a whole lot of boy happening around here

tag football in the back yard

a little tackling

and a little wrestling on the slide

it is so fun to watch the boys relationship blossom right in front of you.  they are bonding so well.  not sure if it is the newly shared room that is aiding the process or just the natural progression of life. either way it is so awesome.

happy monday

we had a great weekend.

we experienced nature in our back yard first hand.

for little eyes and little hands we learned not to get close to bees.  it can hurt.  ouch.

(no one was hurt, but logan sure did want to get his little hands on that bee.)

how was your weekend?  do anything fun?

a week in a nut shell

so i have been not so great at blogging lately for a reason. i started running every day. it turns out your metabolism isn't as gracious to you in your thirties as it was in your twenties. bummer for me. however i say once i talk myself into my run every morning and yes it takes some serious talking..... i feel awesome once i have completed it. not only does it boost my self esteem for the day, it also gives me a tremendous amount of energy. either way i have had less time to do other things now, like blog and paint furniture and sew.... i am hoping my butt will show it in a couple of months :) now onto the kids.......

we went to a company picnic last night. the boys had a blast playing on a new playground. i had to fight back the tears while around all of my work peers. they are growing so fast. it didn't even hit me until i saw brady climbing up a rock wall. a long time ago i recall a conversation with my dear friend meggy on the playground. i was jealous that she didn't have to loom around her boys while they played. she said something to the effect of "not to worry your boys will be there before you know it." they are. it happened quickly and without any warning. (or none that i payed any attention to.) it was amazing to watch them play together last night. my little social butterfly brady was making new friends left and right. logan was doing his best to keep up with brady on all of the equipment. while logan is more shy he definitely has the endurance and strength to do far more than brady could at his age. fear is a word that has no meaning to him, i see an emergency room in our near future.

i hope you have a fantastic weekend and i will hopefully see you all here next week!

me? winner of a blog giveaway?

(picture courtesy of joy ever after.)

yeah ! i can't remember the last time i ever won anything! thank you to amanda joy at joy ever after! she is crafty and very inspirational! check out her blog!

our new reading/game playing room

after a lot of sewing and painting..... we finally have a new use for a space that we hardly ever used. i don't believe in formal living rooms i feel that every inch of a house should be used to it's fullest. if i had a choice i would not have a formal living room, but we bought this house and there is no changing the floor plan. so..........
i introduce to you our new reading and game playing room. all the furniture in here are old pieces turned new. a little elbow grease and this is what you get.

i bought this table and the tables you see next to the love seat rocker off of craigs list. $40 for all 3 of them. i sanded them, put some wood putty in some scratches and scrapes and then painted. i fell in love with the chunky legs of this table.

this table once belonged to brian and tracy when they were little. we picked it up and brought it home last summer for brian's parents house. a little paint and some john deer tractor covers and it is looking cute. a perfect table to play games on as a family! (i picked this light mint green color in hopes of having a little girl someday. i could easily put some pink flowery cushions on here and totally change it to a little tea table.

the little kids rocking chair belonged to my mom when she was a little girl and was passed down to me and now my boys.

the ethan allen love seat rocker i purchased at a vintage market. i saw it and thought it was adorable. when i found out it was a rocker i really fell in love. i got it totally refinished for $100. i talked them down from $130. (go to those markets at the end of the day, you are more likely to get a good deal. they don't want to pack up there stuff and take it home.)

the lamps i got at tj maxx, $30 for the pair. a great idea from a blog i follow called the nesting place. thank you so much for your tips on redecorating. i had a great time and spent minimal money!

the curtains i sewed. i probably would not have picked a toille as first choice but it fit the french country chic look i was going for and was on sale. i got all the fabric i needed for this room and my adjoining formal dining room for $30 (15 yards). great deal!

any other tips or pointers to complete this room? would love any input any of you might have!
thanks for stopping by!

how we eat waffles these days

with sticky fingers, messy mouth and a moose for company. hope you are having a really good weekend!

the view from papa and great grammy's

our usual thursday visit was quite a shock to me. i have seen all the news pictures but going up there in person i was quite shocked at how close it came to their home. the only wood scorched on my grandparents property in the dakota ridge fire was a little blackening of their mail box. i can't believe the circle of events that took place this last monday. i am so thankful that the wind shifted direction and the firemen had a plan, the wind didn't blow extremely hard as is the usual case on this mountain side, although it still blew. someone was looking out for my grandparents that day. thank you lord and amen.