Saturday, July 25, 2009

Changes

I've been a bum about posting lately. That is primarily because we've been busy around the house. I hardly take the time to turn on the computer. When we get home at night, we are typically outside all evening unless there is any cleaning or laundry to do.

Our little house is shaping up quite nicely. We've done a ton of work outside, and Danny has put down a bunch of edges around all of the flowers we've planted with big rocks. I'm sorry there are no pictures of these, but blame Hailey for the malted egg in my purse that is stuck in my camera. Up front, we have dianthus, vincas, a hibiscus, and a couple of other things planted. In the back, we have impatians, geraniums, begonias, lantanas, hostas, and on the side of the deck, we tilled up a 350 square foot area that Danny edged in rock. We filled that in with a couple of bottles of mixed flower seeds just to see what would grow. Everything's doing pretty well back there...no blooms yet, and we don't know what is a weed and what is a plant yet so it looks a little wild. It's fun to watch it all grow though.

I have become an avid bird watcher. My favorite place to sit is on our bottom deck watching the birds and squirrels in our backyard. I have a suet feeder, a songbird feeder, and a finch feeder out there. I'm going to put a bird bath out there sometime soon. Right now is one of my favorite times to watch them because they are all so active! Just this morning, I've seen goldfinches, purple finches, sparrows, cardinals, a blue jay, and a mourning dove. We've had a couple of woodpeckers too. The squirrels may be my favorite though! I was just telling my mom that they look different than the squirrels back home. These are a chocolate brown with really thin gray tails and their tails have a black stripe down them. They wave them around like crazy too. Unfortunately Journey has made it her mission to rid our yard of the squirrels. She sends them running up tress every time and they will yell at her like crazy.

Hailey is so happy here. She plays outside with the neighbor kids every day. We register her for school on Monday, and even though she is nervous about changing schools, she is also excited about 2nd grade. Softball ended a couple of weeks ago, and she did very well. We spoke with her soccer coach from last year, and he feels she is ready for competitive soccer instead of the just for fun league she's played in previously. I'm working on finding a team for her now. This will be a big commitment for us as this means tournaments on the weekends and such, but I think it will be a lot of fun as well. Hailey is having her first little sleepover tonight too. Her friend Neely is coming over and we're going to make homemade pizza and watch some movies. It should be a really good time.

Last weekend, Danny and I painted the living room and got our new couch. The pictures were taken on my cell phone, so they aren't showing the colors well. Three of the walls are a chocolate brown color and one wall is a mocha. We also bought a big easy chair that is a mocha color.



Dad and Deb and the kids are coming over in two weeks for three days. We are really looking forward to it. While they are here, we are going to get the kitchen wall, hallway, and entryway painted. Once that is finished, I really think our house will look so much better. Just having the living room finished has made a huge difference.
The beginning of September will be bringing another big change in the Shaver household. My sister-in-law, Kim, and my niece, Adi, will be coming to live with us for a year. My brother-in-law, Tommy, is a W-2 in the military and flies blackhawks. They are currently stationed in Hawaii, and Kim doesn't want to stay there by herself for a year while her husband is away. She also doesn't care to move back in with her parents, which I don't blame her for at all. It's tough to move back home after you have been living on your own. She will be our live in baby-sitter too as she will be able to stay with Hailey before and after school which will save us both time and money. She does bring with her a St. Bernard and an English Mastiff however. It will be an adjustment for all of us, but we are very excited about being able to spend so much time with Kim and Adi. There is also a part of me that feels the need to pay it forward as Uncle Tim and Aunt Janet were so wonderful to house me during a tough transition in my life.
Right now though, I'm going to go steal the riding lawn mower and mow the backyard before Danny has a chance. That's right, we argue over who gets to mow the lawn. We both love doing it!

7 comments:

  1. Good for you, Jess. It won't always be easy but you will also have a lot of fun. I like the idea of paying it forward. It's what I would expect of you and Danny.
    Aunt Jan

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  2. House looks great. Can't wait to see it. Remember, I don't paint. Deb is an excellent painter. I am to impatient to be good at it. I will work on your steps while I am there.

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  3. LOVE the changes in the living room...It looks SO differet,So modern. I know you will decorate beautifully in the other areas of the house too. You sound like you've been super busy. I think it is great that you are opening your home to family...Careful there Jess, your HUGE heart is showing :-D I know Hailey will transition well into her new school and she won't have to change again since you are all settling in to what I know will be "HOME" for many years to come. Love and miss you. Aunt Cindy

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  4. You've had a busy summer but it sounds like a good one. You have an awesome backyard and I'm sure it's even better with the work you've done. Your living room is looking great!!

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  5. oh...and hurry up and get the bird bath...you will laugh yourself silly watching birds bathe...I LOVE it....all that splashing is a hoot.

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  6. Thanks for all the news-you sure have busy with the house! I love the living room..... and the outside as well. I am anxious to hear stories about all those dogs in your house!

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  7. Living room looks great! You guys have def. been busy...thanks for taking the time to post. I know the feeling of not feeling like you have the time to blog! Matt reminds me every few days if I haven't posted...he likes to get on & look at the photos while he's a work:) Sometimes I post just to shut him up:)

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