Back to School

I think I've truly found my calling in life. Smile. I positively LOVE spending my day with these precious kiddos! Of course there are days that I think I will never make it--that I'm failing--but when I stand back and look at the bigger picture, I see good behavior, intellectual progress, life skills being learned and more than that, I see Godly children. Yes, I did just call my children Godly. They aren't perfect, they are human, but they have caring, servants hearts and honest desire to please God. 

Kayla has a very full load this year.

Trigonometry, a special Business Math course, English IV, US Civics, Economics, Typing, Collectiveism, Constitution, Christian Growth, Spanish II, PE, and she's studying for college entrance SAT's. She's very interested in the field of nursing. 

Kalli wants to do a little of everything. Own a bakery, study oceanography, and become an author are among the top items on her list. She loves English and does well writing. She also like to bake. 

Kammy still has her heart set on something to do with horses. She's very interested in therapy animals.  She's a year ahead, but her work still comes easily. She will join her sisters in piano lessons this fall. 

I am joyful to have a new student this year. I treasure the one-on-one with my first graders. There is just something about teaching a child to read to which nothing can compare. I get to know them, and they me, in a new and exciting way. It is so important to establish routine and solid foundation in the beginning. I have witnessed first-hand the difference it makes later. 

 This little guy is busy all the time. He loves anything red and anything to do with firetrucks. If you ask him what he wants to do when he grows up, he will tell you, "nothing." Somehow, I don't believe that.

Here are some recent funnies:  

Kaderick is playing the game "Operation" with daddy. While the girls were all scared of the bzzzzzz sound it makes, Kaderick loves it and tries to make it buzz as much as possible. Daddy wants (or needs) to go out and do some work, but Kaderick doesn't want him to leave. He said, "Sorry daddy, you tan't go out there wifout someone wif you."

We have a habit or rule about tidying up the house before bed. It just takes a few minutes and also helps to calm/prepare the little ones. Well, somehow a pile of children's books and several little boy toys got left out last night. Kaderick got up this morning and came bouncing smiling-faced into the living room. He saw the clutter, sighed and said, "Hey! Who made this mess in our living room?"

Kitchen-first phase and the entryway too!

The cabinets are finally done! I painted every tiny square inch of them myself. I'm pretty proud considering that a few years ago my husband wouldn't let me close to a paintbrush. Spray paint was my friend. Much faster. I didn't think I had the patience for brushing, but it's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. 

Actually, I should back up a step or two. 

First of all, hubby took all the cabinet doors off and I gave the attached upper and lower cabinets and the drawer fronts three coats of General Finishes milk paint followed by three coats of General Finishes glaze. I painted until I was cross-eyed and my kids were just plain cross. While I was busy with that, hubby removed hardware and began to add on the little flat wood strips around each door. 

Enter California.

I can't say how much it irked me to leave the kitchen half done. But.....I'm learning. Patience is slow in coming for some. I am one of the some. Haha. 

When we got home, hubby finished up the wood trim and did some minor sanding (we only lightly sanded everything as the paint is specially designed to cover without sanding) and I got busy with the paintbrush again. Including the trip, this project took us almost a month, but it really could feasibly be done in 2-3 days if you had that much free time. 

Total cost on this cabinet job is up there around $375. The paint was $65/gallon and I used almost a whole gallon. General Finishes covers like a dream with little to no brush strokes and the glaze is designed to give it a very washable and durable smooth finish. The glaze was $15/pint and we used a full pint. The hardware cost us $120. This was a bit of a shock to me, but Amazon price beat Home Depot and Lowes by 60% on the styles we had chosen. The wood strips we used to beef up the cabinets, cost us right around $150. I also invested in some vintage toweling (Amazon again) for curtains. That was $6 delivered. All in all, I think it's money well spent. 

Here are some before photos:

Blek!

As you will notice, we removed the very topmost cabinet doors and finished them out for decor, leaving the doors off permanently. We also purchased a "new" stove and microwave. They are both used, but in new condition. The microwave currently retails for $299. Our cost was $75. The stove sells for $649 and we paid $300. We are planning to eventually replace all the appliances with stainless ones. All in good time and low prices. We will also be putting in new countertops and tile backsplash.  

The cabinets are awesome! Complete with two lazy susans, and pull out cabinets. 

I'm not in love with florescent lighting, so to add some charm to the ugly one here, I hung an old red screen decorated with a bit of greenery. The screen was free. Score from my parents shop. 

For a bit of variety and interest, we added punched tin insets to the cabinets above the stove and micro. 

I love the dark floor accented with the bright white cabinets. Oh, and I still love that little braided rug. I bought it for $25 over fourteen years ago. It still looks brand new. 

The light above the window was a purchase we made just after moving in. I love it! 

Here you can see a bit of that screen covering the florescent light. 

I love jars. 

This little refinished cart (you might remember it) sits on the opposite side of the kitchen against the back of the large fireplace. I love having this brick accent in my kitchen! 

The last kitchen photo is looking down the hallway toward the back (garage door) where the pantry and new school area is, but that's all a post for another day. 

I do have one last thing to show you though. 

The bench that had been sitting in our entryway was borrowed from our bedroom and we needed one here permanently--not a borrowed one. So, the wheels started turning. I snagged an old door from my parents shop. (They have all kinds of treasures.) This door was in the house as a child growing up, so I guess you could say that it has sentimental attachment. I knew I wanted to use the door as part of the bench back. Now....where to get a bench without having the already overworked hubby build one? And then I knew just the thing! Hubby had removed these cabinets in the far end of our living room. This is where the master bedroom door will be. Anyway, we are using one of the tall sets as a panty and the other one as storage in the garage.

 The desk is being used for school, but those upper center cabinets didn't have a home yet, so I convinced hubby to take the doors off and he added a nice finished side and top making the perfect bench with storage storage shelves underneath! 

I love it!