Random Stuff

 I have so many things I’d like to do with our home.  It is pretty, and it sits up on a hill with a pond and a big yard.  We did the bare minimum when we moved in ten years ago, and everything else was going to be done later when we had the time and money for it.  Neither commodity has thus far come our way.  There is a website I love called houzz.com.  I was reading an article for people in my situation to help them love their homes more right now, instead of just focusing on things that aren’t the way they wish they could be.  I have come away with some lovely insights from this.  Keeping a space neat and tidy can make you love any old room more.  And it’s free.  I am a minimalist in my heart.  It is just really hard not to have a lot of stuff when you have a lot of people in a house.  I am redoubling my efforts to clear out the clutter, and it feels good.  The other thing I’ve done is to make photos of things and spaces in my home that make me happy.  The fact that I love my family goes without saying, but there are lots of things I encounter in and around my home that give me the warm fuzzies.  There is more that I like about this home than I dislike, and if I can’t change the things I dislike, I can concentrate my energy on the things I do like.

That being said, one thing has changed.  When I designed the house, I made a place for a window seat in the girls’ room.  My Dad was going to build it, but things that are out of sight are often out of mind, and he forgot.  We put a toybox in the hole and it worked.  Now that my dad is retired, Bonnie asked him if he would build it.  Now everything is done except the cushion, and Bonnie has a wonderful new place to relax and a storage place for her crafting supplies.  I’m sure he will regret it because the boys are already asking if he’ll build them loft beds. 

So here is something dumb I did.  I thought my nursing school orientation was on August 8^th.  I made my work schedule around that date.  On August 7^th, one of my coworkers came in and said “Amanda!  I can’t believe you worked last night!  How in the world are you going to stay awake at orientation today?”  Oops.  After working 3 nights in a row, I had to come home, rest for two hours, and then get up and drive to Carrollton for orientation.  Terrible, but it’s classic me.  That is exactly like something I would do.  I’m just glad that coworker was there or I would have missed my mandatory orientation.  I was sleepy, but I lived.  Really the worst part of it was that I had to reschedule my hair appointment. 

The kids started school this week.  Matt is homeschooling all four kids this year.  I will do a separate blog about that and our Fall outlook.  One week is complete, and now we will take a week off for vacation. We are going to Cape San Blas, Florida this year.  It is close to Saint George Island where we usually go, but it will be a little bit different and a lot of fun.  I went to the liquor store this morning to buy supplies for the week, and I had a man ask me it he could come party wit us.  He was serious.  He wanted to come home wit me! 

One more thing.… when we finish watching a movie and the upbeat song comes on as the credits roll, all the kids jump up on the coffee table and dance.  If I ever try to sneak in a video, they immediately stop.  But it is a fun little family tradition and it always makes me happy.  I have been known to jump up there with them.  It made me have a flashback to an “end of the world party” some friends had in college where they trashed a house they were moving out of and we jumped on the coffee table until it caved in.  Then we set it on fire in the back yard.  Ah, to be young again....

Thing I love - my Wade porcelain

Thing I love - fresh coffee in a pretty cup

Thing I love - Caidleigh

 

Thing I don't love - whatever the hell this is