A Small Project... I don't think so!

 I performed a "power clean" of the children's bathroom and I noticed the ceiling was peeling off above the shower. I decided it was time for a quick and easy fix since the bathroom isn't like a monstrosity such as a master bathroom. Easy? Quick? I DON'T THINK SO! No project is a small project. I should know this by experience through the crafting projects I STILL haven't completed yet!! *sigh*

After a decision of a color change, (I was going to have to repaint the ceiling anyway, might as well go all the way) I calculated a full days work. Did it happen to be a full days work? NO WAY! It turned into a 3 day project!!

Once I was started on the ceiling, it was super easy to scrape off the "popcorn" above the shower. Mainly because of the amount of moisture in that specific area. However, when I worked my way out toward the door it became near impossible to get it down to the drywall. After a phone call to my dad, he gave me some advice on spraying warm water over the area that was difficult, let it sit for 30 seconds and WHAAAALAH! It was easy easy easy!!

Good thing I used news paper and plastic to cover the floor, tub and sink! =D

After the daunting task of scraping the popcorn ceiling off, I was going to re-popcorn the ceiling until I discovered the paint was no good. (It was left over from the man cave project) So, I went ahead and applied bathroom ceiling paint. :)

After 7 years of life in this house, the ceiling paint made the baseboards look lacking the original "white" color. I went ahead and repainted the baseboards. :) :)

Here you can REALLY see the difference! However, the thought of a project in and of it self to paint the door frame was a NO WAY JOSE' because well, lets just say it would take DAYS!! (once one starts, one would  have to go all around the house.. um, HELLO!??! I have four kids, I don't have time for this!)

At that point I was going to just be creative and sponge the same color of the walls on the ceiling. Did that work out?! UM-- a big fat FAIL! LOL! So, I just painted it solid grey to match the walls. =D

So, I painted the entire bathroom a dark grey, accented it with a nice space saver that I built above the toilet and whaaaalah! My masterpiece! It actually turned out quite nice, and with the flick of the light switch off after my few minutes of basking in my accomplishment, the promise was made to not start another project such as this again for a VERY long time!! :)

Bad Dukey!

Duke is our beloved old man boxer! Don't let him fool you, yes, he can be such a sweet loving boxer, but when we leave him alone, there is no telling how he will communicate that he was mad we left!
This time, it kinda backfired on him. He just THOUGHT he could get away with digging through Brandy's trash can looking for some sweet yummy left over crumbs from a candy bar or chew toy. Instead, he was caught immediately since the lid to the trash can was stuck around his neck! Poor doggie! It's quite funny, but he sure didn't think so!
Do you think he learned his lesson this time?! Are you kidding me??? LOL!

A Typical Day Twice a Week...

Kien sure knows what to do! He is eager to hop out of the car and walk right in to his school for class. He knows the way to his classroom, and since this is the first year for Gabriel to attend, Kien likes to go to his class first! :)


Gabriel is not such a big fan, at least not for the first 3 weeks of school. It is much easier on mommy to bring the stroller or this nifty (lifesaver is more like it) wagon to transport children, backpacks and lunch boxes!

Glenview Treehouse is awesome! It's quite an activity that the kids just drool over every time they walk by and parents cringe when their child runs out of their personal close space to attack the entry way to such bliss! The cringes are not because we don't wish for our kiddos to not have any fun, of course, that's one of the benefits of attendance! More so because the majority of us don't care for the idea of trying to crawl through those spaces to retrieve our children!! (LOL)

Here is a glimpse of the tree, and the kiddo's right before class!

An absolute favorite in our routine is the elevator! Gabe loves the feeling it gives when the elevator begins to go up, and then stop. He chuckles a little.

Kien LOVES to push the buttons! He can't quite reach the 2nd floor button, so I give him a little lift. I don't think anyone would appreciate hearing the emergency bell that rings when the emergency button is pushed! Luckily it only rings when it is held down and I was able to catch it before it was considered an emergency!! LOL!

Here is Kien's name tag outside the room where he is to place his backpack! He memorized the letters to his name and could place his belongings with out help! YAY!

Kien is usually one of the first children in class. When I leave by 8:10AM to drop the teenagers off at school, a visit to Starbucks along the way we usually get to the school fairly early!

Here is Gabe's name tag! Of course we don't expect him to put his things there. :)

I love being able to let him go to his room and watch him through the one way window! It didn't take but 3 weeks before he stopped crying and actually LUNGED to his teachers to go to class! It was a definite bittersweet moment!

Ready, Set, GO!

My wonderful hubby having fun in his little toy :)

Miata Racing!

Greg has picked up a new sport... Miata Racing!
Mark and Greg both have attended numerous races to get enough time in to participate at the big race at TMS. (Texas Motor Speedway)
Greg of course painted his the same as the Grand Sport Corvette, and Mark painted his as Bumblebee from Transformers. Either way you look at it, it's a "guy thing!" Believe it or not, there is actually a huge following for Miata racers. This is a small race, but it was amazing to see the amount of people at the huge race. And, of course, there are more than just Miata's. There was a nice Lotus that I liked. I think we should buy one ;). There are all sorts of cars, not limited to sooped up honda's, corvettes, RX7's, Porche's.

Kien wanted to be the photographer!

Brandy and her friend attended as well and became bored after a little while.

Kien liked watching daddy race, and was his number 2 fan. (Mommy being number 1 first!)

Here's my handsome hubby! Awww, he looks so cute! Eh-hem, I mean MANLY in his race car! (HAHA)

The guys you see standing out in the parking/time trial race area, are working the areas to pick up knocked over cones. It could a dangerous job, that is why the guys/gals need to arrive early to walk the track and have a briefing of their jobs.

Swimming!

Please don't pay attention to the dates on the camera, it was set wrong on the camera. :D
Here we are, all set up at the swim meet. Jeremy poses nicely!
Brandy wasn't allowed to come sit with us, but she was able to come visit between relay's. Kien sure was happy to see her! Of course, he did inquire to take a dip in the pool, however he was greatly disappointed because this wasn't anything like our neighborhood pool. :( He did have plenty of snack and enough comotion around him to keep him satisfied!

Jeremy of course was being a huge help to keep the boys occupied as well. Do notice the lovely tight curls due to the high moisture in the building ;)

Brandy and her friend Kristen getting ready to leave us for their next relay! :)

Here are some more shots of Brandy's swim meets! She is growing up so fast! We are very proud of her. Kien was one of her biggest fans!
Suited up and ready to go!

She is the swimmer 2nd from the right!

Ready... Set... GO!

It was a couple hours long, and in between the relay's she participated in, she was able to come say hello and of course eat. Swimmers, I have discovered, have an unbelievable appetite! She could have 8 meals a day and it not have any effect on her weight! Ah, to be young again! (Ha! Day dreaming)

Breakfast and Britches!

Kien and Gabriel attend the Mother's Day Out program twice a week. Kien's class hosted a "Breakfast With Someone Special" event, and so I had the pleasure to go and eat such yummy food with him! We brought yogurt with blueberries and strawberries in them. They were good, but not very popular. Most of the kiddos liked the grapes and sausage sandwhiches and donuts! Go figure! :D Jeremy likes to carry Kien on his shoulders as every child likes to be way up high! This time, Kien nearly lost his britches! LOL

Diaper Cakes

I have had the honor to create these cakes for sale, and a gift.
Greg's friend Darren and his wife were double blessed! They delivered two boys, twins!
They are so cute in the photos! I didn't even think about it, but I should have built a cake for twins Christmas style!
My sweet friend DeeAnne was hosting a baby shower for a family member and asked if I would put together a cake for her. Sports themed for a boy of course!

Do ya think that the lil guy will be playing sports? :D

Another one of my sweet friends, was hosting a baby shower also, and I had the honor to build this cake for her as well. She purchased the blankets and the puppy, and whaaaalah! It was a HUGE hit! :D

Baptism -A Beautiful Choice

In Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus was baptized. We are to follow his example, and as a statement of faith in Jesus, we choose to be baptized when we accept Christ as our Savior to proclaim outwardly that we are followers of Him.

I was baptized as a baby, and then again when I was 21 years old.

Both Greg and Jeremy were baptized a couple years ago, and Brandy was baptized at summer church camp.

I am sharing this story because Brandy's friend Lex from school began coming to church with us several months ago. He accepted Christ as his Savior and chose to be baptized. This was an exciting time for Lex, Brandy, and us! Lex was sneaky though about telling us AT THE END OF SERVICE!!! His mom came in town from Louisiana to visit with him, and she didn't know until the day of also!