Dining Room=Done

The color is called Faded Clay. It is richer than the picture shows. I adore it. On to the living room...

Labor Day in Progress

Here is the picture frame I stole from Pier 1. Ok, so I didn't "steal it" steal it. I just stole the idea- perfectly legal. I loved their $28 picture frame idea...so I came home and made it. I had these 3 wooden window frame mirrors hidden under the bed. You know how you shove stuff under the bed when you don't want to decorate with it anymore? Anyway, I pulled them out, removed the mirrors and voila- the perfect frame for my project!

Here are the step by step instructions-

1. Paint the frame. I used the sample of Cork that we thought we'd use on the walls. We decided it was too much for the walls but perfect for this project!

2.When the paint is dry, attach craft string to the frame using thumbtacks and a hammer. If you bend 1 (or 10) thumbtacks, don't worry...you can get a bazillion 88 cents at Wal-Mart. I hammered the thumbtacks into the wood. Pull it tight but know that it will stretch a bit too.

3. Flip it over and attach your favorite photos with cutesy clips. The clips were $2.88 at Wal-Mart- in the office supply section. I used the pictures that Taylor took of us this summer. All black and white- love them.

4. Ta-da! Here is the final project. I love love love it! Had I purchased these from Pier One the cost would have been $84. However since I stole the idea...*my* total cost was $7.93! Makes me love it even more!

LABOR day Weekend For Sure!

Yes. It looks scary now. Once we choose the final "gold-notyellowynotbrownish-gold" we'll be in good shape. Yes. The cabin red will take multiple coats. It's just one wall. Yes. That faded clay in the dining is fabulous. It isn't as orange as the picture shows. That is everyones fav- even Brad's! More pics as we go....

Firsts

Andy's first teacher...who happens to be one of my closest friends- hooray!

Maci's first football games

Go Pirates!

I got 16 of the 18 in this shot.

Maci's first day of middle school

Aaron and Andy's First Day of school

First look at my classroom...I'll post more school pics later.

Ok, here's another.

And another...but they don't do the room justice...it is HUGE and fabulous! I'll take more when I get a chance. Of course Mrs. Tresher and I are in the process of getting our learning patio all decked out as well. ;)

Meet the Pirates

Last night was the Fall Sports Extravaganza at PRMS. I have a feeling the next several years are going to be full of purple and pirates! I'm so proud of Maci. She's 1 of 18 cheerleaders in a class of well over 400 kids. Their practices are intense. They've learned so much and worked so hard - all summer long. What an experience this will be...More pics next week after game 1.

Beach Trips 09

Another Favorite Pic

Taken at the beach house before the tea. I am still in the "photo collection process" but I want to post a slide show of both beach trips...maybe this week...unless the sun comes out...if the sun comes out, we are headed to the pool!

Taylors Talent

Earlier this summer Taylor took some family pics for us down in Town Center. He is an awesome photographer. Here are a few of my favorites...

Thanks again Taylor! I hope we get to do this with you again. You should see Carolina in the fall...wonderful photo opps. :)

I Admit It

We gave in and got Maci a cell phone. I say *gave in* because she has wanted a cell for a couple years and we stood firm with a "no." However with middle school around the corner it became apparent that a cell phone would be beneficial. Tonight was the first "call me when you get there" assignment for her. She did. Sorta. I felt better. Worth the "I am so cool because I have a cell phone" attitude I got when she called.

Now two things I need to work on-
1.Having my cell phone charged and handy so I can receive her calls
2.Getting rid of her "I am so cool because I have a cell phone" attitude.

The Long & Short of It

Short story- Here is my new favorite song. It's going to be released this fall from Uncle Kracker. No, seriously. Love it. Stop the music below and listen.


Long story- We got Maci a cell phone today (actually we got me a new one and she got my old one) so I went to verizon.com to download a ringtone for when she calls me. After a very long search for just the perfect ringtone, I ran across the song "Smile" by Uncle Kracker. While I do enjoy some of Uncle's music I've never gotten an album so I assumed this was an old song.

I liked the preview so much that I looked it up on I-tunes. Downloaded it. Love it! Tried to find it on playlist.com to share it with you blog readers but it wasn't there. This really surprised me so I did what anyone still up at 1am would do...I googled it. Turns out this will be Uncle Kracker's brand new single from his not yet released album. The song debuted on I-tunes 4 days ago. So, in essence, I feel as though I just discovered a hit. When you hear it think of me. Think of Maci too. This is the song that plays everytime she calls me.