The Never Ending House of Reno's

I know you are all wondering if we are getting near completion on our current Reno home.I know that we started out with a plan to renovate both homes in one year and yes we realize that plan was a bit too ambitious now, which is why we have both come to our senses and realized a two year plan is more our speed.

But, with all that said I want you all to know that we are making headway. I keep forgetting to bring my camera to give you all some proof but for now until this absent minded momma remembers to put that darn camera in her purse before heading over to the Reno home you will just have to listen to me babble on a bit.

The biggest thing is that all walls on the bottom floor are now complete. Most of the paint work is even done on that floor too. I have amazing friends who heard I was planing to paint one Friday evening and before I knew it I had a crew of 6 women including myself, who spent up to four hours painting my first floor, first and second coat!!! And I did not even have to ask any of them, they just showed up and started working. I was very thankful. Now I just have a few touch ups to complete on the cathedral ceiling in the study nook (which will be our homeschooling room) and then it is complete.

Jack has been busy with the upstairs floor getting it ready for the crew that mud's and tapes for us. We decided last minute to take down the plaster in the master bedroom. We originally were just going to live with it, but then we discovered the room had no insulation, and though we could have done blown in, we also noticed a few cracks and faults and decided it would be easier all around to De-plaster it and dry wall it.

So we ordered yet another dumpster (yep that is dumpster number 4 who knew a old home could create so much junk!!) And Jack has been working on filling it all week with garbage from the drive way and other areas. However the week flew by without Jack having enough time to finish the job in time for the dumpster pick up.

So.......................... instead of spending our Sunday afternoon doing what Jack and I usually love to do on Sunday afternoons, which is to let the kid's what way too much TV, while we spend the afternoon napping, reading and cuddling, underneath the covers of our King size bed we went over to our renovation home and scooped up and threw plaster out of our soon to be new bedroom into a dumpster. Not quite as relaxing as our usually Sunday ritual, but strangely enjoyable all the same.You know that you are an odd couple when you get enjoyment out of scooping plaster together.

We are now thinking that we will move in some time this spring. Which would be great because by then my three active children will have saved us a lot of De-plastering labour. They have currently knocked several holes in the plaster of the stairway, and all 4 bedrooms and their continual jumping is now causing me to have to keep my dining room table covered at all times, as small chips of plaster are falling off my ceiling (needless to say I stopped inviting people over for dinner, no one really enjoys plaster falling in their meal, not a great garnish).

Yep, This old home definately is due for a overhaul. My lovable yet, destructive family of five (and I do mean five, Jack and I are just as hard on things as the kids, we have broken just as much stuff as they have), has not really done much for this old home, it was in need of major repair when we moved in five years ago, now its way past that, if this house had a voice it would be screaming at the top of its lungs at us all saying "Help, look what they have done to me, please help me!!!! Restore my beauty!!" And to my current home, I say "hold on, help is coming, just please in the mean time would you stop putting plaster chips in my dinner.

A Great way to spend a cold Winter Day!!!

(if you don't mind crowds )

If you live in the area, I highly recommend checking out the Indy Children's Museum, my kids love it. Great thing is that its free all day, on Martin Luther King Day and President's Day, as well as the first Thursday of month from 4pm to 8pm.

The kids and I went this week with a friend and her kids and we had a blast and cannot wait to go back again. Thomas' favorite is the dinosaurs, Aiden loves the race car, and Courtney loves the indoor carousal. The visiting exhibit of Curious George was a hit with all the kids.

The true reason for the season!!!
My kids and I enjoyed a great treat this year, of a birthday party hosted by a friend in honor of Jesus' Birthday. It was awesome and a great way to remember just what we are celebrating this day.

However, the party reminded me of a discussion my children had with me about a month ago that went something like this. We were all around the diner table eating when one child starts to say "Mom, you know that Christmas is Jesus' birthday" I said "yes" wondering in my mind exactly where the conversations was going, when another child blurts out "yeah its his birthday so why don't we have a birthday party for him that day" and another screams" yeah, we need birthday food, like hamburgers and chips and cake and ice cream" and that's when I knew it. My children had an ulterior motive for their spiritual revelations.

My kids are famous for their picky eating habits, my friends actually dread having to feed my children cause they fear my children may starve in their care, or they may rip their hair out if they hear "I don't like that" out of my children's mouths for the millionth time. And, those things that make up a holiday dinner, are high on my children's dislike list, Aiden at Thanksgiving survived entirely off white buns, Courtney entirely off mashed potato's and Thomas entirely off Turkey, yep that is right they all like different foods each picky in their own individual way.

So you see , as much as my children love learning about Jesus and other biblical matters, that truly was not their intent during that deep diner discussion, they were thinking with their stomachs and not their hearts. They heard the word birthday at church, and tied it hamburgers and hot dogs cake and ice cream, and not a child in a manger who came to offer us a free gift of eternal life. A gift that means more to me now than ever, cause I know that my mother took that gift that Jesus offered, and because I took it myself, I am confident that one day I will see her again, and that is a gift I hold dear to my heart.

So whether you are eating Turkey or Ham, or perhaps even hot dogs and hamburgers. Remember that today is a holiday based on celebrating the birth of Christ. Take a few minutes to ponder the true gift, in the midst of the celebration.

Thomas Finds the Christmas Pickle!!!

Okay most of you are probably wondering, what exactly is a Christmas pickle?and what on earth is it doing on my Christmas tree? and why would Thomas be so excited about finding it?

Well the first year we moved here. I won a pickle shaped ornament at MOPS ( a mom's morning out group). The lady was very excited to be giving them away. She said it was a family tradition for an adult to hide the pickle on the tree after the children have gone to bed Christmas eve. Then, on Christmas morning the first one to find the pickle gets and extra small gift.

Since I could not find the Christmas crackers from my childhood Christmas's that year I thought I would give it a try, and the kids love it. They look forward to it every year. This year the gift was a Tom and Jerry DVD, which all three of my kids love watching. In previous years it's been play dough. But, it is always a gift all three will enjoy.

I hope your family too, is enjoying sharing silly traditions, today whether they be generational or something entirely new!!

Daddy really blew the budget this year!!

There were three big presents under the tree this year from my kids to me. I thought that they were small gifts wrapped in big boxes to stop me from guessing!!! I am a great guesser!!! It really irritates Jack!!! He doesn't get much past me. Well this time he sure did.

What your seeing in the picture (which by the way if you double click on it, it will get apicture as big as your screen) is the willow tree nativity scene.

Now this cost way more than the $30 the kids were suppose to spend on me but I must say I am one happy MAMA!!!

I know several friends who have been salivating over this set for years, just like I have, and now I got it, so friends you don't have to salivate in public anymore, just come on over and drool at my house!!!

The Christmas Crackers!!!

I pressed a wrong button last time I blogged and discovered by accident how to put a video clip on here. It just happens last summer I did exactly the same thing with my camera (I find out a lot of neat things by accident) and found out that it can take short video clips. So I thought perhaps the relatives especially would like a little glimpse into our Christmas Eve dinner.

In case you have not been raised in a home with British heritage, the kids are opening Christmas crackers. I finally found some at Target after we have gone years without them!!! I was so happy to share these with my kids as they were a favorite part of my Christmas childhood memories.

We had our big dinner early afternoon on the day before Christmas. That way I can enjoy the big day just watching the children play and contemplating just how blessed I am to have three healthy children and a awesome husband.

I hope you are enjoying your day!!! . I know we are, Jack is zoning out in front of the TV. Courtney is crafting and the boys are enjoying their Lego's and I thought I would take an hours to blog, and share our day a bit with others.

(this is just a small selection of my yarn stash)

My Addiction!!!!

Yes I admit that I have a problem.

I first started realizing that I had a problem when I ran into my friends mother and she did not recognize me at first, she told me it was because she had never seen me without knitting needles in my hands!!!

Then this summer it hit a all time high. I was spending a week up in Fort Wayne with the kids who were enjoying zoo camp. I of course took my needles with me. Well I found out that during a city stop light, I can knit a entire row of a wash cloth, so my eyes on the stop light and my hands on my sticks I did it. Is that sad or what.

My knitting and me are two peas in a pod. Even my purse buying decisions revolve around them. I won't buy a purse if its not either small enough to fit in my knitting bag, or large enough for my knitting to fit into, and it has to have a zipper, because i have lost a few needles now in bags with no zippers.

I knit slower when I am tired, but get me angry and I can finish a whole wash cloth from start to finish in 45 minutes tops!!!

I have knitted wash clothes for so long now that I don't even need to look at the needles while doing it. My hands just know the motions.

The Worse part though is that my disease is spreading. All my homeschooling friends use to sit around and locker hook during our children's PE time (locker hooking is another passion I will share with you perhaps another time), now they are all knitting.

The ladies in my bible study, are all now knitting converts as well. They all sit and knit while I lead the class (and I of course join in and knit while I teach it cause I have discovered I can knit and read too!!!)

I knit while I homeschool, I knit while I watch tv, I knit during half time at the boys soccer games. I have knitted in grocery store line ups. I knit in drive thru line ups.

Do you think perhaps I have a problem!!!!