"where you live Fridays-4"

(click on the picture to go to Kelly's)

well....it's Friday- which means we made it through the last week of school. Ashton & I are headed out to Josey's award ceremony. BUT..... first we are looking @ childrens rooms/nurseries @ Kelly's Korner. These just happen to be 2 of my favorite places in my nest. Hope ya'll enjoy..... Be blessed- have a great weekend!!!

We will start in Miss Prissy's quarters.....

when she moved out of her crib-
we had the bonus room converted
to a big-girl room!!!
complete with her precious
nursery crystal chandelier!!!

we lost our play room-
her new room is 1/2 play
& 1/2 room. I re-vamped an old dressing
screen to divide the 2 rooms. Behind
this screen is where all the magic
happens....
cooking, homemaking, baby dolly sleeping
reading, & memory making.....


Because this was our "bonus room"
it had to closet. I drew up a picture of
an armoire type closet for the builder-
@ first I got the look that I often see
on faces when I get an idea....
(I wanted it fancy with casters so that
I could move it as I saw fit). The walls of
the room are a funny "A framed" shape-
but it fits right up against it perfectly.
It holds everything including shoes & BOWS!!!

Her desk gets the biggest
work out though- it's drawers
are FULL of every kind of
craft supply know to man-
she is SOOO creative though
I love to see her work!!!


We used all of my childhood
furniture- Joey refinished
it & I couldn't be happier. I
had many great memories with
this little set too!!!

Next on to the A-man's pad......

His little living quarters is just that..
LITTLE- but he does not mind.
He only cares that his blanket
& cars are there when he goes to
bed & reappear when he wakes...

I L-O-V-E
his Tee Pee- it hides
all the messy toys &
doubles as an amazing fort
for his GI-JOE guys

We used the same
crib for both of the children-
I still love it more than any other one!!
(not to be out-done by his sister-
I glued cars onto his chandelier
to make his equally as charming)

when #2 came along..
I wanted to try to use at least
something from #1, but that wasn't
easily done- I did however paint her
play house book shelf brown- he
doesn't even mind that it used to
be PINK!!! I'll never tell....

"But you Oh Lord are enthroned forever.... you are the same.... your children shall dwell secure forever....."
~Psalms 102~

"thankful THURSDAYS-4.."

Today I am thankful for a WONDERFUL year @ school with 2 AWESOME teachers!! Tomorrow if her last day of kindergarten & I don't know how to feel about that!!!!! We have had an extra busy week this week, but Josey has been her usual self (up for any social challenge). She is now a rising 1st grader- BOO!!! She is 3 inches taller- BOO!!! She can read almost anything (including speed limit signs- BOO for Joey)!!! Most importantly she has maintained EXCELLENT behavior ALL year (warranting GREEN stars everyday)!!!! We are sooo proud of you little Priss.

from the 1st week of Kindergarten...

from the last week of Kindergarten...

pics from her Kindergarten Pizza Party... guess who loved having all the attention of his sister's classmates???

well gotta run- Ashton & I are off to Josey's Field Day...............

"pedicures then & now"

The first time I painted my little Prissy's nails red- she wore a size 3 in shoes & did not want to wash them that night- she was certain that bath water would wipe away her masterpieces. Now she wears a size 10 1/2 in shoes & she is still equally as proud. When told "you look so pretty today", by our neighbor- she replied "just wait until you see these sassy nails of mine.." I wonder where she gets if from???? I L-O-V-E having a girly-girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

then....
Summer 2005

now....
Spring 2009

"courtesy of the Cookout"

We had a WONDERFUL day yesterday!!!!!!!!!! Life gets so busy sometimes, that we forget to slow down.. Since we have NO family here- we think of our friends as just that. We met as newly weds, had our babies together- (I can't believe that they will be 6 & 7 yr olds soon). They however have moved on without us to #3 & even a #4 child..... I'm OK with that though- GOD knows just what we need!!!!!! Hope ya'll had a great day off. Here are some of our party pics....

this is our
RED, WHITE, & BLUE
themed set-up!!
(I love the Dollar Tree...)

this was our YUMMY spread-
I love to have Pitch-Ins.
this way nobody gets overwhelmed
(unless their husband in on-call & gets
called away 3 times during the party..)

this is the kiddos-
playing & patiently waiting for everyone to arrive..
TO EAT!!!!

I love this view of the outside kid's table
that Joey made. It is perfectly suited for the
20 plastic "school" chairs that Priss has
collected over the years....

the ONLY way to tear the A-man
away from the playground...
is ...
FOOD!!!

this is Ashton & Christin
after a LONG day of: playing, eating,
playing again, swimming, eating again,
playing again, eating again, then
settling down to a little snack & Peter Pan....

(p.s.- Josey has a total of 7 "social events" this week including: school parties, Field Day, Birthday parties, & Ballet parties. Please excuse my lack of enthusiasm by the time Friday rolls around!!!!)

"Memorial Day 2009"

We are busy getting ready for company, but wanted to say...

"HAPPY
MEMORIAL DAY
AMERICA!!!!"

from:
Joey, Ashly, Josey & Ashton

"where you live Fridays-3"

(click on the picture to go to Kelly's)

It's Friday- YEAH!!! I am busy getting ready for a little Memorial Day get-together here @ Harris House. But..... Kelly is busy busy too- touring "dining rooms" this week. Hope ya'll enjoy- have a great/safe weekend......

I went with a rich gold & blue-
Joey painted the tray ceiling & the back of the
hutch 1 shade darker than the walls..
(try to look past the poor pink chairs- usually this
would be a plus in my book, but not in my GOLD
dining room- this little project is on my to-do list!!!

the curtains are gold silk- I LOVE them-
I feel grown-up in this royal feeling room.
It makes me remember using the "good"
china & silver when I was little....
Priss loves to break out the "good" stuff!!!

this is the built-in hutch-
for now I have my white/Ironstone displayed,
but I am thinking of painting all the
white.... BLACK??????

I found this little gem
(& her sister who is hanging on the opposite wall)
in an antique store... I think that she is fabulous-
plus she weighs 50lb so Joey refused
to relocate her elsewhere....

this is my PRIDE & JOY!!!
she came with the house- all brassy gold with NO frills-
Catherine & I sprayed her black, then added some
rub-a-gold (great stuff), next we drilled holes & added
crystals.... she is SOOO much prettier in person!!! moral
to the story... NEVER throw away a chandelier-
they can be transformed into something
way better than you can imagine....

I want to take a minute to say.... How thankful that I am for the men/women who served our country & have lost their lives for us!!!!!!!!!!!! So on this Monday, as many of us will be home with spouses off work- let us remember those who are not home with theirs...

"God does not prevent heartbreak, He meets us in it. He does not pretend we are well, He humbles & heals us.."

"thankful THURSDAYS-3.."

SOOOO- this week I asked my family what they were thankful for..

Miss Priss said, "I am thankful for my Momma, Daddy, & my brother. I am thankful for my Cooner, Papaw, & Grandma Harris.... my nice teachers & friends at school.... my pretty house, my toys..... & that's all.... I think.... ya that's all!"

A-man said "Pwisss (Priss) & carxxxxx (cars)!!!" (I think that may be the ultimate compliment to be mentioned among his cars!!!)

Joey said, "I am thankful that my God chose me to be His son & I'm thankful for my wife & chitlins........ & with these things I will be content!!!"

I say, "I am thankful for chocolate ice-cream on a semi-summer day in May with my kiddos....."

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good"
~1 Chronicles 16:34~

Today & everyday YOU are blessed, whether you know it or not? Today choose to be thankful for your blessings & enjoy them!!!!!!!

"you use WHAT??"

Okay, so toss out your chlorine bleach, Windex, & Comet. Say goodbye to Formula 409, antibacterial gel, & wipes. Bid adieu to terrible fumes & cancer-causing agents. And say hello to natural ways to clean your house & body that work as well as store bought products...and won't break the bank!

In attempt to GO GREEN- I am starting to try some new things??? Here are some of my own favorite cleaning ideas. Enjoy!

Vinegar: Just plain old white vinegar cleans seriously just about everything. I could not clean without it. It cuts grease, removes stains and gets the streaks and fingerprints off of my stainless steel refrigerator door. Vinegar's infamous strong smell dissipates as the vinegar dries- I PROMISE!!! (and if you put 1/2 cup in bath water- it takes the sting out of a sunburn- I grew up with this little trick.... thanks be to Cooner!!!)

Lemon juice: The acid in lemon juice neutralizes hard water deposits, dissolves buildup & dirt on wood and removes tarnish on silver. Lemon juice also removes perspiration & other stains from clothing and is a bleach alternative. (save the rinds to put in the garbage disposal- after you run it, it makes your house smell wonderful!!!)

Baking soda: Another cleaning supply I could not live without. It's totally all-purpose and non-toxic. Sure it deodorizes refrigerators, but it also cleans, removes stains, and softens fabrics. It even rids clothes of perspiration odors! Try adding a 1/2 cup to your next load of laundry. Baking soda works as a non-abrasive scouring cleaner on counter-tops & ovens and in bathtubs & sinks. I also sprinkle some onto my carpet before I vacuum.

Salt: An abrasive. Get scrubbing!

Tea tree oil: This is a natural antiseptic and also functions as a fungicide and keeps mold at bay. I just add 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil to 2 cups of water and keep in a spray bottle to use for household cleaning. Tea tree oil also works wonders when applied to the skin in full strength to cuts, abrasions, eczema patches & insect bites!

Toothpaste: A mild abrasive. And oh so minty fresh. (great for jewelry)

Walnuts: Yes, you heard me correctly. Use the meat of a walnut to rub on scratches in wood. (this works great when one kiddo raced his cars in such a way to create a permanent race track on our sofa table....)

since we are on the subject of saving $$-
this little dress came home with us from wally
@ the tune of $6.oo (they have several that are precious-
go & scoop some up for now or later)

"tea for two"

Yesterday Priss & I went on a very special "girls day out". We love tea rooms & were dying to try a new one that just opened up. We left the boys @ home and headed down town to here:

Lady Bedford's Tea Parlour
it is just as beautiful inside

as this pretty view from the outside
& the service was excellent!!

We chose the
"mommy & me tea"
& it was FABULOUS!!!
she first chose a seat
on the super fun cozy chair,
then asked if she could join
me on the chaise-
(I secretly was hoping that she
might change her mind...)


We nibbled & talked
just like the big girls.
She & I decided to try
to make this a monthly
tradition- I love to do
girly things with someone
who adores it too!!!!


She noticed this little treasure
box on the way in...
I gave it to her in the car
on the way home. It quickly
took its place among her most
prized possessions-
high above where her little brother
might be able to reach.

when I tucked her into bed, she said, "Momma I had the best day ever!!!" I think that may warrant another visit even sooner...

"the Lord is good to ALL, He has compassion on ALL He has made."
~Psalms 145:8-9~

(p.s. I finally fixed the comment code & you no longer have to have an account to leave one... yeah!!!!!)