy.  busy is good.

i don't spend much time on the computer. 

 haven of color suffers.

  but not my babies. 

 life is good.

  here is a few things we have been up to.

our cutie boys went to church camp.

with their buddy and their cousin.

they had a blast.

and didn't miss us.

not at all.

not super great for a mom to hear.

but im glad they had fun.

this boy missed them.

a lot.

thus he got to take 900

pictures of everything

and anything with my camera.

most of himself.

not bad for 4.

told ya.

we have been doing a lot of this.

and truly enjoying each other.

we have visited the new donut shop.

maybe too many times.

we heart it.

there is my sister, the upcoming bride!

we have been helping.

helping my sister plan her wedding.

nothing like having little boys help make decorations.

she is brave.

and sweet.

they Loved being involved.

we are very excited.

there is my sweet mama.

and her bald head.

she rocks it.

she also rocks a scarf.

awesome.

we also have been

doing lots of exploring.

the boys were examining

a bumble bee

with a magnifying glass.

so cool these boys of ours.

so we are well.  having fun.  being kids.

being a family.  loving summer.

we just had the big boys football draft.

yes, people there is a draft.

craziness.

we are thrilled.

the boys both got awesome coaches.

and WorkinMan is coaching

SportsBoys team.

so we end the busyness of baseball.

and go right into the busyness of football.

training in the morning.

practices at night.

hope we can fit school in there somewhere.

ha!

little mama.