The Difference A Year Makes

Now that I'm trying to update our picture/video/blog situation, I thought it was neat to look back at some pictures from one year ago.

It's funny (not really) that Jalen always says he wants to go back to this house.  It had an awesome basement for indoor bike riding.

Wearing Out Toddlers, Part Two

This was our introduction to indoor bounce house/inflatables centers.

And then we moved to the middle of nowhere.  And we never saw one again.

...Until my sweet cousin Anna posted on Facebook about the fun her boys had at The Inflatable Fun Factory in Evansville, IN.  And HALLELUJIAH, I could not be more grateful.

Jalen climbing the ladder in the center

The kids and I (well, mostly just me) decided on a whim yesterday to go try it out, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be.  Giant slide = check.  Obstacle course = check.  Bouncy house = check.  Toddler play area = check.

As soon as we got shoes off, Jalen was gone, only to be seen again as green flashes darting from inflatable to inflatable.  Tessa began by wanting my assistance, but by the end was demanding, "No Mommy slide; Sissy slide."

We may have to drive nearly an hour and a half to enjoy it, but we will definitely go back soon.

Goodbye Verizon Wireless, Hello NewWave!!

My excuse since we moved into our new house for not blogging was that our wireless internet service was impossibly slow.  Not functional.  Un-functional?  Dysfunctional??  Anyway, we have recently switched to a new company, and the upgrade in speed/dependability is heavenly.  So, having a minute to myself during Tessa's nap time, I just thought I would put up some new pictures.  These are ones that were taken in June.

A view from our newly remodeled kitchen into the family/dining rooms.

Father's Day

February Pics

Well BOO on me for keeping you all in suspense about the status of the house. It is mostly done; we have been living in it since the beginning of Feb. We have a few tedious projects left that are slowly getting done (no thanks to me). But since I feel the need to set up each room for a photo shoot before I take "after" pictures to post on here, I still have nothing to show you. However, here are some pics of the kids. It is their blog, after all!

News From The Homefront

Well, where do I start?  I wasn't sure I even remembered how to create a post.  I'm so far behind, I never feel like I have enough time to sit down and think; however, the house is nearing completion, so I really wanted to get on here and update those who might still stumble onto this page.

We closed on our house at the beginning of November, after selling our home in Knoxville at the beginning of September.  Here's how things work when buying real estate in Hamilton County, IL:  you hear a rumor that so-and-so might be selling his place.  You find someone you know who also knows so-and-so and have them find out for sure.  Then you meet with so-and-so to see the house and, if you decide you like it, negotiate a price face to face, have a lawyer draw up the contract, and meet with the bank.  No realtors.  No endless searching listings online.  Very few options.

So, saying we were very lucky to have been here looking for a house at the time this person was selling holds a lot of weight.  You might say it was Devine Intervention.  Add to that, when we walked through the house for the first time with the seller, he mentioned that the home was built by Tony & Paul Anselment.  Tony Anselment was my grandpa.  SOLD.

In the interest of time, I'm going with the short version.  We started working on updates to the house the week of Thanksgiving.  So far we have:

• scraped the popcorn ceilings & re-textured, primed & painted
• replaced nearly all light fixtures
• painted all upstairs walls (one room was paneling and has not changed)
• removed one wall between kitchen & family room, and widened entryway between kitchen & living/dining room
• removed a pantry closet in the entryway from the garage to widen the hallway
• replaced all toilets
• tiled bathrooms
• installed wood flooring in the living areas of the main floor
• removed wallpaper in bathrooms (& carpet!)
• removed cabinetry/countertops/appliances in kitchen
• in process of painting all trim & moldings

So, while we wait 2 more weeks for our countertops to be delivered & installed, there is a lot of painting trim, carpet cleaning (bedrooms & basement), and general clean-up happening. Windows will have to be replaced (and that green has got to go at that point), but they have been temporarily waterproofed for now.  Ok, just realized I don't have an exterior photo.  Sorry about that...use your imagination...Brick with sort of Army Green/Olive/Sage trim around windows, gutters, and matching roof.

Here are the before pics:

Kitchen - South Wall

Kitchen - West Wall adjoining family room, now removed

Family Room - from kitchen

Family Room - South Wall (yes, 2 doors & a 4-pane window)

Master Bath (1 of 2 stained glass windows)

Master Bath - World's Largest Mirror behind the tub!

Master Closet

Master Bedroom

Hall Bath

Tessa's Room

Jalen's Room - We have some mega windows to replace!