Appliance Trip

We took an unexpected trip to Chicago yesterday.
It was a beautiful day.

I have been watching Craig's List religiously for appliances. Always looking for a good deal.

Well, we found one.

We have gone back and forth a hundred times: stainless or white...look for deals or buy new...stay with a wall oven or tear out cabinets and get a normal range?????

We decided to go with white and look for deals. So many people are getting rid of decent white appliances to go to stainless steel. For us, right now, it makes sense to take advantage of some of those deals. Maybe down the road some we can upgrade to brand new appliances.

We made two stops in Chicago. The first one was very close to downtown. It was a beautiful area and just what I pictured.









The houses are narrow but tall.

The second stop was out in the West Suburbs. It was a young couple doing a complete kitchen reno.
Here's what we got- a GE double oven in almost new condition, an older Frigidaire single wall oven, a Kenmore gas cooktop and an over the range microwave- for $600.
We will be relisting the single wall oven since we don't need three ovens.












Yes, it all fit in our van. But we had to fold all the seats down. Two little ones had to ride home on the floor. Oops!

And they are still in our van because we don't know where we are putting them for the next month and a half.

2 more appliances to go.
Yay for great deals!
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Binky No More

That's right.
The problem was taken care of for us.
No more of this.



It was solved by this guy.



For once his chewing problem came in handy. He chewed up the last ba ba.

It's been a rough few days but he is adjusting to life without his pacifier. He has asked us to buy a new one. But I reminded him he will be four in four short days.
He will survive.
Problem solved.

Thanks Jasper.

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Daily Ritual

I have a few rituals that I do everyday besides the obvious- eating, brushing my teeth, etc.

My daily rituals have increased since the start of school.
But one has been a constant since the beginning of summer. JJ makes sure of it. And it has helped me get some exercise every day.

Jumping on the trampoline.






Sometimes I have to take breaks and lay down. But he doesn't let me rest for long.
It's a special thing between him and me. When I was gone a couple times this month I talked to him on the phone. All he wanted to know was if I would jump on the trampoline with him when I got home.

Sometimes the other boys join in.






But that usually ends in a fight of some kind.

I love that this simple thing means so much to him. And it's fun!

Word of caution for us old folks- make sure you empty your bladder before jumping!

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Location:E 16th St,Holland,United States

Flower Redo

I went to my Aunt's funeral yesterday. It was so conflicting in so many ways. And very sad.

I was lucky enough to come home with a flower arrangement from the service. It was beautiful.



But huge. And I knew it wouldn't last very long.

So I broke it up into two smaller arrangements hoping that will prolong their life. Here they are.







No word on a closing date yet. You'll hear as soon as I do.

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Weekend Fun

Today is not a fun day for me. So I'm going to focus on the good things that happened this weekend.

1. I got to visit with a lot of family.

2. I got to treat my boys to free drinks at Bigby.
We all loved our drinks, so be sure to try- Butter Bear Latte, Orange Smoothie, Rasberry Zinger Smoothie, Iced Chai Latte, and Mellow Hot Chocolate.
($1 million monopoly dollars if you can match the drink with the right person)



3. I got to be at the finish line close to the time these three finished their park2park run.



4. We were told we very well may be closing this week! Yay!

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OOTD & A Question

Here is my completely thrifted outfit of the day. I am partly embracing Fall but still hanging on to Summer a little.




A question- What would you do in this situation?

I went to the store the other day to pick up some groceries. I was by myself which always feels like a vacation.

As I was coming out of the store I passed by an old beat up car parked near the front. What caught my attention was the woman in the driver seat.

She was in her late teens or early twenties. She was on the phone and visibly upset. There was a little boy in the back seat, maybe three or four.

I passed by her car and went to mine in the next row. I could hear her yelling and crying all the way to my car. The windows were up.

When returning my cart I had to make one more pass by her car. She was crying with her head on the steering wheel. Then she began punching the steering wheel. The boy in the back seat just looked on in silence.

It broke my heart. I considered knocking on her window. Then I decided not to and went to my car instead. I couldn't hold back my tears. It killed me that she could feel so hopeless. It killed me that the little boy had to witness it and who knows what else.

I've thought about that girl everyday since. Did I miss my chance to make a difference in someone's life? To move a stone? Or was it none of my business?

What would you have done?

Facing Loss

I had a different post planned for today. But changed my mind.
I received a call from my sister this morning. My Aunt Robin had passed away. She had a heart attack early this morning and couldn't be saved.
She is survived by her husband and three adult kids. I can't imagine what they are going through. Her daughter's wedding is two weeks away. I'm not sure what will happen now.
The funeral is Monday morning.
She was a fun lady and one of my mom's closest friends. She will be sorely missed. Please pray for our family during this time.
And because I've committed to a picture in each post- here is a picture of my new hair from yesterday for those that asked.

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Change Is Good

Mostly change is good. There are exceptions of course.
I've been changed for the better.
It's time for the outside to receive a change too.

That's right.



Nothing drastic....but it feels so much better. Thanks Mosey!

Oh yeah- and this too.



My hair has been a mixture of orange and yellow too long!

Time for change:)

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Golfing....Finally

We finally went golfing yesterday. The whole family. We went to Winding Creek. It was a beautiful day for it and we got a great deal. $40 for everyone to golf along with two carts.

The first hole was rough. Everyone was still in baseball/softball mode. I thought we'd never make it through nine holes before it was dark.












But we did.
Everyone got a little better with each hole.
It was fun and I'm glad we got to do it.
The only problem- Noah wants to be outside hitting golf balls instead of doing school this morning!

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Lake Ann Retreat

The weekend retreat to Lake Ann Camp I went on deserves a post alone but even that won't do it justice.
It was life changing.

And how appropriate for it to take place at Lake Ann. One of my most favorite places on planet earth. Where I rededicated my life to Christ when I was 16.

This time around I am 34.

We had a great time Friday. We ate delicious food in a beautiful dining hall.



We braved the zip line across the lake.












We canoed around the peaceful lake.






We even got to exercise our abs as we listened to comedian Daren Streblow.



But the best part was on Saturday. We, along with a 150,000 women from around the world, got to take part in a live simulcast from Beth Moore.

LIFE. CHANGING.

Here are some gold nuggets that I deeply treasured-
• God didn't call us to "fine". He called us to faith.
• Forsake FEAR to take up COURAGE.
• If we're faithless we are unforgiving, cynical and become haters.
• Do you have enough security in Him to trust Him with the mystery?
If you participated- you know what I'm talking about. If you didn't- this doesn't even begin to convey the blessing that was presented by Beth Moore and her worship team.



The Lord speaks; many, many women spread the good news.
Psalm 68:1

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Love Languages

I've recognized my boys need love in different ways. I'm not talking about the famous book The Five Love Languages. But just how my boys like to be shown affection and love from me.
Ethan



He is not someone who will seek out affection or ask for a hug. When he is needing it he starts bugging me and picking a fight or jokes around. When he does that I grab him and squeeze him and kiss him all over and don't let go for a little while. I give him a weekly dose while I can. He acts like he hates it, but I know he needs it.
Cole



My cuddly Cole. He is not afraid to show affection. He will still hold my hand or sit and cuddle with me. He has to make sure to say 'I love you' and give a hug and kiss before bed. He is never in short supply.
Noah



He is my rough and tumble boy and likes everything that way. He doesn't give love often and easily. It depends on the mood he's in. If you want a hug you need to be ready for a wrestling match or brace yourself for him to launch himself onto you. He's embarrassed to kiss me already because I'm a girl!
Jayce



JJ is another snuggle bug. Loves to be held and carried around still. He doesn't love kisses as much as hugs. I love taking naps with him and getting lots of cuddles.

So strange how they can all be so different. No matter how they like it, they still all need it.
Have you recognized how your kids love?

Have a great weekend!

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Random Thursday

1. First day of Bible study today. Already awesome.

2. I am starting to enjoy being up before the sun.



3. I am excited to go to Lake Ann this weekend but sad to leave my boys (big and little).

4. I have six books waiting for me to read and somehow not enough time to read any.

5. I'm wanting to chop my hair. So sick of wearing it like this constantly.



6. I bought this fabric from an Allegan estate sale for $1.50. I plan to make a maxi skirt out of it.



7. Anyone know how to get a kid to give up his binky???



8. Soccer season has started. Both boys' teams have games at 9am. Not sure how Scott will manage that while I'm gone!






9. We still need to go golfing for E's special treat.

10. Where was that big cool down the weather man predicted?!

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Cheap Chair Makeover

Like I said yesterday- I got these three chairs for $3 total at an estate sale.



I bought some clearance denim fabric and one yard of another fabric, thread and cording for $50.
I unscrewed the top from the bottom. Then I removed the ugly vinyl from each piece.
I cut on the seams and used it as a pattern by laying it on the new fabric and cutting around leaving an extra amount for seam allowance.









Then I took the one yard of fabric and sewed it around the piping.



I then pieced it all together on the form inside out, pinned it and sewed it together.
I put the sewn covers over the pieces and stapled them in place and screwed it back together.
I also cleaned up the bases and spray painted them a glossy white.



The other two still aren't finished but I have a feeling they will come out even better. It's not quite as simple as I explain it. I have to use a little bit of trial and error.


What do you think? Are they worth the $53 invested?

I'm thinking they will go in our craft/school room in our new house.