Happy Valentine's Day!

With my newfound knowledge and appreciation for Pinterest, I created a board and gathered lots of cute ideas for Valentine's the kids could give out.  Then I gathered the three oldest of our clan and let them each choose one from my "board" to do.  Here is what they chose:

Carly wanted these sharks and the tag reads:

"Of all the fish in the sea, I'm glad we swim in the same school!"

 This was Connor's choice.

And the ever trendy Abi wanted an iPod for each of her friends with kiss ear buds too!

Speaking of trendy, the girls let me try out a special V-Day hairdo:

Todd educates students at the Community College Tuesday and Thursday evenings, so that put a very minor crimp in our plans to be together, we had a Valentine's Dinner with the family last night of Ribs, Artichokes (yes...my kids love to eat them, really!) and fancy Mac N Cheese (the kids didn't like it, just Kraft for this crowd).  Todd got me the cutest skirt and top from Urban Wear at the mall and I cannot wait to wear them.

Sadly, the first occasion I will be wearing them at will be at the funeral for Todd's Grandma White. 

After battling cancer for many years, she was able to be reunited with her amazing companion yesterday.  I can't stop grinning at how happy those two must be together holding hands again.  

This picture was taken last May when we went down to the farm for a visit.  I will always have the greatest memories of Grandma down on the farm.  She hardly ever sat still, as she was busy making sure that our stomachs were full to the gills, and of course, then she would spend countless hours cleaning up from her delicious meals.  There was always a puzzle sitting out on a table, for us to just sit down at any moment and visit for a spell and take our sweet time putting it together.

I love you grandma White, you are a shining example to me!  Carly thinks you are a butterfly now, a butterfly flying with Grandpa, because he is a butterfly too.

When we told the kids about her passing, Carly's little arms shot up in the air and she yelled out "Yes!  Now she's together with grandpa!"  It's incredible how our little ones must truly grasp the celebration going on beyond this earthly life.

The Gift of Bead Board

This year for Christmas Todd and I gave my mom (and dad...although this was probably not his gift of choice) the gift of our time and talents in installing and painting/glazing some bead board paneling in her dining area.

It took Todd one day to install the new 8"base boards, cut out the little holes for light switches and outlets, and then place the top molding pieces on.  Then it took me a day to paint it and another day to glaze it.  This is how the dining area turned out:

Later on my mom painted the top portion this gorgeous red and has since installed some simple tone on tone ivory ticking stripe valances and a huge clock on one wall, but I don't have a picture to show you the whole room finished.  Sorry, that's just how I roll lately.

It was such a fun project, and Todd and I got along the whole time!  For anybody who has worked on a project like this with a spouse and NEVER had a minor spat, lucky you.  My handsome handy-man is a perfectionist and I am a little less, so it can kind of bug him.  But it works to the outcomes advantage because it ends up looking pretty dang good.