Hilton Head 2011!!

We just got back from our 6th annual vacation in Hilton Head with some wonderful friends. It was so nice to get away. Josh, the boys and I went down a little early and had some family time before everyone came down. We drove thru the night Tuesday. Wednesday was beach and then kayaking on a sunset tour. The boys did great. Fielding wanted to paddle or to be in the water...He definitely has a mind of his own.

The boys love being at the beach.

Thursday morning we went on a shark fishing trip! Unfortunately, the fishing didn't go that well. We had one bite and caught a little shark. Better than nothing! It was nice just being out on the water though. We definitely need a boat! :)

That Cheez-It box was so gross....the boys had as much fun playing with the bait fish as anything, but before I realized it, they were eating snacks. Slimmy hands and all....

Thursday night our friends the Hoffers and Cahills arrived. Normally our good friends the Henrys come on this trip too. Unfortunately, they weren't able to come. Their presence was missed and we all wished they had been able to come.

We had 3 little boys and 1 girl. They boys had a blast fishing, digging, swimming and playing with bait. Mary Frances was so sweet walking and lounging with the moms. It's amazing the difference between boys and girls.

{Wellington and William}

{The men: Josh, Paul, & Steven}

{Look at that hair!!}

{Fielding: the fisherman}

{Playing sand crabs}

{Fielding}

{Me & Fielding}

We had a great time and are refreshed and ready to get back to work. I have so many things I want to set up, organize and sew! I love how taking time off motivates you to tackle the projects that had seemed daunting.

As you can see, my pictures are a little different this time! I'm trying to get nicer pictures for you all. So, I downloaded a new camera app - Camera+. It's been fun so far! Hope you like it...even if I did you a million different lenses and effects. :)

SNEAK PEAK!

We got our new table! Its beautiful! I haven't gotten everything set up yet but soon I'll show it to you. Until then, here's what the new bench looks like. The boys have sat on the bench every meal since we brought it home. :) Guess they like it too! {the table in the background is our old table}

That's all for now! Have a great rest of your week!

Helen

September morning

Good morning all. Can't believe it's September already. We've been in for a month now and it seems so much longer. We are slowly getting settled in. After so much unpacking I don't have too much motivation to decorate yet...but I know it won't be long. :) As I type I'm watching Wellington, Fielding, and cousin Andrew play in the baby pool. These three are already good friends and I'm so thankful that Paul and Karyn (and Andrew and baby sister on the way) will be building a house nearby in the next year or so. This means lots of good times ahead.

We're getting into the golden days of summer where it's so beautiful outside but you're starting to itch for cool breezes....trying to enjoy every ounce of summer we have left.

The boys have worn me out today. I'm trying to show them grace...but some days I don't know if I can make it through the day with my sanity.....Am I the only one that ever feels this way???

We've finally started walking again! It's nice to have new routes to explore. As long as I keep it short, things stay sweet.

My mom let me have an old church pew that was at the barn. It had been left outside and needed a total reglueing. Here's what it looked like when I got it. I sanded it down then made my own "stain".

I love how it turned out. I mixed my paint from paint samples I had. Watered it down. Brushed it on then rubbed it with a dry cloth. When it was dry, I applied Minwax furniture wax as the finish. Wax has become my new go to finish. I love it! Above the bench I've hung several pictures/mirrors with gray, silver or gold frames. I'll have to take a picture of that for you. It's one of the only areas in my house that is actually "set up".

Fielding's room is by far the most set up of everything. He even has curtains hung! Sad...it still looks so bare in the picture! HA!

We've had the opportunity to have a few play dates and people over already. Before we moved we hardly entertained saying, "Once we move, we'll have them over." Well, it's time. Here are the boys having a great time with William when the Hoffers came to dinner the other day.

Although Wellington insists that he's not big and doesn't want to get big, he's starting to do big boy things like do worksheets and take a gymnastics class. :)

While the kids play or sleep (they sometimes do this...) I've been working on little things that are left to do. Like painting corbels.

Fielding is getting big. And cuter every day. And changing. But not talking. (We're getting tired of "ah, ah, ah!)

While walking the other day, we found a neighborhood playground with a train!! Oh my. The boys love it!

Last Sunday, we celebrated Poppop's birithday. {Josh's dad} It was kiddy land! So awesome. They set up baby pools, slip and slides, a big trampoline, slides....and then we had ice cream cones. It was so cute seeing all the little cousins together! I couldn't get enough of them!

{Wells, Julek, Andrew, Fielding}

{Fielding}

Like I mentioned before, Wells started a Gym class this week! First class ever. :) He did great. Fielding cried and cried cause he wanted to go in the class too, but he is too young. :(

So Fielding and I went to see the geese.

I've been goodwilling too....I found this pretty little thing. I may make a new cushion, but i love it!

And here are the three cuties I am playing with today.... These are the faces when I said "smile!".

That's all for now! take care!

Helen

Yay! I have internet!

Hi All! So I'm back and will try to remember everything that we've been working on. So much has been going on that its hard to remember what to write about and all that we've done! Here we are driving to the new house on the day of the move. The boys were great.

The moving truck was big excitment for the boys. We'd been reading a Berenstien Bear's book called "Moving Day." I actully think it helped!

Some of my plants along for the ride. I didn't realize how many potted plants I had! I love plants. :)

Granite! OH. MY. It's so nice having granite! You're probably like, yea...everyone has granite. But I've never experienced it until now. I love it! It's great to make bread on too! Unfortunately, my counters haven't been this clean since we moved in. I have stacks of papers that I need to figure out where to put. And piles of paint brushes, screws, caulk guns, and pieces of projects that need to be finished. But the good news is that those piles are getting smaller!! :)

Love this sink faucet! And my huge single basin sink. I can fit the whole highchair tray in there and rise it off so easily. Did you notice my push button garbage disposal and instant hot?? oh, yea. my hubby hooked me up!

the back patio! It looks so much better. Remember that slanted slab we had poured! Fixed! YAY!

This is very unglamourous...but this is how we slept the first few nights. Yup. Mattress on the floor with a quilt or two. We now have a metal bed frame set up and it on another wall with night stands. Our master {whole house} still has a long way to go.

Ok. So I am obsessed with a company that I just found via Craigslist. It's called Renewed Traditions. It's awesome! They restore antiques and build their own solid wood furniture. Here are some tables they've built. So...I'm saving my money and am going to have a table made with our dimensions! I haven't been able to take Josh to the warehouse yet, but soon! Maybe in September we'll have a new table for the kitchen. 770-292-9192 is their number if you're interested in visiting their warehouse. They are off McFarland Rd. Alpharetta, GA.

The boys loved watching the guys working on the patio. So cute aren't they??

So although I still have a little unpacking left. It's very obvious the things we don't have/"need" :) . But all in good time. I've gotten three things so far. 2 rugs from Ballard's Backroom {great deals!}...see below. And I got an old church pew reglued for the foyer. It was my mom's and I'm so excited to have it! Pictures of that next time!

We are loving the house. A few things we're still trying to figure out...where to put my office/sewing room and what to do for shelves in our master closet. I had SpaceMakers come out. They were so kind to do a free design. I'm not sure if we are going to use them. I really want real wood ~ not composit. But I'm not sure it's any cheaper to do it ourselves and then there's Josh's time....We'll see. For the mean time we need something! We've had enough of living out of our suitcases!

On the home front, the kids and I have been returning things to Home Depot and Lowes and getting back to a routine. During naps I've been painting baseboards, cleaning, doing laundry, putting up pictures....you know. Normal stuff. And each night Josh and I can hardly keep our eyes open. :) I signed Wells up for his first class - gymnastics! I hope he does well {i.e. doesn't cry for me the whole time and plays and listens to the teachers}. The next thing coming up is the beach! We will be headed out in a few weeks and we can't wait!

That's all for now! Have a good week!

~Helen

Moving is hard work

Hi All!

Just popping in to say we are still tredding water but are getting settled in. I still don't really have wireless at the house yet cause Comcast says they don't service our property. ??? But today is our deadline for them coming out to inspect. So, anyway...my pictures aren't loading with just the hotspot we have. {borrowing from the office} Sorry about that! I have so many things to show you that have come together. We successfully moved out of the Ash Rill house Friday the 29th. New tenants there asked to move their move in date to Saturday - eekk! So after moving Friday. We rolled out of bed bright and early {Josh had to go to work} and headed back to clean before their walk thru at 11am. It was a crazy morning but we're done! Now we get to focus on our new house! We love living here and are so thankful to have a beautiful home. We're still amazed at having so much space and having things like crushed ice! HA! The boys have adjusted well and have been better since moving. Kids really do thrive on routine. There are still several things that need to be done. Paint needs to be touched up. Granite bar needs to be resupported. The list goes on and on. However, it's great! Josh and I are still unbelievably exhausted but thankfully we are all healthy again. I think things are starting to slow down. For the first time, we are looking forward to a little cooler weather. I'm already day dreaming of cool nights sitting on our new patio out back....hmmm sounds wonderful. Pictures will be posted soo!!

That's all for now. Hope you have a wonderful week!

Helen