Trickling On...

1. Field trip day with Mommy! 2. Fairy Tales do Come True necklace 3. Made my NYE headpiece! 4. At the Christmas Tree farm!

Is it Friday yet? Honestly, I don't know how some moments the days, weeks and months can absolutely sail by in a blur and then days like today can drag on so long that you begin to wonder if somehow time has stopped and you are no longer moving forward. I am having one of those moments right now as I blog from work. I should be doing things, working on stuff and making phone calls but instead I took a break to wonder if in fact time has stopped. It has been a busy week but a fun one at that. Looking back at my photos from the week I know that we made memories but I hardly remember the week as a whole! This week? Oh boy, I could recite every single minute since Monday. How odd is that? Has your week trickled or flown by?

Wordless...

Simplicity...

Hello Readers! This post has been a long time coming but I just never had the time to sit down and write it. How sad is that? Sometimes I think we let our lives get far too busy and forget to just sit and BE. Why is that so difficult for us? That in itself is another blog post.

Today's post is going to be about living simply. Sometimes we forget about the important things in life and just hurry, hurry, hurry into more, more more. We need to work more to make more to have more. When you stop and think about it, you realize that somewhere along the way, you lost sight of what was important and just wanted STUFF. 

Grab a cuppa, sit back as I explain how we started living a life of simplicity and learned to stay away from societal pressures to buy more...more...more...

From the get-go we have been all about living a simple life in service of our Lord. My wedding rings are nothing flashy at all, in fact they are quite simple and after seeing all of the rocks on Pinterest, mine would certainly pale in comparison. For me it wasn't the rock, it was the story. My then boyfriend and I were antiquing one weekend and I pointed out an Estate Ring that looked just like one my grandmother used to own. I looked at it several times and even tried it on. It was pretty but not something I wanted to drop money on at the time. It held memories that made me smile when I slipped it on. 1 year later I was engaged to that boyfriend and when he proposed I was crying from seeing THAT ring in the box. Yes, I was overwhelmed by the proposal but the simple fact that he remembered something that was just a fleeting moment was enough to make me lose control of all emotion. When life improved for us as my husband climbed up the corporate ladder, talk of him replacing my ring would come up. He said I deserved something bigger, something better...but you know what? This is the best thing ever. I won't lie and say that I didn't consider some of those rocks out there but then I realized WHY? The bigger the diamond, the bigger the love? The pricier the bauble the more value our relationship? Simple and with meaning. This was to become our motto. One that we would lose sight of quickly and often.

We were married in Disney World. Not inexpensive by any means, especially when you tag in 75 of our most loved family members. It was a dream wedding that didn't put us in any financial trouble, because we paid cash for it all. I will say though that it was a lot of money to spend on one day. I don't regret anything when it comes to that magical moment in our life but I wore 2 dresses, had 2 ceremonies, 2 receptions and was gone for almost 1 month staying in hotels, going on a Disney Cruise and so much more that I think we began to lose sight of what we were truly there for. It's not about the Wedding but about the Marriage. We came back from that wedding and knew it was time to buckle down and think straight about where we wanted to go in life.

When talk came of us buying a home, we were all over the map. We had 3 kids and knew it was time to upgrade our current living situation where we were so comfortable and settled and happy. The kids needed a bigger yard, larger playroom. It was out of control. We were looking at 5 bedroom homes with mortgages that would put us at the edge of our rope monthly. We already knew the children would be in private school, so that money was set aside at least. Looking at beautiful homes was fun and we even made offers on many of them. We just kept getting out bid and always realized that it wasn't meant to be. In the end we stopped and realized what kind of a life would we be leading just to have the largest home? The prettiest home? Does that make it the Happiest Home? What would be the point if we had to work to make Money instead of Memories? We counted our pennies and realized that it was time to live on our own terms and make something our own. We bought a home that could even be considered a cottage. There is room for everyone to have their own room and a playroom but you know what? We spend most of our time playing games in front of the fireplace or snuggled on ONE couch watching movies. We have the happiest home and to us, it is the largest and most beautiful. We put our own marking on each and every room in the house and still have more to go but we are having fun with it. Hot chocolate on the screen porch is where we discuss our days, our tiny kitchen is where the entire family crams in to discuss our plans for the morning. Yes, memories are being made and I am so happy that we decided to reign it all in for something that was 'just right'.

How are you living a life of simplicity?

December to Remember

Family Fun in December! I put together a tray and jar with some sparkly bells at the center of our dining room table last night for dinner. I handed everyone a marker, 5 notecards and instructions to write 5 activities they would like to do in December. I told them it could be anything the would like to do in Winter. With 5 in our family, this gave us 25 activities to do in December (1 each day). I explained that at times some activities would not happen as they were written but we would get creative with them if we had to. For example: Someone wrote Build a Snowman. If there is no snow, we will make some out of paper!

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Check-In with Charlie & see what this is all about!

Charlie The Elf 2012

Our Elf has arrived and is already up to all kinds of mischief! Can you believe that the Holiday Season is already upon us?! This year has truly just flown by. I plan on updating this page right here with all of Charlie's antics but if he does something extra special, I will be sure to post about it in it's own posting. Seeing as he has been with us since Thanksgiving, I have a lot of updates to do!! Follow along with us this year to see what our elf has been getting himself into!

Charlie arrived on Thanksgiving morning with a bang! He was playing around by the mantle and had brought a note from Santa and a large bag of Christmas books!! His note told us that along with these books he would be delivering one book a day for us all to read together as a family! What fun we were going to have this year.

Next he was found up high in a nook in our kitchen! Hanging out with our dear friend Mickey Mouse! Autumn had made him a necklace and a keychain for Santa, so he decided to pop the gift tag around his neck to keep the other necklace safe. Did you also notice that he snagged and ate a cookie?!

Oh Charlie! He and his friends built a slide and were having a blast all night! Getting to and from the entryway was a lot of fun the rest of the day, because we had to limbo under the slide!

Oh dear! Charlie has gotten a hold of one of Mommy's lipsticks and written a note on the mirror to the kids! Do you see him over on the shelf to the left! Silly Elf!

Pipe cleaners are all Charlie needed to make himself a swing and look out over the decorating of the tree from a plant hook! He had a blast keeping an eye on everyone there!

Late one evening we found him taking a dive from our light fixture in the dining room! What on earth was he after? Ahhh...the plate of desserts of course!

When we took a break from an evening of tree decorating, Charlie couldn't stand it! That night he put the star on himself! Solved the problem of which child would get to do it this year!

One morning Charlie trapped each child in their rooms and left a trail of crepe paper to his cozy hiding spot!

Messages from the North Pole are always received well! Charlie was found hiding in the fireplace lantern with a new message from Santa.

Day 1 of 25 Days of  Family Reading Books has arrived! Charlie and Santa have sent us: 

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree.

Day 2 of 25 Days of  Family Reading Books has arrived! Charlie and Santa have sent us: 

When All the World Was Waiting

An Advent Book for Children

Day 3 of 25 Days of  Family Reading Books has arrived! Charlie and Santa have sent us: 

Just A Toy

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!! That Crazy Charlie has decided to start a snowball fight with the head nutcracker! That sneaky little elf then went and buried himself in a safe container!

After yesterday's Snowball Fight, the Nutcrackers are extracting their revenge! They have taken Charlie as their prisoner and used Bandaids none-the-less!!!

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What is Normal?

Hello there! It has been another long time, I know.

This whole working thing has me incredibly busy. See, I even take my photos at work too! I am busier than ever and then when you add in the whole exercise thing, I am exhausted by the time the evening rolls around.  Don't get me wrong, we're still crafting up a storm and finishing up our new home but it's just at a slower and simpler pace. We are hosting our second Thanksgiving this year and I should be shopping for that at the moment, instead here I am writing to you lovely friends. What are you up to today?

Fun with Fruit!

Have a fun surprise waiting in your little ones lunch box!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Get into the Halloween Spirit by putting lunches in a fun Halloween Bucket! I added some coordinating treats and it's a present and lunch tote all in one!

Progress?

Well my friends, I am still in the process of making my house a home and this darn thing called WORK keeps getting in the way! Hahaha. Who would have ever thought that I would pick THIS moment in our lives to go back to work! We are slowly but surely making things our own. We purchased a house that has sat empty since the height of shag rug was in fashion. So needless to say, even though it was move-in ready...it needed to be updated! 

My homework center is one of the first things that I wanted put up, but this room was covered in Avocado green wood paneled walls and orange shag carpeting! Oh and did I mention that this also used to be a beauty salon?! Yup, with shag carpeting! I am still in the process of putting up shelves and seeing what I want to add and where...it's a work in progress.

Backpacks and Jackets all get corralled into one place, along with shoes. We are wanting a shoe cupboard but until I find the right one, this vintage hamper does the job perfectly! More updates to come soon! What are you working on? 

Terrible Customer Service: At Your Service Heating and Cooling

Every now and then, a blog has to get the word out to warn other locals in the area about bad businesses. Unfortunately it is my turn to share one. This chilly weather has had us turning on our furnace earlier than I would have expected. Lo and behold, we had a problem! No worries, we purchased the home with a warranty and it's as simple as requesting a service call. Within 24 hours we had scheduled an appointment and we were ready to go! The man from AT YOUR SERVICE HEARING & COOLING was 1.5 hours late for an appointment in which I took the morning off from work. After calling him at 608-201-0068 he then informed me that he had 'totally forgot' about my appointment! I had to wait 30 minutes for him to arrive, which now made him 2 hours late. Sean from At Your Service Heating & Cooling was at my house less than 20 minutes, collected his money and claimed that all was well. Not even 10 minutes later do I hear the same exact problem and feel cold air coming out of the vents. I call Sean from AT YOUR SERVICE HEATING & COOLING in SOUTH BELOIT, IL and he informs me that he will attempt to make it to my house before 2pm. I have now taken an entire day off of work instead of just the morning. 

Get the job done? YEAH RIGHT!

2pm arrives and SEAN FROM AT YOUR SERVICE HEATING & COOLING in SOUTH BELOIT has not shown up. He alerts me that he will then be there at 5:30 PM. We arrive home at 5:20 and begin making dinner and the like. Before we know it, it is 6 and we still have not heard from AT YOUR SERVICE HEATING & COOLING in South Beloit, IL and I know that the city is not far from my home. Now he is just not answering the phone. We have now been calling non stop since 6pm through 8 and he has chosen to ignore his ringing phone and not show up to fix the mess that he had made. SEAN took the money and ran. 

Prompt Service? Is this a JOKE?!

I get to work the next day and guess who should call first thing? Ahhh yes, Sean, the money thief. We ONCE AGAIN arrange for another 5:30 meeting time. Well here were are RIGHT NOW at 6:34 and he has NOT SHOWN UP and of course is not answering his phone (608-201-0068). Which I know is a cell phone, heck if you get through to him because your number is not blocked tell him to call Michelle back and quit ignoring the calls if he is a professional! 

SEAN from AT YOUR SERVICE HEATING & COOLING, you get an F for Furnace work and an F for customer service. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

This company is located in SOUTH BELOIT, IL and services (or steals from) homes in the Northern Illinois area. At Your Service Heating & Cooling, this is your chance to refund my money or FIX THIS FURNACE!

Send Sean and E-Mail: ATYOURSERVICEHEATING@YAHOO.COM

Space Fun!

We have just about finished unpacking 1 room and are having fun with decorations! WHAT??? WE MOVED??? Yup, sorry I have been MIA but it's been insane! I started working full time and out of nowhere found a house that we really liked and bought it. WHOA! Soooo you can imagine what the beginning of the school year + first job in over 10 years + brand new house and move equals. More on that later! For now, look at Gabriel's planets! These are from a glow in the dark kit that is so much fun to put up.

My sons love for space started at the library book sale when all these treasures were unearthed! He dove right in and even took notes and marked up the pages. He knew right away he wanted a space room!

This kit is so easy to put together but it's time consuming. My son didn't want the plain mobile look and to tell you the truth, the tacks that come with it are so weak, that my husband put them on flexible tubing from the home improvement store and suspended that with cup hooks. PERFECT! What other ideas do  you have for a space room?

These stars and planets are all over the ceiling and walls and even under the bunk beds. Could we find the perfect play rocket or shall we make one???? Hmmmm.....