Score! Books and Blocks!

Look at the pile of books I got at Goodwill. I really respect and admire Jimmy Carter and can't wait to read his book. I pretty excited about the needlework book too. It has everything in it. The only drawback is that it was most likely owned by a smoker, and has retained a smoky smell. Roald Dahl? Who is that you ask?? James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory....Can you tell I am excited???? :)

Another amazing book! I did order this one off Amazon. It is a great book. Although I love the internet, I still love to have plenty of books laying around. Another blogger Molly recommended this book. This is one you won't want to put down. Pretty much anything you can think of is addressed in this book.

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Another great buy! Generic Jenga blocks! The kids have been building non-stop, and have some pretty creative designs. By the way, not sure what Mimi has in her shirt. Probably a baby... :)
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Finally, evidence Spring will be here before long. I will remind myself of this later in the week. We are due for some cold weather and possibly SNOW! BLECH!!!

Hope everyone has a great week!
~Karen

Yay! It's Friday!

This week has dragged on...and on. I felt it would never get to Friday. I always seem optimistic and reinvigorated once it's Friday. I enjoy having Kevin home all weekend, and I enjoy sharing some of the workload! (Sorry Kevin!)

It's rather windy here, so we are hoping to fly some kites tomorrow. And maybe we will hit the zoo in the next day or so. I am glad warmer weather is here for awhile...and I hope it stays. I don't enjoy being couped up during the winter. I do get the kids out when it is cold, but for shorter periods. I am excited to see all of flowers poking up out of the ground...Looks like we will have a ton of irises and daylillies!

Mimi has been busy learning to read simple words. She is a self motivated learner. It makes things so much easier for us. Although sometimes she can be hard on herself.

This is for her friend Mary. She thinks I am wrong when I tell her Mary only has one "r" in her name. Oh, well.

I love her "R"...Makes me smile! Her star is pretty rocking too.

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the weather and one another.
~Karen

More Home Improvements

I've been inspired by all the bloggers out there who are trying to "keep it real". In honor of this, I have decided to show various stages of a home improvement project in our kitchen thanks to our good friend Derek. Normally, I would just show the finished product. Perhaps you aren't interested in our mess, but I will share anyway!

Bye Bye old kitchen countertop!

As I've noted in the past, things rarely go as planned when working on our home. Derek discovered the above counter top was improperly installed, which is why it never was quite level. In fact, it had a pretty good slope to it.

Don't you love the faux brick?

Mess. Blech.

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Introducing...the new counter top:

Thanks Derek! :)

~Karen

For anyone wanting to draw

Recently I purchased a couple Ed Emberley books for the kids. I am so glad I did. I love the way he draws. The book show simple steps anyone can follow. Mimi enjoys these books every time she gets them out. Here are a couple of her creations:

a rooster

a caterpillar, a spider, a duck, and a fly

Hope everyone has a great week!
~Karen

It's ALIVE!!! And other nonsense....

This is what I looked at for a couple weeks:

We have lots of really bad broken computers....Kevin decided to make as many functional ones as possible. With a lot of effort on his part, he created 3 FRANKEN-computers! MWAAHAAHAA. A couple of them are pretty slow stone age types, while one is actually pretty darn fast! So here is what our mornings now look like:

Um...guys...Can Mom check her mail?? The kids love Starfall and Tux Paint.
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Here are some things I have been working on:

Finished! Love it! Thanks for the window, Derek!
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For a sweet little girl's room!
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100% cotton crocheted into a table hot pad/short runner.
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Now, here is a project that I am having a hard time finishing...I desperately want to crochet some rugs. I have oodles of fabric. I cannot make a circle rug. It ends up becoming a bowl EVERY SINGLE time.
I have baskets and baskets of fabric specifically for the rug project. :( It is frustrating. I know I could make a simple rectangle, but I really wanted to make a couple circle ones and one oval one. :( Any tips would greatly be appreciated. I am losing my patience.

Hope everyone is having a great week!
~Karen

Piddling around...crafting

A very old window made into a wall hanging. It is a work in progress, but I do like how it is turning out. I think I will swap pictures out as the kids grow.
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A felt heart stitched to fabric.
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An old tin frame with a hand stitched bird in it. This was pretty easy to do and I like the look.
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In other news, Kevin hacked together another computer for the kids. They are in love with Starfall. Now I have to fight them for computer access. Moe is pretty good with the computer. It amazes me.

Mimi is starting to give up that treasured (by me) afternoon nap. I have always loved that 2 hour period of "me" time. I could get the house in some kind of order, and read or craft or sleep... :(

Have a great day!
~Karen

Making life easier...one step at a time.

Thanks Derek! He installed our new above the range mocrowave!! It has already made my life easier. Thanks!!!!!

THANKS MELISSA & DEREK!
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My valentine from Mimi:
I LOOOVE my monobrow and spiky 'do.

Have a great week!
~Karen