My Country Charmer

Beau and I have had the good fortune to own a few homes.  With each house, there was great joy and excitement as we looked forward to all the memories we would share.  Our first home, 1500 square feet, 3 bedroom, 2 bath brick house built in the 70's with harvest gold fixtures, was the home we brought Zander to from the hospital.  Such sweet memories.  Beau and I honestly thought we would live there for a very long time.  We had envisioned walking Zander to school, as the elementary school was literally beyond our back yard fence.  However, we celebrated Zander's 4th birthday in that home and shortly after, we moved. 

Our second home was a 1980's brick home with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and about 2000 square feet.  I LOVED this home.  It was nestled on 3/4 acres and surrounded with almost 100 azalea bushes.  They were beautiful in the springtime when they were in full bloom. 



Family photo in front of some of the azaleas

Hunting for Easter eggs was especially fun with so many spots to camouflage those brightly colored eggs.  It was in this home that we decided we were ready to adopt privately.  So, naturally, we began looking for a larger home to accommodate our growing family to be.  We lived in this house for 3 years. 

Then we moved into a beautiful brick home on a cul-de-sac in the back of a large neighborhood.  We had a large fenced lot.  The house was 2900 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  It was in this home that we felt led to foster and continue to grow our family. 

This was the home where we lovingly hosted so many events; lots of baby showers, many small group family worships dinners, New Years Eve celebrations, and Halloween get togethers.  We always opened our house up to guests and were so happy to do so.  It was in this house that we felt God leading us to be open, transparent, hospitable, and willing.  When you foster, you have to have the mindset that privacy is no longer an option.  Visits from case workers, inspectors, guardian ad litems, and others (sometimes scheduled and sometimes not) were a way of life.  This was such a sweet time that we felt God was stretching us and we sure did grow.  We lived here for 5 years.  Our family grew by 3 in this home.  I became a stay at home mom in this home. So many life changing events occurred in this house and we are so thankful for each one.   


Painted Mural on the wall of Will's room

Then the next phase of our life took us to New Hampshire.  We have lived here for almost 2 years now and just recently purchased a lovely home that I affectionately call the Country Charmer.  This 2800 square foot, 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house was built in the 80's, so it is neither modern nor old.  But it certainly has some of the charming country things that I love.  We have exposed beams in the kitchen, our living room ceiling is all wood, all the wood staining elsewhere is dark., 2 brick fireplaces, lots of mature trees and shrubbery that gives us privacy and shading, and beautiful hardwood flooring.  But then we have some modern things like 9 skylights, large deck, open floor plan, garden tub, and large windows that allow much natural light.  I am not a contemporary girl, although I love the houses that my friends' own that are modern and beautiful.  I am not a true country girl, but there is something appealing about log cabins.  In my opinion, this house offers the best of both worlds. 

Here are some of the before and after photos of our new home.  We still have a bunch of projects to complete like painting, removing more wallpaper, updating. But for now, our home is unpacked, organized, clean, and presentable.  Just don't look in the basement!!!

Before

See all that natural lighting!

Living Room:  Before

After

After

 

Eat In Kitchen

My Kitchen

Dining Room:  Before

Dining Room:  After  Still needs wallpaper removal, new paint, and new curtains

Office:  Before

This room is part office and part play area for us

Foyer:  Before

Foyer:  Our version

Master Bedroom:  Before

Our Style

Our Bathroom I love the garden tub!

Zander's Bedroom:  Before

You can take the boy out of Florida, but never Florida out of the boy

Oliver and Carter's room:  Before

Remember the mural from the old house?  Beau made this for the boys
The wall isn't really black, just a bad photographer

Will's Room:  Before

We were initially going to place Will and Ollie in the same bedroom and let Carter have the small room to himself.  However, just before our move, William came to us and very seriously expressed his desire to have his own room so his brother's wouldn't "mess with his Star Wars stuff".  He being the 2nd oldest, we felt that we needed to allow his request.  So far, it has worked out wonderfully.  He shares his stuff freely, but knows that at the end of each day, everything is safely put back into "His" room. 

 

My favorite room in the house is also the smallest room in the house.  It it known as the loft.  This room serves many purposes.  It is to be used as Zander's homework area, my scrapbook and craft room, and also the boy's art area.  I just know lots of time will be spent in this room.  I can not wait. 

 

And this is my 2nd most favorite place, our back yard and deck.  We have already spent a ton of time out here and have shared many dinners on the deck.  Beau has been grilling each week and the boys have enjoyed playing in the backyard.  Already, we have had several neighbors come and introduce themselves and so far, those new families have children.  It's so nice to hear the giggles and conversations between all the kids in my backyard.  I am so thankful.  I think this house and this phase of our life will be known as our peaceful retreat in our little Country Charmer. 









 

Just call me George Henry

There is something extra special about a relationship between a father and his daughter and that is certainly true about me and my dad.  I have some of the fondest memories of my childhood spent with my dad.  While many of my friends were learning to cook, bake, sew, or do other household chores with their mothers, I was hanging out with my dad.  My mom tried to teach me those things, but I didn't want any part of them.  Of course, now I wish I had paid better attention. Anyway, my father was quite a handyman and he was constantly tinkering around the house or taking on a new project.  He was the kind of dad that spent time teaching me how to use tools, show me how to properly mow the grass, and how to safely climb ladders.  Where ever my dad was, I was sure to be hanging on his hip.  We would climb to the roof and clean the shingles or make repairs to the shingles.  I helped him build his wooden shed.  I got lots of practice with a hammer.  I learned to paint.  Many of our projects together resulted in him having to "fix" my work, but he never complained.  He always had time to allow me to "help". 

He used to tease me and say that he always wanted a son, so he affectionately called me George Henry.  I was never insulted by this.  I loved being his George Henry.  I was such a tomboy growing up, although you would never know that now.  I could climb trees, jump ramps with my bike, wrestle, and dig for worms with the best of the boys.  My dad and I would play football in the yard.  I realize now that he was gentle with me, but back then, I thought I was pretty tough. 

When you're a little girl, your dad is your first hero.  He may not wear that red cape, but you know deep in your heart that he is Superman.  My dad could do no wrong.  He was the strongest and most intelligent man I knew.  But then I hit my teenage years and my sights left my dad and turned to silly BOYS!  My rebellious streak presented itself, my stubbornness became forefront, and my dislike for my dad became obvious.  He and I had some serious knock down, drag out fights when I was a teenager.  I was such a brat.  My dad's protectiveness, anger, disappointment, and fear became paramount.  One night, in the winter, he caught me sneaking out of my window.  He swiftly picked me up by the hair on my head and threw me into the swimming pool firmly shouting that I "...needed to cool off."  These battles went on all through high school.  Although we were at odds most of the time, he was still my protector.  One night, coming home late from a date, I got spooked walking to the front door and let out a scream.  My dad was out the front door in 2 seconds flat with his shotgun.  Once he realized that a boogey may wasn't after me, he returned to bed.  I thought he was simply crazy then, but now that's just one more reason that I love him.  It wasn't until I hit my 20's that I began to appreciate my dad once again.

My dad grew up in a poor family.  He joined the military at the earliest age he could and served over 20 years.  After he retired, my dad spent the next few years working 2 jobs and going back to school.  It was during this time that our family was financially tight.  I don't remember this as my parents were so good to always make sure I had what I needed, even if they had to go without.  One thing that my dad always told me was to "pay yourself first".  Meaning, out of every paycheck, put something into savings.  No matter how big or small, my dad always did this.  Some months were tight and some months were not.  We moved to Florida and my dad had the good fortune to work for a company where by the time he retired after 20 years, he was making a very comfortable living.  My dad has always been frugal, careful, cautious, and mindful with his finances.  But, he has always been especially generous with me.  He provided my first car. He paid for college.  He gave me a beautiful wedding.  He is incredibly generous with his grandchildren. 

It doesn't matter how old I get, my dad still wants to take care of his little girl.  Until this week, our family vehicle was our red Honda Odyssey.  I love that van.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with that car.  However, it was getting up in miles and age, there were a couple of small dings in the exterior, and the interior looked like a football team that had just practiced in the mud came running through it.  But other than that, the van was fine.  Beau and I had planned to keep it for another 2 or 3 years before we wanted to incur a car payment.  We've enjoyed being car payment free for he last 3 years. 

Dad may be sometimes gruff on the exterior, but nobody could ever say he was selfish.  My dad may not want to talk about his emotions, but his actions speak loudly.  Dad and I disagree on many points and he may be very vocal about his opinions, but he supports me.  Last week, my dad GAVE Beau and I his 2011 Toyota Highlander with only 15, 000 miles.  We were so very thankful for such a gift.  God provides in many ways and through many people. We were completely unsuspecting of this gift, but we were completely excited.

 

 

 

Thank you Dad for your continued generosity.  I am proud to be your George Henry. 

Pink headbands and bracelets are all the motivation needed......

Beau and I decided a couple of weeks ago that it was time to get a swing set for the boys now that we are in our own home again and no longer renting.  We had a GIANT swing set in Florida that the boys (except for Carter as he was still pretty little) still talk about now with great enthusiasm.  But we knew we didn't want to spend that kind of money again but we needed something big and sturdy enough to handle our three energetic boys.  So we went on an Internet hunt for hours trying to find just the right set to accommodate each of the boys' desires. 

The instructions claimed that the swing set would take approximately 15 hours and 2 people to complete the build.  The set was delivered early last week and Beau was planning on building it over his 3 day weekend (he gets every other Friday off).  One of the other engineers at work made a bet with Beau that the swing set wouldn't be finished by Monday.  Beau, of course, rising to the challenge (he's a guy and that's what they do) accepted that challenge.  I was excited because I knew that meant in order to win the challenge, the boys would definitely have their jungle gym that would provide hours of entertainment completed. 

But then came Wednesday and a bleak rainy forecast for most of the weekend.  Not just rain, but flood warnings.  I was disheartened because I assumed that meant the boys would now have to wait a while staring at all the fun boxes that contained their swing set but not being able to play on it.  Knowing this new information, the other engineer had the advantage.  So he approached Beau and said that Beau could get out of the challenge if only he would wear a pink headband and pink bracelets to their next kickball game.  Several of Beau's co-workers play on a local recreational kickball team, so this would be completely humiliating.  But this other engineer obviously doesn't know MY husband. 

Thursday evening, Beau came home from work, promptly changed his clothes and was immediately working in the garage.  You see, when we moved in, most of the items from our basement and many packed boxes were placed into the garage.  Our garage was completely full, with the exception of a small path that we could maneuver through if we could twist our bodies in just the right angles.  He began moving all these boxes to the basement.  I was so excited that I helped him and before I knew it, we had everyone in the family working on this project.  Beau and I (and the 3 little boys) carried things to the entrance of the basement Zander was in charge of bringing everything down to the basement.  We all had a big job, but I think Zander's work was much more intense since he had the stairs to battle.  He did take one fall and ran into the concrete wall.  Let's just say that he was badly bruised all over one side of his body, but thankfully that was the only injury.  I had wanted the garage emptied out but the project was too large for me by myself.  I was so appreciative that Beau was working on this for me, without even asking him....until I realized his true motivation.  He needed a staging area to work on the swing set where he could remain dry for part of the assembly. Oh well, at least my garage can now be utilized for it's original purpose of housing our vehicles. 

Bright and early Friday morning, Beau was in the garage working away.  He opened all the boxes, did an inventory check, and aligned everything up into groups.  Not only did he do this, but he also labeled everything for ease and efficiency.  That's the engineering mind at work.

You may not be able to see it, but Beau wrote labels on the box for each part.



Beau's helpers (already taking a popcorn break)

 

 Step 1 of the instructions (inventory and organizing) took a couple of hours so now I was SURE the swing set was not going to be finished this weekend.  But anytime you do a project with the help of 3 little people with grabby hands and tons of questions, those projects always seem to double in time to complete.  But there was no way the boys were going to be satisfied with staying in the house and waiting to see Beau's progress little by little. 

 

Responding to a work email while working on swing set

My husband worked ALL day long.  At one point, he had a drill in one hand and his iPad in the other (to respond to a work email).  I even brought his lunch to him in the garage.  He would assemble parts in the garage and then take them to the wet yucky yard when the assembly was too large.  But don't worry, he had plenty of help from Will, Oliver, and Carter.  They totally enjoyed playing, I mean working, in the rain.  Zander, however, provided more meaningful help on this day until it was time to go to his youth group lock-in. 

Oliver was the most excited and inquisitive about the project.  He wanted to know how to read the instructions, how to put things together, and actually worked hands on quite a bit with Beau.  Oliver also made a great tool retriever and screw and bolt finder. 

Thankfully, the weather forecast took a turn for the better.  We had a mostly dry day on Saturday and Beau again worked on it all day long even into the evening hours.  Sunday became crunch time.  Between church, soccer games, and Beau coaching, our day and time to work on the set was very limited.  But, by 8:30pm, everything was complete.  Beau and Zander worked hard on this day to finish everything.  We have neighbors that just moved into us next door and they have 2 children, a 5 year old girl and an 8 year old boy, and they came over for a while to play also.  The girl has a deep affection for Will already and everyday they meet at the fence line for "conversation".  We are in trouble!!  But that's for another blog....

I am so thankful for the swing set, an empty garage, and my husband.  I do know that he would have worked hard trying to complete their swing set this weekend, but he motivation of a pink headband and bracelets helped. 

Oliver is very intently working to help daddy with the telescope.

The smile says it all!!

Caught Zander sleeping on the job!

 

Carter turns 4

This week is quite a busy week.  We are closing on our house, continuing to pack, preparing for a garage sale, intently listening to the news as we are waiting for all the details to unravel regarding the Boston Marathon Bomber, and oh yes, Carter's 4th birthday. 

I have to admit with all the things going on right now, it was kind of hard to have the right mindset to celebrate Carter's special day.  Our family have been moving at a fast pace lately, and taking time to slow down and switch gears is proving much harder than I thought.  But celebrating the life of Carter is far more important than these others events. 

Since Carter turned 3, we have seen some sweet changes.  He is finally potty trained!!  That was a huge feat in of itself.  He is more independent.  He doesn't "get into things" as often.  He plays well with his brothers, most of the time.  He shows signs of compassion and empathy.  However, being the baby of the house, Carter still enjoys BEING the baby of the house.  As big as he is, I sometimes forget his age.  But when he is lying on my lap with his thumb in his mouth and his fingers playing with my hair, I see the baby he once was.  He is 58 pounds of pure baby!!  But I love every bit of him!!