Dreams Coming True?

The last time I posted, I had mentioned a dream for getting the resource room painted. It seemed impossible to think of taking on. Well … my dream is starting to come together. And I am EXCITED!!!

Yesterday our family was at the church ALL DAY LONG! It was long and tiriing … but exciting to see what could happen with several ladders, paint and willing volunteers. Our resource room (storage area under the stairs) is where all our supplies are stored. And we had taken absolutely everything out to sort it.

With all that gone … we moved in the super tall ladder the church had and went to it. I really don’t mind ladders … but standing on this one rickety wooden ladder was an interesting experience! So I ended up bracing it with the aluminum ladder to keep it somewhat sturdy. Then I climbed up about 8 feet up, turned around backwards on the ladder, holding the paint can in one hand and went to work. I got all the sky painted with our leftover blue paint from VBS projects two years ago. I still think it was a mini miracle that the painted lasted as long as it did … as I only had 1/3 of a can to do all the main walls. Then we added the grass base coat until that was all gone (more leftover paint from a church project).

Normally with an undertaking like this, someone would purchase the paints colors they need. But our church is having to be somewhat careful with finances right now … so I am trying to do it without spending any money at all! It is a fun challenge. I then discovered another small can of darker green paint that someone had given us … and added the finer grass detail.

Wednesday I have another lady coming to help me draw and paint some oversized flowers on our scene. Basically, we are trying to make it look like the resource room is inside or underneath a huge flower garden. Hope you enjoy the pictures, Julie. This time I waited to post until after they were uploaded!

It should look quite nice when all the bright colored boxes are in place. They are clear shoe boxes with lids in bright orange, red, blue and lime green. The shelves will all be painted white. I am also trying to get in touch with a guy who installs cabinets in our church … to come take off the cupboad doors (which are not lined up or close properly) and paint them all white (instead of their pale pink color) and then get them hung properly. It would be wonderful to get some carpet pieces for the floor … but we will have to wait and see what we can do about that later!

So … I will keep you updated with pictures as the massive project continues.

I am still working on finishing up some of the extra lesson plans for school … and prepping for other fall programs we have coming up. Lots to do … and we are NEVER bored!

We also like to spend time outside enjoying our beautiful space … especially since the weather has turned cooler as of today. Fall is on its way here in the north.

The Big Sort …

At the church we have a resouce room that is actually a small, skinny room under the back stairs of the church. It has had shelves built in around the wall … and lightbulbs installed. It is not large or beauitful. But it is the center work station for all we do in Kidz Ministries. Of course, many other people want to use our supplies (as we have all office supplies, craft supplies and much more). In the past, I have maintained this room with the help of Charlotte and a few other ladies. But with me being sick this last year, I didn’t do a thing to keep it organized. So, Charlotte and I started the “big sort” yesterday. Melody and Ryan were troopers and took absolutely everything out of this room and piled it all into two classrooms that have locks on the doors. We worked away at it for hours yesterday. But it appears that we barely m ade a dent. We are also trying to sort through bags and boxes of items that have been donated to the church the past few months. When it is all done … it should look wonderful!

I also have a dream for this space … but it won’t happen without some extra help and supplies. I would love to have some carpet for the floor (nothing fancy … just something better than just plain cement) … and get some paint and paint the walls and shelves. Right now they are just plain drywall and the shelves are boards. The cupboards are also VERY old and a pale pink … and most do not have decent handles or hinges. If they could be rehung properly, painted or replaced altogether … it would look SO much better! I think people might take better care of the space and be more respectful with the supplies if it was fixed up a bit … rather than just tossing stuff on the counter. (sigh) But without paint, energy and the ability to fix the cabinets … it will have to stay as it is.

I can dream though …

A Busy Week …

It is hard to believe another week has slipped by … without getting a chance to blog. It was a week ago on Wednesday, that we received a phone call from my parents, asking if they could come for a two nights - as they would be in northern AB. Of course, we said “yes”!

So Friday, we had a day of cardmaking with Charlotte - which was so special! We made this cute card that looks like a glass of lemonade with a straw coming out of it, lemon slice, the works. So fun! We always have just as much fun visiting as working on craft projects! Then in the later afternoon, a call came that my parents were in Dawson Creek. So we headed home in hopes of cooling off our place before they arrived. It was another one of these 30C days … and when we aren’t there to let a breeze in … it is just plain hot and muggy! No sooner had we gotten things taken care of … and they arrived.

Saturday, Dad helped Rudy finish up one major project in the backyard (cutting a wooden edging along the flower beds). Dad had brought his saw along … and Ryan helped nail them into place. It looks wonderful! But they didn’t stop there. Dad also helped Rudy fix the gate that was bent and wouldn’t close or latch when they paved the driveway. Now it is all fixed and opens and closes perfectly once again! Dad & Rudy also worked on the edging around our cement walkway in the front and took off the boards that were still attached around it. While the boys were outside working … Mom, Melody & I stayed inside and made cards. It was so much fun to share ideas and “play” together.

Sunday was church and our usual busyness. But we have been so thankful for those who have been stepping up to help with leading Kidz Worship the past few weeks. It is REALLY helped out Rudy & I.

Monday, was meetings day for Rudy. Through a change of events, we ended up not going to a Stampin’ Up party we were planning on attending - but it was for the best as I was worn out and needed a rest. Monday evening we had a Children’s Committee meeting here at our house - so the kids and I camped out downstairs to watch a movie together and play some games.

Yesterday, Rudy went and pulled all the weeds in the dirt out in front of our house (where they are to be planting sod). He also moved all the extra rock (leftover from our driveway and walkway) and put it under our front steps. I stayed inside and made 33 thank you notes that Rudy needed for people who have donated items to VBS. We are wanting to have all the members of the Children’s Ministry committee sign them … so they had to be done within the day. And we made it! Sorry Julie, I don’t have pictures of these cards either!

What has been tough the past week is that Rudy is NOT getting better. His sinus infection improved after the first dose of antibiotics, and then got worse again. And now his cough is awful! It sounds like he is going to cough out his insides! The meds he is on also leave a bad aftertaste in his mouth … which makes him feel sick to his stomach … so it’s not been good! But we are hanging in there … trying all we can to get him feeling better.

Today is another busy day, with several different things happening, including a surprise birthday party for an 80 year old friend in our church. So I should get going. Just wanted to say hi, and let you know why I have been missing from the blog.

Nothing Like It …

I must admit that I LOVE fresh food from the garden. And lately, we have been enjoying so many yummy treats. Raspberries are at their prime here in FSJ, and we are loving it. (Especially Rudy, since that is his favorite fruit!) Since this is our first year with our bushes, there have only been a few berries so far. But one dear church lady brought us another two big containers of fresh raspberries this afternoon. And we picked for another church family while they were on holidays. It was so much fun … and brought back memories of picking berries as a kid in our backyard.

But it isn’t just berries. Yesterday we had hamburgers done to perfection on the bbq. And since we needed to thin out our carrots and beets … had some fresh potatoes, carrots, beets and a nice amount of green beans too! Yummy!

I have had a big project on my mind for our main room downstairs. It is our family room/office/school room/craft room … pretty much everything happens here … except for eating our meals. It was not giving Melody & Ryan enough work area for their school books. So I planned and worked it out that if I moved our desks around … I could not only give them more space … but gain more area in our “family room/tv area”. So we spent one day working at moving the desks and ALL the stuff stored underneath them. Then we had another day moving bookshelves (organizing all the homeschool books, etc.) and the big craft storage unit. And today was stage 3. We rearranged and moved the couch, recliner and how the entertainment center works. It was a huge job … especially one to tackle on such a hot day … but it is done … and I am quite pleased about how it has all turned out!

The best part is that I feel ready to face September and school starting up. And for a homeschooling Mom … that is a big relief!

Sorry … no pictures yet … but I will post some soon!

On A Roll …

The past two days, I have been on a roll digital scrapbooking. It is so nice to have some time to “relax” and do some things I enjoy!

We have also had some great family time today. This morning the kids and I played an entire round of Monopoly - to the death - and Ryan skunked Melody and I. I lost in a bad way!!! We played until almost noon - staying in our jammies ’til then. Very fun! This afternoon we watched some movies we rented. Both of them were VERY good and I would recomment them to anyone: “Saving Sarah Cain” and “Moondance Alexander”.

Then tonight Ryan decided to set up a mini golf course in the basment … very creative and fun. But SUPER difficult to get through his maze of jumps and lines of tinkertoy lines. But we are all laughing and enjoying ourselves.

Here are the pages I have done. Hope you like them:

Our backyard needed a great deal of hard work. The backyard was covered in different kinds of hard clay … and had to be dug out by hand … with a shovel. When it had been loosened … we could go through with the roto-tiller. After borrowing two different machines from church families … we ended up investing in our own … to have handy as we needed it. Once the entire backyard had been dug up … and we had pulled out all the rocks and branches … it was time to level the yard. We were given 10 huge scoops of top soil for our backyard … delivered for free from our builder. What a gift! Then we added peat moss and fertiziler … and eventually grass seed. Rudy also decided how the layout of the yard would be … with the nice garden area … the little black fence around this and an area along the back fence for his raspberry bushes. He also added a small area in the corner (in a heart shape) for several trees. With the paving stones in place … leading to the shed and along the edge of the yard … it was all coming together perfectly.

There was a nice patio area … with paving stones … and we were given a round glass table with four chairs … which were just the perfect size for family picnics. Our BBQ also had a nice home at the corner by the table. We added a large fire pit … perfect for weiner roasts and family campfires. Rudy also added flowers all along the fence and a flower bed by the back steps.

Our dream was coming true … and soon we would have a place for the kids to play … and a place to enjoy some quiet, family moments together. Our first outdoor event was at Ryan’s birthday party … when the boys had a weiner roast in our new fire pit. It was wonderful to have this space to share with our friends.

Our yard kept Rudy busy … every spare minute he had. He dug up the hard dirt/clay to make several nice flower beds and an area in front of our living room window that had a curved border, flowers and a blue spruce tree. He also planted several shrubs on both sides of our open stairway in the front. When they grow … they should fill in the empty space that we now have. It is looking wonderful!