Sadly, the girls’ Christmas break is over as they started back to school today, leaving behind this pile of laundry. My king size bed is almost completely covered!

I have two more loads in the laundry room to throw on top!

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Larry saved this really ugly, retro piece from the neighbor’s trash and I hauled it home and gave it a new life.

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After several months of living in our new home, we have living room furniture! A few weeks ago I finally got the bright idea to ask God to help me out with my lack of furniture. He is so good to me. It wasn’t long and I ran into a very cool couch at a flea market type store here in town. It’s a vintage sofa, I’m guessing from the 60′s. It is so clean — I doubt it was ever used. I quickly scoured the store and found a few items to piece together with it and VOILA! I have a vintage / retro living room. It’s not what I expected. What a fun surprise!

I saw the movie Hairspray with some girlfriends on Saturday. What a fun movie! I kept looking for my sofa. Most of the furniture in the movie would fit right in with what I have.

Remember the leather top coffee and end tables? Mine have a green tint. I found a pair in excellent condition.

It’s starting to feel like a homey space with the new curtains I hung this weekend. I have been blessed with such a beautiful living room. I am so excited we get to use it and enjoy it now.

Nothing matches perfectly but I am having fun piecing things together. It’s cost me very little and that is as fun as it gets.

Karen, here’s the rocker you wanted to see. I love the shape of it. I would love to paint it black. I think it would look great but I’m not sure it would look good in my living room. I could incorporate some black things to tie it together. Let me know what you think.

I was so thrilled to have found this dining set at a garage sale for fifty bucks! My dining room can finally be used. I know many people don’t want formal dining rooms because they feel it’s wasted space. I, on the other hand, am quite thrilled. I really enjoy formal dining rooms and am very thankful that our new home has one.

I want this room to be my office and craft room. I am not sure how I want to decorate or whether or not I need a cabinet for my things. Target has some wall hangings that I love. Unfortunately they are pricey. They are paintings of cafes and coffee shops in rich red tones.

We will also be using the dining room to eat in, but not daily. It’s carpeted so I don’t really want the kids using it except for special occasions. Children with food and drink aren’t allowed anywhere with carpeting. Six months ago I laid the law down on that one. Wow! What a difference that rule makes. My furniture and carpeting are actually staying clean. I told them when they are adults they can take food out of the kitchen when they come to visit, but their kids won’t be allowed to!

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Today the blind guy came to my home and installed our new blinds. I am so excited to have some privacy. I’m also hoping the kids will stop getting up at 6 AM with the sun.

He was so kind to the girls. They were so curious and excited about what he was doing. He put them to work sorting the small parts into boxes. They did a perfect job for him. They followed him around while he worked chattering away. Bless his heart he listened and engaged them in conversation. People that are patient and kind to my kiddos score big in my book!

My bedroom is so dark and cozy now. I daydreamed all day about taking a relaxing, long nap.

My mind is at ease now knowing the girls have privacy in the family room. It feels creepy not having window coverings at ground level.

The blinds were installed just in time for my first house guests. I am so excited to now have a home big enough for overnight company. My Aunts Punkie and Tootsie and my Mom are spending Friday night. We’ll be up at the crack of dawn getting ready for garage sales. I am glad they will have proper privacy!

I read an article this morning that gave my fatigue confirmation. The average stay-at-home mom puts in a 92 hour work week! CHECK IT OUT! I’d like a piece of that 138,000 salary. Maybe James needs to buy a little more life insurance on me!

I LOVE being a stay-at-home Mom! It’s my passion and my heart. The Lord really encouraged me this morning with this article. It feels good to know that I’m doing exactly what I’ve been called to do and I don’t need to feel guilty about it. Thank you Lord!

Here’s a pic of the home we have a contract on. As you can see, it’s really pretty. It’s also much bigger than our present home. James and I have been through many adventures together and this new home is a big one!

The man who built this home is a great guy. He seems to be as excited as we are. (He says he’s more excited) He’s an international commercial airline pilot who is getting started as a builder. This is his first home. It’s obvious after talking with him that he has poured his heart and soul into this house. His eye for detail and perfectionism is one reason we decided to go for this home. (Gotta love those engineer types!) He doesn’t believe in “builder’s grade” and the home should be very energy efficient.

Our real estate agent is one of our local TV news anchors and journalists. She’s been very helpful and enjoyable to work with. It’s been fun working with such interesting people!

Our present home looks great. We have freshened it up with lots of paint, cleaned it thoroughly and organized it (half of what we own seems to be in storage). Our first showing is scheduled for tomorrow and our agent is having a virtual tour done tomorrow as well.

I am sorry I have missed out so much on everyone’s blogs. I feel “out of the loop” and hope to take the time to get caught up soon. I miss chatting with the fam. Hopefully the kids will be back to school Thursday and my days will slow down a bit.

Love to all.