Top Ten Tuesday: highlights from 2014

In an effort to get myself back on the blog- one of my favorite creative outlets- and also a way for me to catch you up on all the blog post updates I may have missed..here's the top ten highlights of 2014 (for us... at least).

10.  Strong school year.  Both boys have seamlessly settled into 5th and 2nd grades, with new teachers, and a new zeal for learning.  Last year was difficult to get them motivated, and each morning was a fight, so this new-found enthusiasm has been a welcome change.

9.  Baseball, karate, soccer, and basketball, oh my.

We've done them all.  Manic May was rough (on me... they loved it!) with karate and baseball and soccer all at once.  But we managed to come through (relatively) unscathed. 

A started strong with pitching and hitting well, entered into a hitting slump, but pulled out of it in time to help his team clinch 2nd place in the league.

C graduated to a orange belt, and then we put the "hold" on karate to spare the budget and my sanity.  He asks about it often, so we'll be looking into some options coming soon.

 

C really developed quite a few soccer skills this year earning him top scorer at many (too many?) games.  He's FAST on his feet and understands strategy and skills needed to succeed in this game.  We made a deal with him- if he played soccer in the fall, he would try baseball in the spring.  He agreed. This will mean LOTS of baseball, but we enjoy the sport.

Dave is coaching A's basketball 4-6th grade team this year.  Due to some team members traveling during a tournament, C got pulled up to play.  Both boys enjoy the sport and are looking forward to building skills in the years to come.  (Side note:  my husband coaching is unbelievably endearing... and hot. Very hot.).

8.  We purchased a new set of wheels.  While I'm not one to brag about wheels... especially when we usually purchase them under the guise "don't laugh, it's paid for", it's worth noting that the engine is sound (ish), and it's super nice to have a van that doesn't start smoking when you stop at a red light and the heater is on.  Also, having a car with mileage UNDER 240,000 isn't too shabby either.

7.  Work.  Dave is still owner/operator of his own construction business.  His attention to detail, clean work space, and respect for others has really caught on because he is fielding calls for new work everyday!  His brother, Matt, works with him pretty much every day, and I think it's nice that he has someone to talk to other than (yelling at) talk radio.  :). I am still enjoying my sabbatical from the 9-5 grind to raise our family.  Christian Education continues to be a main focus of our family ministry, and my not-working a traditional job has allowed me to really get involved in things like helping with hot lunch ("hoagies and grinders, hoagies and grinders... navy beans, navy beans"....channeling Adam Sandler here!), coordinating a spring auction, running a road rally and serving our church as a social media coordinator.  I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to serve and have the kids see that in action.  I'm sure someday I'll go back to work full time, but I still need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.  :)

6. Old friends/ new friends,  Dave and I continue to enjoy the friendships that we've made in years past, and continue to follow where God leads us.  This includes branching from our old small group and starting a new one- which was a transition- and while change is sometimes hard, it's refining and God has been faithful to us as we continue to grow in our faith in this new group.  I continue to serve in my local MOPS chapter at the church on the corner of our own street (where I serve with and met some fantastic friends), and I joined a new Bible study at a Lutheran church right down the road- where I met some really amazing women and played my first round of Bunco. (extrovert's delight!)

5.  Work on the Love Shack continues.  2014 marked the 9th year we've been at this location- and while we're no longer in the 780 square foot shack, the work is still unfinished.  BUT, this year, we completed the exterior portion of our home with a deck (hooray!!!) and the stone facing on the front. 

 

 

 

This was well-timed as our neighbors just put their home on the market.  We're so sad to see them leave our wooded-community, but excited at the prospect of a young family next door!  Fingers crossed!  (If you're in the market for a new home, and have a family, and are normal... and like dogs, won't you be my neighbor???)

Lest you think we're close to being complete... we aren't.  We still need to complete C's new room, main hallway, main bath and kitchen.  Then we have a driveway to do... then sprinkling... then the kid's college.  :). (BUT- as I type, the floor in C's room is being installed... so there's progress!)



4.  Dave and I both made it to 38.    A few bumps and bruises along the way, a few more wrinkles (me) and gray hairs (him), but we're here!  And we're still learning things about each other, and still enjoying each other.   We were able to steal some time away - just the two of us- for a few dates this year, and it was nice to reconnect. I love that guy more than anything, and I'm so glad he chose to dance the minefields with me.



3.  Chicago.  We had our first family "vacation" in.... well.... I'm not sure we've ever been on a family vacation (that wasn't a visit to someone's house)... so in ever.  You can see the blog post on it here.    We had a small radius in which to travel, and an even smaller budget, but the kids talk like we took them to the TajMahal.  When asked about the best part of the trip, the kids said:


A: "LEGOLAND and Soldier Field"
C: "Staying in a hotel"
Baby L: "My-cago and fishies."

Now, every time Baby L. sees a city with a few tall(ish) buildings, she calls it "My-cago.". It's cute.

(Also worth noting that Dave and I learned a LOT about each other during this trip.  Like my need to fly by the seat of my pants, and his need to plan out.every.last.detail.  Something for both of us to remember on our next family trip.)

2.  Birthdays. 

A made it to 11!    Double sticks.  This sweet, sport-loving boy is the quintessential first born.  Lots of planning, lots of anxiety, lots of cuddling, lots of love.  He is very responsible, and wants me to let you know he now knows how to make scrambled eggs and macaroni and cheese.

C. is now 7 (how did this happen??? It seems like time flies the fastest with him.)  He has two speeds:  fast and sleeping.    When he's in, he's ALL in.  His teacher informs me that he has become quite the leader in his classroom this year- which warms my heart (as long as he's leading in the right direction).  He has the biggest heart, and great empathy for the under-dog.  I love this about him.  As of TODAY, we have officially made it 2 years without calling 911 or an emergency department visit for his asthma.  We'll counting that as a "win" and saying prayers we're over the hump of scary-blue-faced midnight runs to the hospital.

Baby L is less "baby" and more "trying toddler.". This girl knows what she wants... and what she does NOT want.  She's head-strong (I have NO IDEA where she gets this), as well as sweet to the core.  She's a hard-core extrovert- knowing every name of every child in school and church, and loves to be around people.  Every Monday she goes through a little slump when the boys go back to school.  She loves all things Mickey Mouse, Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine.  She has rounded my mom-boy corners and added a loving ruffle to our family.  Sometimes I'm still amazed that she even exists, and at the same time, I cannot image our life without her.  She loves her brothers, and is daddy's little girl. 

1.  God's grace and mercy abounds.  Always a highlight of every year.  Always number one.  Dave and I have been given many opportunities this year to grow in our faith, as well as share our faith with others.  We both sin and mess up daily...but God's grace pulls us through to show His love another day. And for that, we are so thankful.

The end of an era....a really, really LONG era.

 

We've lived in the Love Shack for 9 years now.

 

One year short of a decade.

 

 

Here.

 

 

At the Love Shack.

 

 

 

We hopped in our Chrysler and moved our possessions into a

 

 

 

teeny 780 sq ft. one-bedroom

 

 

shack.

 

 

We've had two building permits during that time.

 

 

Building the addition,

 

and building the addition on the addition.

 

 

This has added up to over 5 years with a Building Permit sitting in my front window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both of them have weathered winters,

 

summers,

 

storms,

 

you name it.

 

They sit crumple in the front window.

 

 

That is...until today.

 

 

 

Yes, TODAY!

 

 

We had our FINAL inspection of the Love Shack!

 

 

We've passed with flying colors....

 

(was there ever any doubt?!?!?)

 

 

Lest you think that we're done, done with the Love Shack,

 

 

I'll post a few in-progress pictures:

 

 

My kitchen:

 

 

And the front of the house:

 

 

Most of the addition on the addition remains largely unfinished.

 

We completed the deck because this completes the structural portion of our building permit.

 

(Turns out you don't need the finishes done before you can call is "useful space" and pay full property taxes on it....)

 

 

 

So, today...I bid a fond farewell.

 

To the piece of paper that served me with hope when I first received and paid for it.

 

To the inspectors who always complimented my OCD husband's meticulous work.

 

To the township office who was patient with us when there was no progress on the house.

 

To the piece of paper that has graced my front window.

 

To not being able to open the window because the paper would fall out and disintegrate.

 

 



Adios permit!

The Love Shack People

I still remember the first day I laid eyes on the Love Shack.

A. was 14 months old blissfully asleep in the car seat.

I was given a PILE of print outs from our local real estate site- from Dave- asking me to check these properties out.

This one was my last.

We had been driving for over 4 hours.

A. was a real trooper.

I originally got lost looking for this property- turning the wrong way, and going CLEAR across town...

...and BACK- before I landed on our little dirt road.

I saw the property...

...and I (may or may not have) swore under my breath.

"He's going to love this."

Little did I realize how many people would touch our lives through this little Shack.




First of all, our next door neighbors had a tenant in their basement.

She used to live in the Love Shack 4 years prior to our move in.

She adopted us as her family, and it's been a sweet friendship.

She is a big kid herself, and the boys just love her.


Fast forward a year:


Then....one day we came home, and there's a torn check deposit slip affixed to our front door.

It was from the daughter of the original Love Shack builders.

She had just returned "Home" from California, and wanted to get in touch with her "roots."

(She's a little new-agey...but interesting conversationalist none the less).

This gets us in touch with her parents- who actually live 1 mile down the road.

They stopped by for a visit.

They were the SWEETEST couple....Dave and I loved them right away.

He ws so full of history, and loved the area.

He built the Love Shack with his own two hands (and a little help from his jazz band friends).

They got their son to scan some pictures and send them to us.

You can see those pictures here.


Two years ago:

Dave is working on a customer's kitchen.

They start talking, and the customer asks where Dave and I live.

Dave gives him a general vicinity, and turns out that guy used to live over there too - on a little dirt road, in a little brown cottage of a house.

Wha?

Turns out - this customer lived in OUR house. 

He was the one responsible for the major kitchen overhaul in the 80's.

His nasty floral wallpaper?  It was still on the walls when we tore it down.  :)

Anyway, Dave salvaged his kitchen sink from the job, and it's now in our temporary kitchen today.

Funny, huh?




Yesterday:

We're pulling in from church, and I recognize a car driving slowly past the house

(this happens often- friends drive by for a quick look).

I recognized her right away.

We had been told that her husband passed away in January, and she wasn't ready to watch demolition the day we tore the Love Shack down.

Turns out that day was also his birthday.

We invited her in, and gave her a tour.

She still talked about her husband in the current "we." 

It made my heart both happy and sad.

She loved that we were doing this together, and debt free.

She's lived through a lot the last few years- since we first met.

He declined in health, and eventually passed away.

She had stomach cancer shortly after we met, and heart bypass last year.

Shortly after her husband passed, her only grandson passed at 27 years old as well.

And yet....she's still praising God.

Rejoicing that one day they'll all be together.

She's living her Faith.  I love her.

To top it off, she looks like a million bucks.

Before she left, we were able to give her some of the wood we saved from demo day, and she was so happy to have something tangible to remember the house by.  She's going to give a few pieces to her kids.

In addition, she wants a deck on her house, and asked Dave to come by for an estimate!


So....

As much as I loathed (dispised, even hated) that darn crappy little house....

I'm grateful for everyone it's brought into our lives.

From the original builders to past owners,

from new neighbors to amazing subcontractors,

I'm forever grateful for the people we've met along the way.

Before and after During

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Second...I thought I'd post a few pics of before and after oops...during of house progress. 

Just cause I know y'all have been wondering what everything looks like.  :)

Remember...it's a work in progress.  :)

BUT

Before I show you the happy pics, I thought I'd take you on a trip down memory lane.

Old Love Shack living room:

Same crappy living room, different angle (right before demo)

Here's a pic of Dave and I on NYE. 

You can see the separating wall on the left. 

And the door that led to the Love Shack.

And later, that door led us RIGHT smack-dab into the new bathroom.

Now, below shows that separating wall is on the right (instead of the left- like above)

During (with ugly plastic curtain up)

And then, the big black curtain came down.

The walls are primed, but not painted.

That will happen after the trim work is done and lacquered.

The new hallway!

Blocked off so Ally doesn't mark any new territory.  :)

A before picture of the kitchen:

My new (BIGGER!) kitchen.

Once it's all done, the table will go under the chandelier (see the light-hole that's a little out of place?)

And THEN....we'll do a major overhaul of cabinetry.

This will include a snack bar/ peninsula where the cupboard ends currently.

View from the addition into the kitchen.

Another before pic of the kitchen:

Eventually, a deck will go out there.....

Below is the boy's new room.

Or a boy's new room.

We're thinking of separating them once their room is done.

Not sure yet.

(My next painting project is on the right...baby girl's dresser)

Baby Girl's room

Our room

With crib and doors

(Dave needed to make room in the garage to work on trim and siding)

Another view of our room (just the opposite direction)

BIG walk-in closet!

Woohoo!

Big big bathroom.  :)

Wanna see some outside shots?

WAY before:

(circa 1947)

During:

(front)

During:

(back)

Today:

Work in progress

(front)

(and back)



Here's a few questions I'm getting asked a lot lately:

1.  What's next?

Right now, we need to complete the siding and stone facing (front bottom half) in order to make it weather proof for our Michigan winter.

Then, Dave needs to work on trim.  We have a FANTASTIC painter who will stain and spray lacquer on the trim- then he'll paint.   Then floor coverings, and finish work (i.e. light switches, light fixtures, etc.).

2.  Will the house be done before baby girl gets here?

Probably not.  I'd love to say "yes, for sure!" and I know Dave would LOVE to say the same.  However, he has a day job that keeps food on the table and up-coming hospital bills paid.  So, all Love Shack work is done on nights and weekends- when he's not working late, doing paperwork, or doing estimates.  Yes, his plate is very, very full.  We've subcontracted out the drywall, and we'll sub out the painting and lacquering...but the jobs needing to be finished (siding and then trim work) are where he shines.  Especially the trim.  So, those are on him.  Unfortunately, those are the most time consuming (and expensive) jobs as well.  So, we'll go as we have money and he has time.

In the meantime, we're borrowing a bassinet from my friend, Sarah, and baby girl will be bunking in with us when she's born.  We've NEVER had a baby in our room before- I've always kept the babies away from Dave in the night- simply because he had to get up early the next day and work on ladders and power tools with sharp edges.  So, I have a feeling once Dave is hearing us up during the wee hours, he'll be more inclined to take a day or two off to finish up the extra labor.  :)  (At least, I'm hoping) In the meantime, I'll be patient.

3.  Are you still doing this debt free?  Why not just get a small mortgage to finish it out?

Yep...people are still asking this question.  Yes, we are still debt free. 

No, we won't go out and get a small mortgage.  At all.  God has blessed us with the ability to be debt free early in our marriage, and doing so has given us certain freedoms that we're not going to give up just so we can have comforts of this world.  Dave and I have never been "stuffitis" people, and never used our cars, clothing, or house as status symbols.  We're not about to start now.  If we want nice things, we'll save for them as we can.  If it takes awhile, it takes awhile.  If it never happens, then it just never happens.

4.  What will you do once the house is done?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!  Done?

I highly doubt we'll ever really be "done."  After the rooms are done, we have a kitchen overhaul to complete, landscaping front and back, a driveway to pave, etc, etc, etc.  By then, we'll be helping with college tuition...and by then, I'll be ready to tear down the play set in the back and create a nice back yard oasis for Dave and I to chill in.  Or a raised garden.  Or just a pretty lawn.

And then....chances are the house will be up for sale for us to downsize as the kids move out.

But I can't think about that yet....makes me tear up.

Ok!  That's the Love Shack update!  We're getting closer to the finish line!  Woohoo!



Ten on Tuesday (in pictures)

1.  I think this little man is in the middle of a growth spurt.  The other night, he woke up crying uncontrollably.  Dave heard him walking around in their room....crying.  So, Dave went up and C. said he needed to go to the bathroom (while rummaging in the closet).  Dave guided him down the stairs and let him head to the back of the house alone.  Next thing, we hear the PANTRY door open.  While he didn't urinate in the pantry (thank goodness!), we got him to the bathroom just in time....still crying.  It wasn't until AFTER using the bathroom that he really woke up and stopped crying.  He cuddled with mom for a bit before dad took him back up to bed.  This morning?  He's literally beating himself up.  Falling, dropping things, running into everything.  Total klutz.  Growing?  Indeed.

2.  My bedroom is starting to look like a bad episode of Hoarders.    Hurry up, house...get done!

3.  As an aside, is there ever a good episode of Hoarders?  It's all sad, and usually showing signs of some sort of mental illness.  I just can't watch.  However, I'm living it....so, there's that.

4.  Also in reference to the above picture, I FINALLY found our new bedding! ( jammed in the FAR back corner)  I've been obsessively on the prowl for the past few months- bound and determined to find affordable good quality bedding before we move into our new room this fall.  I wanted it early so I could choose a non-beige color for our walls.  Yo....TJ Maxx is the place to go!  Actually, I checked a few smaller TJ Maxx's  in other areas....but the other day, I went into the large one near me.  They had 2 beautiful styles for me to choose from (the others were nice, just not my style) AND in the California King size!  Whoot!.  And since I have many dirty boys in my house (including my husband!), I went with the one that was less-white.  And it was $23 cheaper- meaning it fit into what was left of the envelopes for this month- PLUS enough to purchase a sweet accent pillow.  In one tiny trip to TJ Maxx, I decorated my bedroom- since Home Depot was right after that, I found the wall color, and already know what window treatments to use.  I LOVE it when rooms come together in 2 store trips!  EEEKKKKK!


5.  My sister-in-law read my post here where I complained about ugly feet and not having enough discretionary income to do a pedi.  She kindly offered my niece's pedi skills at our family get together on Friday night.  Wow....Emily DOES have skills!  I'm totally impressed.  All for free, I walked in with ugly feet, and walked out with pink/yellow ombre toe nails complete with glitter overlay and gemstone flowers on my big toes.  And she did it all over the course of like 15 minutes!  Seriously, I am impressed.  The picture below doesn't do them justice.  And also, you can see my feet are starting to swell.  Sad face.  But, thank you, EMILY!!!  I got to repay her at a baby shower on Saturday by doing a sideways french braid.  Fun things like that exchange with my niece make me SO excited to have a little girl! (Who will probably be bald until the age of 6....but whatever...)

7.  Guess what arrived in the mail today?!?!?!  My Cord Blood Donation Kit!  Looks like 3rd trimester is where all the action is, huh?  We had the kit with both boys, but weren't allowed to donate with C.  There was a placental abruption during delivery, and that is a deal-breaker.  However, A's cord was REALLY long (and around his neck once and shoulder once too), so we were able to get a GREAT harvest.  The nice thing is that since I'm already in their system, I got to bypass the 20 minute interview and go with the shortened 10 question list before they sent the kit.  Really, it's SO easy to donate cord blood!  It's painless, and totally free.  I strongly encourage anyone pregnant to consider it.

8.  This thing....this black plastic curtain.....has become the BANE of my existence.  I know, I know...it means there's progress on the house.  However, I can't see any progress, and it's in the MIDDLE of my KITCHEN!  There's approximately 12" between the kitchen table and refrigerator- which means I can't open my freezer door enough to open any drawers- rendering it useless.  In addition, the black curtain is covering 2/3 my dishwasher- which means it's a pain in the arse to load and unload (but provides a neat little pocket for me to crawl through to peek at the progress once in a while.)  In addition, Dave recently informed me that we've got a few more weeks- a month of this curtain.  He's going to keep it up while the insulators blow in insulation in the ceiling, and the painter sprays the primer.  :(  Sigh. (wiping tears away)

9.  On Friday night last weekend, we went to Matt's house to celebrate Dave's parent's 60th birthdays (one month apart) and 40th wedding anniversary.  Since all the grandkids were under one roof, we took the opportunity to get an updated Grands picture.  Let me tell ya....SEVEN kids all looking at the camera AND smiling is a modern-day miracle.  Kris (Matt's wife) and I had our cameras out, and I was just on continuous click mode....hoping for a good shot.  I got a few, but this one is my favorite!

10.  Then, Dave's parents got into the mix.  The kids were getting a little squirrely, but there's a few decent ones in there.  Note to self:  putting a 3 year old on the top of a slide and telling him NOT to slide is ill-advised.  Poor kid didn't know which end was up- he kept wanting to slide, but everyone told him to sit still and smile.  Next time the big boys get the top of the slide spot.  :)  AND next time, numbers EIGHT and NINE (our baby girl is nine) will be in the mix!