Curtains Away

One project my mom & I worked on while they were here in July was curtains. We knew we needed to do something ASAP. Mom & I measured, cut & worked on curtains for almost every window in the house. She took the fabric home & finished them up. Below are the curtains for my office (the pink/yellow ones) which I actually sewed myself. You will also see the dining room curtains & new paint. They are the same as the front living room windows. Thanks, mom!

Fertilizer

Growing up washing the car meant only one thing: rain was sure to fall from the sky. Waxing the car also meant only one thing: severe thunderstorms, even on a cloud-free day. Poor dad.

Now, I have a new "curse" to live with; putting fertilizer on the grass means rain. Heavy rain. Even on a hot summer evening. Bummer, Joel.

Thanks for your hard work, anyway.

Family Reunion

We just returned from our family reunion with my family in Wisconsin. I didn't want it to end! Mostly because I like being with my family, but also because it marked the end of our summer! I just had to put some pictures from the vacation. My sister's kids are soooo cute. Faith is 3 and Avery is 7 mounts. They are both a lot of fun to be around. Faith is so active & Avery smiles ALL the time. Great job, Aimee & Gary!

Here are some of the fun things we did:

-Toured Lambeau Field in Green Bay
-Drove Go Karts
-Sailed on Lake Michigan on Mom & Dad's boat
-Went Miniture Golfing
-Aimee, Faith, Avery & I had a great time in Rockford visiting with family
-Batting Cages (Joel only--doesn't sound like fun to me)
-Faith rode on some kiddie rides at a kiddie park and loved it!
-Friendly Family Squirt Gun Fight
-Faith got to Kayak with Opa (Grandpa)
-Mom & I paddle in a canoe--scary thought
-Swam in the pool--Avery's first time in the water--isn't she cute??
-Rode bikes to a light house on Lake Michigan
-Visited with a friend who lives nearby & rode on her parent's boat
-Took Faith to an indoor water park where she rode every ride she could over & over
-Multiple attempts to get a family picture where everyone was smiling
-Ate & ate & ate & ate....

Aspens

I know, I know. It's been a long time since I've posted any pictures. But, we've been busy. And, the projects we're working on aren't that exciting (like weeding the yard)! I will try to post some pictures of the "finished" rooms (like the living & dining room) soon. Joel & I go back to work tomorrow, though, so it will be tough! :)

The pictures below are of the "Aspen Wall" in the dining room. Rhonda put up the wallpaper about 20 years ago and then she helped is take it down in July. That's almost classified as "cruel & unusal punishment". But, she was happy to help and figured out the best way to take it down--lots of water & lots of mess. It came down though & prompted a new Jacobson Rule: NO WALLPAPER.

The first picture is a "before" picture, then a picture of what it looked like after the wallpaper was off. The last picture is of me priming the wall after we textured it by hand & before we painted it. It's a LOT of work! :)