handsful

As much as I love our kitchen in this house, it’s not what I would have designed.  I’ve always envisioned a farmhouse kitchen…cozy and rustic.  Picture Olivia Walton’s kitchen :)  So, I’m trying to find little ways to make it more my own.

For instance, handles and knobs.  Replacing all of ours could have been $$$, but I found them in bulk on a popular online site.  See above?  Here’s a closer look:

Nice, right?  But, the knobs (being oblong) were constantly coming loose and becoming crooked.  Drove me bananas.

The new ones:

I love these!  Matte black finish, that resembles rawd iron.  And, the circles on the knobs match the ends of the handles perfectly.  And, they aren’t even from the same manufacturer.

I’d love to change out the pendant lights above the bar, and paint the bar stools.  Change the tile behind the stove.  Replace the tile floor with hardwood.

One thing at a time.  This will go slowly…

To be exact, just two girls.

Me and Marley.  I surprised her with the notion of a mom/daughter night, her choice of where to go and what to do.

Her original plan was dinner and a movie.  But, dinner took more than 2 hours and we weren’t gonna make it.  So, we substituted shopping for the movie.  I would have saved money with the former idea.

Pics before we left…

She’s even taller than she appears here, I have on heels.  And, could someone tell me…when did she grow up?

Closer…

Wow, does she look pretty here or what?  And, where did all those laugh and smile lines come from on ME?  I swear, life sure does go by quickly.

Go to a nice restaurant, and they expect you to cook your own food?!?

They made up for that by providing a very tasty Sangria.  Poor Marley only had water…

Cheese fondue, yummy salads, amazing entree’s, and then THIS.  Milk chocolate, toasted marshmallow, and sandwich cookie crumbles on top.  A plate of sweets to dip in, including cubes of this amazing red velvet cake.  I’d like to say I only had a few pieces, didn’t over do it, didn’t over-indulge one bit.  I’d LIKE to say that.

Even though we were just a tad bit full, we managed to hobble over to a shop and Marley scored 4 pairs of jeans and a cute top from the clearance racks.  A nice topper to our fun, giggly night.  Yes, we laughed a lot.

It was a really great night…love ya, Marley :)

Can it be?

FIVE years?  When I look back at the baby pics, I can believe it.

Now, she’s 6, but wishing she was 16.  Must be the influence of all the teenagers at our house.

“Now, a silly one, mama!”

“Can Dylan be in the picture with me?” Of course, babe.

“And Jack?”  Sure…

Jack is such a lick-headed dog!

Showing off her headstand skills….she can stand there forever.

Our tradition is to give each child a book on their Gotcha Day anniversary…one that shows what that child loves or is “into” at that age. Or, maybe an adoption-themed book appropriate for them.  This year, Lainey is ga-ga for Sofia the First and she was SO hoping that would be her book.

We didn’t disappoint.

Love you, girl!  Happy Forever Family Day…we’re so thankful that God meant you for us.

On Friday, the weather was clear.  Sunny, maybe mid 50’s.  No sign of winter weather at all.  That night, we had our bi-weekly Shop meeting and the kids were saying it was supposed to snow on Saturday.  Yeah, right.

That morning, it was cloudy, cold…and we saw a few light flurries.  Then, around 3pm it snowed.  And, kept on snowing.

We’d been out running errands, so as soon as we got home, the kids got snow-ready and headed down to the hill behind the shop.  Abbey missed out on all this, because she was on her way to Winter Jam in Greensboro.

I followed a little later, with camera in hand.

Marley didn’t let her boot stop her from playing in the snow.  Not sure what her orthopedist would say.  We won’t tell him.

This was Dylan’s first time playing in snow!  He’d seen it a couple of years ago, but he was still in his cast (from when he broke his leg less than a month after we returned from China with him) and couldn’t get IN it.  He loved it.

Watch out Dylan.

Jack loved it, too.

Best shot of the day, I think.

Payton stares deep into the camera, as he walks back up the hill.

belly sledding!

Best way to end a snow day?  Snow cream, of course.

Less than 24hrs later, the snow is just about all gone.  But, we’re thankful that we had at least one gorgeous snow day this year.

Still can’t believe she’s 17 now.  Is it me, or does it sound so much older than 16?

This was the 3rd year that she chose a certain steakhouse for her bday dinner out.  We sat at the SAME table, and she sat in the SAME chair all three years.  Weird.  We brought the presents to the restaurant…Randy got her this on his last trip out to FL.

Check out the progression of excitement when she opened this one…

Tickets for her and a friend, to go see her favorite country singer Hunter Hayes.  Who just happens to be opening up for Carrie Underwood.  Floored is a good way to describe her reaction.

Chocolate cake here…

And, chocolate cake at home.  I made this, from scratch.

Did I mention it was four layers?  :)

She’s having her party with friends in March, when it warms up a bit.  She has a great plan…and, I bet I blog about it.

Glad your birthday was a blast, Abbey!  We love you!

One day old…sound asleep

17 years old…and, feeling a little sleepy from last night’s dance!

(If my oldest child is now 17, I can’t exactly claim to be in my 30’s anymore, huh?)

Happy Birthday, Abbey-girl!

All dressed up…

with somewhere to go.

With her good friend, D’Qota.

The homeschool Valentine’s Dance.  On her last day being 16, too.

He surprised her with this fun ride to the dance…borrowed from a friend.

Payton and Ethan also went, but they refused pictures.  I’ll get them back for that later…

Marley decided not to go, since she sprained her ankle last Monday on the dirt bike.  Like the attractive foot attire?  She gets to wear it for two weeks.  Kylie and Kailee still wanted their picture taken with her.

I’m still waiting for them to plan a “Parents Only” dance one of these days.  I’d love an excuse to buy a pretty dress!