Look At What I Got Today!

I have been waiting for about 3 years to finish this fireplace. It was just something that didn't HAVE to be done. More of a luxury...and I had to look at the blank wall everyday because it is in the living room, right off the foyer. Now we are finally finishing it!
It was too far gone to use as a wood-burning fireplace. Not lined and bricks were crumbling AND the chimney is located inside the house. We do not have natural gas, so that was not an option. So I found an electric insert that was pretty cheap (not shown in the photo) that was already in a tiny moveable fireplace. We just have to take it out and put it in here.
I had been looking for a mantle for quite a while. I even had plans to make one. Here it is--from the Seasons of Cannon Falls Idea house. (Photo from Home Companion Magazine, Dec/Jan 2008.) On a side note about the house renovation -- I based a lot of what I did in my house on the Seasons of Cannon Falls River House. This book was so helpful. I practically have my copy worn out!

But I happened along this mantle while at the local antique shop. The price wasn't bad, but I wasn't sure it was what I really wanted. So I kept it in the back of my mind.
I found the cast-iron surround on eBay for $40. I love it, but the dimensions are different than those that were listed in the auction, so it is a pretty tight fit with the insert...we'll have to see what can be done with it.
I finally decided that it would be easier if I bought the mantle since the one I wanted was a lot of work with all the trim to cut. So I went today to the shop hoping that they would still have it. And they did, and ON SALE!!

The mantle is from a 1890's farmhouse in Ohio. It has been mostly stripped of all the paint. I'm not sure if I want to repaint it or leave it as is. What do you think? (That's Max the wonderdog in the photo.) And the best part? It was only $100!
The hearth area will be done in Carrera marble. I am thinking about using the same marble in subway tile size or this tile as the surround tile.
I really like the finger tile, but I'd have to order them. The subway tile are in stock at Home Depot. May just go with those. Hopefully it will get done this weekend so we have somewhere to hang our stockings!

Here is a little project I did the other day. The snowflakes are styrofoam from Michaels. On clearance for $1.49 for two. I then covered them with Mod Podge and glitter. I love the Martha Stewart Snow glitter (used my 40% off coupon). Then I hung them from fishing wire and the branch was one I cut from the yard. (Ignore the unpainted trim!) It sits on top of my TV armoire.

Feeling Better Now

I've been missing due to the fact that I ended up with H1N1. The Dr. wouldn't give me Tamiflu because I never got a fever. Bah. Didn't she read that not all cases get a fever?
Then I ended up with a horrible sinus headache for 2 days. I just have to let those run their course. No amount of meds seem to help.
But now I am feeling better.

Here are three layouts I did before I got sick.



Finished some photos I had laying around since last Christmas. I had to reprint them because they had faded so much! I got some glitter mist that I just love. It's called Marshmallow and it is shimmery and somewhat clear. Just makes a nice sheen over the whole layout. I also like how it curls the paper a little to make the parts more distinguishable. Not for all pages, but some.

I've been working on many of my knitting projects for presents. Not as fun when you are on a schedule.

Carrick's room got cleaned and moved around. He sure is a packrat! Wonder where he gets that?
Ha ha. Gives him more room and even room for a chair to sit in read in. Now I just have to clean up the rest of the house. And I need the motivation. I guess the fact that Thanksgiving is next week should be motivation enough. I did get the front porch steps repainted yesterday and some of the Christmas lights hung...

Thank you to all the Veterans!

We appreciate your service and what you give up for us everyday.
Thank you.

image courtesy Just Something I Made

Some Creativity

Here are some Layouts that I have done in the past couple of weeks. I think my favorite is of Cole and Cade from Football.


This one is on the first day of school.

The last one is from our vacation to the Outer Banks. He stopped at the Grave Digger shop on the way home.

On other topics, we are still missing Millie. It seems strange not to see her sleeping in her usual places.
Mark is in Vegas on one of his twice yearly trips there. Wish I had the opportunity to go somewhere, but I can't since I have the feeling that I just can't dump the kids on someone and go have fun. The plan is for all of us to go in May of next year. The twins have been wanting to go for a long time since they don't remember the last time they were there (they were in the womb!) and Carrick wants to go back...he was there two or three times when he was little.
I have had no urge to do any work this week other than what I have to. I guess it's because of the passing of Mil and the dark weather. Blah.
Cole and Cade have a birthday party tonight with a Halloween theme. Tomorrow is Trick-or-Treating up in my parents' house. If you can believe it, we get no one at our house. The houses are so spread out and there aren't any kids too close by so I don't have to buy candy!
But up in my parents' neighborhood where I grew up, there are lots of houses and lots of Trick-or-Treaters. Hopefully the rain will stay away.

Sad News

Yesterday was a very sad day. We had to make the decision to put our Millie to sleep. It wasn't an easy decision, but it was time. She was about 14 years old.

We got Millie as a rescue dog when she was about a year and a half old. We already had two border collies and I wanted another. She was a bit of a handful, but I am glad she became part of our family. She was never happier (though I doubt Buck and Cap were) than when she was hearding and nipping the other dogs when we played frisbee.

She was a patient dog and never really gave us trouble other than the nipping. She moved with us through 3 houses and 1 apartment, and 2 two states. She was at 13 pig roasts. She lost two of her best friends and gained a pesky new brother. She will be missed.

Carrick took it harder than I thought. Millie was never very affectionate, especially to the kids, but I think because she had been with him all of his life it was hard to say good-bye. He even went with his dad to the vet. He was there when she left. He is braver than I. I knew I couldn't do it. I don't think the twins really understand what it means.

So now we are a one dog family. It hasn't been that way in a long time. Max cannot figure out what is going on. I think he is still looking for her, waiting patiently by the door for her to come back home.

Go Away H1N1

Since the last time I posted, Carrick got sick with the flu and didn't get to play in his last game. He still hasn't gotten over it, and it's been two weeks! Now it seems he has moved on to a sinus infection. I can commiserate with him since I have one too. Now Cade is sick with a back hacky cough and is in bed...so I have two home today. So much for going to JoAnn to use my 50% off coupons! It will just have to wait.

I've started a new obession -- knitting. I always wanted to do it, but never had luck figuring it out until now. I have knitted scarves for the boys and now I am working on dishcloths with a little more of a pattern. Still working on that purl stich. There are some great videos on YouTube. Here are my favorite... How To Knit . Make sure you watch the video...makes it easy to understand.

We had our first hard frost of the season this week. Most of the flowers are done now, with a few exceptions. The day after the frost, we had a big warm-up to 65 degress. And we got over-run by ladybugs and stinkbugs looking for a place to spend the winter. Take a look...you even get a peek at what the house looks like. See all the specks? They're the ladybugs!


Since I am showing off pictures of the house, here is one of the front door and porch. See the cute doggies at the window?
The pumpkin hanging and the green vase I bought at T.J Maxx (my favorite) for around $12 ea.. The crate was from a local antique store for $10. I got the owl many years ago at Cracker Barrel. The stuff around the door is grapevine from a wreath taken apart. I also have lights in it.

This past weekend we worked on moldings for the house. What a difference! That and the fact I don't have to keep tripping on them in the foyer, where we were storing them for the past 3 months before installation. I will take photos as I get them painted. I really hate painting trim. So much prep work (filling nail holes, caulking the corners and voids, taping,....ugh) to finally get to the finished project. Now we have to trim out all of the windows. Not such an easy job since most of the windows need extra extention since the walls of the house were thicker than the average house and we didn't realize that when we ordered them. So it is custom for each window! Ah, it will be so nice to have windowsills! Ha.

Have a good weekend!

Bittersweet Week....

This week is bittersweet because it is the last week of regular season football for the boys. Last night was the last night of practice. So after 2 1/2 months of practice almost everyday, we are done unless they win their games on Saturday -- then they go to the playoffs. I'm very proud of them. They have done an awesome job in their first year. Some of the kids have played since they were 5, so my boys were not starters and didn't get a lot of playing time. They still stuck it out and I think that they learned a lot. They also made new friends they wouldn't have met otherwise (kids from the other school in our district).

We had Open House a few weeks ago and it was nice to meet their teachers. They are doing well in school and got all A's on their progress reports. Carrick is home sick today from school...not sure if it is a cold or allergies, but he was running a fever of 100, so I had him stay home and sleep.

We are going to see Bruce Hornsby on Sunday. The kids and I are excited. He is our favorite and his concerts are so enjoyable. Carrick will be sure to make a request list for Bruce...he'll play requests from the audience. Then he'll save them and put them on his website. I made a scrapbook layout of the last one he did.

On the crafty front, I have been teaching myself to knit. I really enjoy it and get a lot done while watching TV in the evening. So far I have done two scarves...now I have two more for Carrick and Cole. I have also been sewing Pjs for the boys. I completed one for Carrick and 1/2 for Cole. Need to finish up the bottoms on that one.

Nothing has been going on in the house department. Still have a pile of baseboard and trim sitting in the foyer (for the past 3 months) needing to be installed. We have a lot that needs to be finished outside before Winter. A little siding, fixing overhang, gutters, painting window trim, and outdoor furniture put away. Those are just the things that have to be done. There's plenty more in the queue that needs done too....

I'm Found!

Boy. I have been missing for a long time! Summer was so short it seems.

We started with Football practice on July 25th and that seemed to cut our summer short. Practice everyday from 6-8. I'm glad that the boys wanted to play. My brother played for many years when he was younger and I even was the Manager (water girl) of his team for a year! So I don't mind the expense of time lost... and they enjoy playing. We have 2 games to go to each week (sometimes 3 if there is a scrimmage).









The other events of the summer were going to stay at my parents' cabin at Jamestown, PA; a wedding of two of our friends, and a week at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The Outer Banks vacation was over Labor Day so that the kids didn't miss that much school. Too bad the weather was less than cooperative. It rained about 1/2 the trip.
















This week we have

• bookfair
• Open House
• 2 football games
• orthodontist appointment
• new freezer delivery.

Good Luck with getting too much done. At least I got the grocery shopping done yesterday!

P.S. - I uploaded a bunch of layouts to Studio Calico today. Check em out.

New Layout.s

I thought I'd post some of the projects I have been working on. Some of them were done last month, and some recently.This one is about my little Cade. Such a cutie!


This one is about Popcorn time at home.


This one is about my other cutie, Cole and how he seems older than 6.This one is about Carrick and how he started the summer off wrong.This final one is about the last day of school. Hard to believe that the year is over already!

I think that all of these pages are from the past two Studio Calico kits. Just love them.

Feeling kind of under the weather today. Not sure if it is that monthly thing or something else, but I have been crampy and my back has hurt all day. Not even 1000mg of Tylenol could help.
Hopefully it will go away soon. I have a birthday party to take Cole to tonight and then watch the Pens win the Stanley Cup! Gotta have faith.

Today was also weekly house cleaning day. Haven't done it in a few weeks, so it really needed done, especially since the kids have been dragging dirt in from the dirty driveway. I'll have to go into detail one time about how I have changed to "green cleaning" and how much better I like it.

I didn't think it had been that long!

My goodness! Where has time gone? I guess I have just been busy. Working outside. Putting in a garden, doing daily outside work like weeding and grass-cutting, and trying to keep the kids busy now that they are out of school.

There has been plenty else going on too. Carrick fractured his arm over Memorial Day. Spent 3 hours in the ER. He fell off the back of the hot tub while goofing off (we told him to stop, but did he listen?). He had to wear a splint for 4 days until we could get in to see a specialist at the new Childern's Hospital in Pittsburgh. He had a bone chip in his elbow and they were not sure where it had come from. He ended up having about 8 x-rays and a CT scan until it was determined they would not have to operate and he could be casted. A whole day spent at the hospital, $20 for parking and I had to have CASH to pay for lunch! Huh? So I had to pay $2.00 to get out $20 from the ATM. #$&(*%. At least everything turned out well. He goes back to see the Dr. on the 26th. At least we don't have to travel downtown for that.

Then we had the last day of school last week. They have been home for an entire week now and I have heard "I don't know what to do." about a million times. They are getting better at keeping themselves busy as the days go by. They only get to watch a little TV in the mornings and then from 2 to 5 they have to share playing Wii. I have also started quiet time from the end of lunch until they play Wii. They have to keep quiet and not bother me for that time --reading, coloring, playing. But they have to be quiet. It worked pretty good today and I got a whole layout done.
Been working on the house outside a lot too. Still grading for the new driveway, putting in the stone steps in the front with walls (we used stone from an old barn foundation here in the property) and planting beds. Have been planting lots of plants (roses, perennials, trees) and cutting lots of grass. I'll post photos of the front when I get a chance. It's raining out right now.

Lastly, we have been watching the awesome Pens. Hope they can come out victorious tomorrow. I know they can, but Joe Lewis seems to have a spell over them. Let's hope it is broken along with the Redwings chances. Go Pens! At least I have that to look forward to since we are not going to the Michigan race this weekend. It's always nice to go and camp out with relatives, but Mark says we have too much work. He always says that...

On to the Second and Third Floors...

Sorry, I tried to fix this photo so it was right, but Blogger wouldn't let me. This was the view going up the stairs. Don't you just love the shag carpet and paneling?

This was the view looking down the landing on the stairs from the second floor. Pretty dark.

Looking down from the landing on the stairs to the first floor.

Wow. Was it really this bad? This was the first bedroom at the top of the stairs to the left. Just look at those pictures on the wall. They always freaked me out when I was a kid because they has such huge eyes. Red yuckky carpeting and stairs that lead to the third (attic) floor. Kinda goofy to have the stairs in a bedroom.

Here are the stairs to the third floor. These stairs gave us fits. We didn't want them to be here anymore, but it was tough to figure out how and where to put them. Eventually I won out and the stairs were relocated to where they must have been originally. This bedroom eventually was remade into the bathroom and laundry (that was another headache fight between DH and I..I won).

The second bedroom . How do you like the curved wall by the door? We reconfigured this room and it became the boys' room. We had 3 boys sleeping here for over a year until be got the attic done were Carrick now has his room.The other side of the room and the closet.

The master bedroom. Not much to look at.
The other side of the room. Look at how little Carrick is in the photo! He must be twice as tall now!

The bathroom at the top of the stairs. This was the only bathroom in the house (with the exception of the toilet in the basement). There had been a leak in the roof and it had caused damage in the house, but a lot of the water went right into the bathtub.This toilet must have been the original.
The hole in the ceiling where the leak was.And the sink. This area became the stair landing between the 2nd and 3rd floors and my scrapbook area. I love it. It has great light now and wide open.

Up on the third floor, was an interesting room. This was a girls' bedroom. See the chimney here. We ripped that out because we no longer needed it (it was the exhaust for the coal furnace).

Looking to the front of the house. When we redid the attic, we cut it into two rooms and made it a lot wider. We also had to install a dormer window so we could incorporate the new staircase. This side is now the kids (and Dad's) playroom. The other side is Carrick's bedroom.

New Projects

I have been going back and scprapping older photos of my kids that I hadn't done before. Here is one of the twins at the Wattsburg Fair in 2003. This photo is just too funny!


This one is a comparison of me and the twins with clothesbaskets. I loved this new paper from Imaginisce. Just so cute! I did a bunch of stiching on this one and a bunch of punching.