new one started

Hello my family and friends!

I have started a new blog, and found a new name for it! FINALLY

We have been settling in really nicely. I cannot believe we have been here for 2 weeks and 2 days already!

If you would like to see it, please send me your email, and I will send the link! You can email me if you know me personally, or leave that info in the comments section. I will check back here later.

Cheers!

Cathy

1 year and 1 day later

We moved one year ago yesterday. How do I remember that? Well today is Earth Day that is why, and that falls on the 22nd of April each year. I am so thankful for our living quarters, and the joy this home has brought us. We are so in love with our place. We are starting to set our roots down here and it feels great.

Today is a beautiful day, and we are thankful for the sunshine too. It has been way too cold these days. Certainly doesn't feel like our usual spring weather around here. I would usually be in flip-flops by now! Still in shoes and winter coats these days.

Oh yeah, we got the crib up and set up. I love the crib and the bedding! Now to get a paint colour! It will make the room shine! Courtney is sleeping up in her crib as I type this. Night two a success, now if we could only get her in bed earlier than midnight or one am, that woud be great.

Cameron now has ear pain, so off to the doctors AGAIN, but this time for him LOL. So far we have many with ear problems/problems this week. Four out of six to be exact.

My cousins leave for the D-Land today and I am wishing them a happy trip and many happy memories there! See you when you get back! Have fun and travel safe!

Some updates to downstairs

Here are the new brown slipcovers I purchased, and some floral pillows to go with. White in this room during the summer just do not work. Too many dirty bare feet on the white makes a mom go crazy (that would be me!)

My painting was hung up behind the sofa. Feels a bit more like home to me. Lots more work to go in here, but not until the kids are grown. For now, this is the "play room."

Over the toy cabinet, and some nice flowers given to us by my cousin's yesterday. Thanks Robert, Laura, M and O!

The stairway where dreams are made...

This is the best staircase for our family!! Can you just see the kids all lined up there, having a photo taken?!? I see each of them on their graduation wearing their formal wear, and I also see the girls in their wedding gowns getting ready one last time in their home...I wonder if we will have 5 girls and 1 boy? or will we have 2 boys and 4 girls???? If only we knew...in any event the house has been fabulous so far, and we really are feeling very settled!

We just have a lot of picture hanging etc. to be done! The kids are enjoying their backyard that is for sure!

main floor kitchen and family room

Here is the back end of the home, which has the TV, eating area. The other areas include, laundry/mud room/garage and hallway and a powder room...

I will take photos of the upstairs next! For now this will have to do lol...enjoy!

home is the sweetest word there is...

Here is the foyer/entrance

Here is my very own space, my office!

Here is the living room/playroom

Behind the living room, is the empty dining room (one day, one day lol) for now it makes a great stage. Behind the french door is the kitchen and back of the house.

Our New Home

There is no place like home, there is no place like home...

Well, we did it! We are homeowners, and we got in relatively smoothly. There were a few unexpected glitches, but they are working themselves out. The house is wonderful, the kids are enjoying their bedrooms, we have seen a 180 degree change in the kids! More space = less bickering! It has been awesome.

I love spending time here! I really truly feel this is "THE PLACE" and I never want to leave. I envision our kids walking down the staircase on their respective graduations and weddings.

This is a real family home, and home is where the heart is! The kids have been loving the backyard, and we are enjoying having the in-laws around, but in their own separate space too!

We finally feel like we have grown up, and we finally are getting SOMEWHERE!! (yah for the next 35 years people which means we will be 70 when we finally pay it off...whatever)

We have pretty much unpacked everything. Just need to go around and hang stuff, photos, paintings etc. That will be the fun part.

I have noticed I do a lot of stair climbing these days! Those should keep me in shape! Yup...nice toned bum and legs (well not during this pregnancy)

I am excited to start entertaining again! Having bbq's and dinners and birthday parties! I know we are going to make some SWEET MEMORIES here.

I will go around and take some photos once I feel the place is ready to be viewed.

Little Big Move

Today is moving day!

It has been a lot of hard work, and late hours but we are pretty ready for the movers who are due here around 8 am.

We wake up at our old place, and tonight we go to bed in our new home! Yay!

Our day is FINALLY here!!!

We are so excited!

IF you lived here, you would be home by now...

day dreaming

I am so excited now! The countdown to the big move is on! I have been doing a lot of daydreaming and Google searches of the perfect stuff to help decorate and organize our new spaces!

I have been thinking about D2 and 23's room together. That will have a couple of chairs, a floor rug, a table and a bookshelf in their room. They want pink and purple...we will see what we can do there! Keep their bedframes, and their lovely little chandelier! Update the sheets and the bedding! And choose a lovely wall colour! They will have a BIG room!! That is so exciting!! My friend Cynthia is going to help me paint a lovely verse around the room in a fabulous script of some kind! That will be beautiful. The room will have the big girl feel, with a paris loft feel but shabby chic feel! I cannot wait for them to have that!!

And, for Cameron I am excited that he will FINALLY have his own fabulous space and we have great ideas for him! I cut out a room plan from a Martha Stewart Kids magazine when he was a baby, and hopefully we can do it there in his new room!

As for my "baby girls"...well one will still be in a crib, and the other well...she just may be ready to move out of her crib soon! She still loves it, but when she starts toilet training, into a big girl bed she will go! I have the perfect bedding for my babes! (from a former bunk bed try out that failed with the other gals) that is waiting for them! Pinks and reds from IKEA! White furniture! I will indulge in a proper "baby room" and their room is a great size too!

Well, for our room, I am hoping that I will finally earn a KING SIZE bed! We often have night visitors...and wow...I am tired of my bum hanging off the edge of the bed! This has been happening for about 6 years. I want all white bedding, pale walls and hits of black throughout. Think hotel style!! And, I want to make a fabulous padded headboard or a headboard in white made from an old door complete with molding top! Yup. This room will really suit that look!

Time to pass on our bed to our dear son Cameron! He really wants it, and it is a lovely wedding present from my parents!! We want to keep it in the family!

Dining room, well. Our old table will go in there for now, and I have my lovely cousin Andrea who wants it, so as soon as the right table comes a long I will be HAPPY to pass the set over!! I might save up to get a table from Liberty or Pottery Barn! Or, maybe one day my Gran will want to sell me her dining room set! Truthfully that is what my heart desires! A part of history in my dining room! I am in love with it. We will see!

I will also have a den, which is what I have been dreaming about! Not sure what to do in there, but Cliff says that he wants to get me an i mac laptop when we move. Maybe?! That would be great. I have some great ideas! I know I will hang a photo of every child in big black frames with white mat (gallery style) with b&w photos in there! All I know is that now I can organize to my hearts content!! I will have my own SPACE! Yipee!! All I know is that I can lock the doors and be happy in there! This room will be very organized and it will be my HAVEN!!! So stay out!! You will need to know the secret password to get in!

And I am really excited about my laundry room! I am so excited about that! And that I can get organized with the kids school stuff in there! Backpacks, bags etc! Right off of garage!! I will have their mail slots their for mail bags, hooks for their stuff! Yup! It is a dream come true. In there will be my art supplies, kids art supplies, candles, extra paper plates, napkins. Did I mention there is a SINK in there! I have NEVER had this, and boy will it get good use! Plastic cutlery etc, outside games for the kids. Laundry supplies! Ironing board/iron on special rack! And all the cupboard shelves will be labeled! This will be where command hub will be!

There will be a tack board and a black board on the wall! Everything will be where we need it! No more fighting to find places for everything! This will make getting out the door EVEN better! We do that very well now! But this will streamline the process and be less frustrating for ALL of us!

I don't know where to put toys yet, and I am trying to convince my hubby to get a flat screen tv. I don't think it will be hard to twist his arm on that one! He loves going to Best Buy!!

I have even planned out a quiet area for the kids! Right off of the kitchen! We will have game nights in there, and a display coffee table!

Cliff also suggested we do a family hand print in a circle as the family circle, and now that our family is complete we can put all of our prints on paper and add our names and frame it for all our visitors to see! That will be beautiful and I was touched by his suggestion!

I am also going to have a naughty BENCH...that will be in the hallway! I have a feeling I will be needing it lol!

I do know I will find a place to do a "family wall" of photos for all of the kids to see photos of their grandparents and great grandparents wedding photos, their cousins, old photos of them, baby photos etc! I have ALWAYS wanted to do this! That will be exciting!