Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

I know I said I'd update you all a bit more often, and that IS the plan.  Right now I seem to be digging through the trenches of many years worth of boxes simply to walk around my house, and the thought of sitting down and updating you all on the madness...is kind of daunting!  Such is life when you move, and when you downsize for that matter.  We went from a house with attic and basement storage (each full to the brim, mind you)... into one with neither.  The amount of STUFF we have is ridiculous....R-I-D-ICULOUS!  I'm strongly considering putting all of the boxes in the yard and lighting a torch.  We will never miss the stuff, I'm fairly certain!!! 

It isn't as bad as it sounds, don't let me complain too much.  We do have a large barn/shop on the property that we will store some of our things in until we build the house...but that's a process in and of itself.  Unload boxes in the house, then repack what we don't think we'll need on a daily basis into Rubbermaid totes to try and keep the rodents out, and stack them in the shop.  Quite the process.  I'm a "get in and stay up all night until you're unpacked and it looks like you've lived there for years" kind of gal...so not being fully moved in after almost 2 weeks is REALLY hard!  I will be done, one day, and I'll post pictures of the pad for you all to enjoy!  Until then...go to your closets, and start throwing things away that you never use.  One day you will thank me.  Stuff collects in places you never think about until you are forced too and then you just want to cry thinking about all of the hundreds of dollars worth of things that have sat tucked away in cupboards and closets, and sucked the life right out of ya;)  Okay...maybe a bit dramatic...but I think you get the idea!  If I never see another box after this move, it will be too soon!!!

In Need of A Good "Thinning"

As New Years resolutions go...I've never been one to truly make them. I may say, "oh, I'd like to be more organized", or "I'd like to be healthier", or something like that, but those are things I tend to say anyways...new year or not. Well this year, I've really been thinking about it, and have decided that it IS a New Year, and therefor a perfect opportunity to change a thing or two. For me, things need to be "thinned" out in almost all aspects of my life. You know...like a good forest thinning. Not quite a clear-cut, but simply cleaning out some of the old, so the new can fill in! Okay, so the clearing begins...

First, our stuff: A few weeks ago it hit me that we were being over run by our stuff. I had boxes of clothes in the bottom of my closet that I put away while I was pregnant...still sitting in those same boxes (obviously I wasn't missing them). The Christmas boxes were a chore to get down and back up in the attic because of all the other miscellaneous boxes of stuff we had in the way. The door to the den/sewing/scrapbook room, has remained closed for the last month or so because it's such a mess that it looks like a hurricane made it's way through that room. etc., etc. I'm really good at finding drawers, cupboards or closets to stash things in, so the house as a whole remains uncluttered...but my secret stashing places are all filling up, and filling up with silly material things that we don't really need or use! I tend to have the "it's too nice to give away or get rid of, and some day I may use it", attitude.

Next our schedule: I looked over the calendar for the last month or so, and realized there have been very few days that we've actually stayed home an entire day. We're always on the go...whether it's to the grocery store, to grandma's house, to MOPS, or just out running errands. Poor Kallen has woken up the past few weeks with the first words out of his mouth every morning being "I stay hooooome" (with a long drawn out enunciated "home"). Okay kiddo...I get it.

Then the weight: Of course when we're talking about "thinning" out my life, I've got to address the weight issue. Now...I'm back at my pre-Kynlee weight, and have been since she was a month or so old, Yeah me...but that doesn't mean I didn't have a little extra to begin with! More than that however is the fact that I...we...need to eat healthier. Not just healthier foods, but an all around healthier habits. I rarely sit down and eat a decent breakfast (normally a few handfuls of cereal while I'm pouring Kallen his), or the left over half of english muffin that Kallen never touched while I'm clearing his plate. Lunch normally doesn't happen in any organized sense of the word either because Kallen doesn't really eat much and I'm so busy tending to him, Kynlee and the house, that I don't make the time to make something for my self. In turn I end up snaking on junk throughout the day. Dinner, we're good...we always have a sit down dinner as a family, which tends to be the only decent meal I get throughout the day...so unhealthy I know!

Anyways...These are just a few of the major areas that need thinned in my life...not to mention the amount of TV I have on the DVR that I am always trying to catch up on, or the stack of projects that lay half started in my craft room. It just seems that we've got so much going on around us, that we're not really taking the time to enjoy life as it is. I'm looking ahead at what needs to be done next, what project needs worked on, which cupboard can I sort through, who can I email, etc., etc. My goal is to simplify everything, and if I haven't needed, seen or used something in the last 6 months or so...it's out!

What a project this has become, though I already feel like I've accomplished so much. I can't wait for the entire weight to be lifted, and I'm tellin' you...it will be some garage sale come spring time!

Blessings,

At Last!!!

Once upon a time our backyard was blessed with a seasonal "creek". Now, that darling little "creek bed" was filled with blackberries, shrubs, and the occasional tree.

As much as I love blackberries, I don't love them in my backyard...so, we cleared them out...

and made way for the culverts.

Then we filled in around that culvert,

only to have it washed out that winter.

Once things dried out a bit...we tried it again!

Then came the patio,

the fence,

and finally...the grass and bark dust!

Yes...All that's left are a few finishing touches on the "dry" creek bed, some plants and shrubs, and staining the fence!

It's been a long process, but I'm so thrilled with the outcome!!! Now lets just hope the culvert holds up this time!!!

It's a Start!!!

Well, I told you that cousin George finally came by to put the culvert in the ditch, and fill in our backyard.

Remember what it looked like before:

Now here we are a week or so after the culvert (again):

Kevin has been busy setting the retaining wall, bringing in LOADS, and LOADS of dirt and rock, and finally getting things started. It's nice to actually have a place to begin now! In no time at all our back yard should begin to resemble the vision we've imagined! Not much yet...but it's a start!

Here are some pictures of the process for those of you who are interested...I know...It's not as exciting for you guys, but for me...I'm ecstatic!

Now onto the next step...concrete and more fill dirt!

Vivid Imaginations will have to do...for now at least!

Imagine nice green grass, clumps of birch trees scattered here and there, bright vibrant flowers, plants and bushes all around, a seasonal dry creek bed running along the beautiful new fence, etc., etc.,

Can't you see it!!! This is what our backyard actually looks like right now!












When we moved into our beautiful new house last September, our yard left much to be desired. The landscaping was not part of the purchase, leaving us to deal with the dusty, muddy "moat" that surrounded our humble abode! We at least wanted to get grass in the front yard before the winter came, and that we did! The front is getting there...not there yet, but we're getting there, and at least it looks decent to passers by!

The back yard on the other hand, looks straight out of a jungle. We have a seasonal creek that runs through the back yard, and before the rains came this year, we traded some work with Kevin's cousin who placed a culvert in the ditch, and covered it with fill dirt in order to give us the greatest square footage of grass. Yeah...It was beautiful.

Well, we miss judged the amount of water that flows through our little "seasonal" creek, and now we're back to square one. Kevin's cousin still owes us some time, but he's a very busy man...so now we're waiting. Once he can come place another culvert, and make an overflow creek bed, we can start doing things ourself. We need to drill some holes for the fence, move dirt around, build some retaining walls, bring in some gravel, set some concrete, prepare the ground, and get our yard going! Ahhh...we can't do anything until the ditch gets filled in, and we can't do that until the rain stops and it dries out.
So for now, we're waiting, and I get to look at our beautiful backyard each and every day...I imagine it of course!

Sunscreen...Who Needs it?

This morning I met my mom & Aunt at a local nursery to pick up some flowers for the house, and our plumbing shop. The weather report said it was going to be a bright and sunny day, and I definitely wanted to take advantage of it! We haven't been able to do anything in the yard since we moved in, due to our lovely Oregon weather, and I couldn't wait any longer!

I started planting the Petunia's around noon, and finally finished up around 4:00...Chasing Kallen around, and trying to keep him out of the street, makes planting flowers quite the challenge!

Anyways...I remembered to put sunscreen on the little man, but neglected to lather myself up as well. With my back to the sun all afternoon, and my pregnant belly helping create a gap between my shorts and top, my nice olive skin, became nice scarlet skin!!! I'm not one who generally burns in the sun, but today was different. The backs of my arms, my necks, and my lower back are a nice shade of red! The itching and burning that has already began to creep in, is a great addition to the aching back and muscles brought on by all the gardening!

Maybe I'll remember the sunscreen next time!

Man or Monkey?

Kevin and I are back to the painting thing...okay really, I am. Kevin says he wants nothing to do with it. We're painting a wall in the living room, our Master Bath (finally), and the babies room!

Anyways...It's kind of been an ongoing process, especially with Kallen around. I've taped, caulked (to get a straight line...the best technique ever), and painted when I get a free moment. Well, the ladder has just been hanging around so when I need it, I can just grab it!

A few nights ago, I was standing on the top of the ladder (don't tell Workman's Comp...safety first you know!) taping the ceiling, when I look down, and there is Kallen standing on the 4th rung, making his way to the fifth...uh....Kevin...can you maybe come get your son! Now stairs, I can understand the little man climbing up, but a ladder...what's the deal? The rungs are too far apart to climb while standing for him, so he has to pull himself up with his arms, use his knees, then stand and move onto the next step.

I thought we were raising a little boy, but the more and more I watch him around the house, I think he might actually be a monkey. If I had a tree growing in the middle of the house (which might actually be kind of cool...you know, nice and natural like), I think we'd find him continually climbing it unassisted, and jumping branch to branch!

Okay fine...the ladder goes back in the garage when not in use. How would I explain that one to the doctor when he came in needing a body cast?