Just Close Your Eyes and Paint!

TAA DAA!!!

Well? What do you think??? I have been working so very hard on this. 

My new decor! 

YOU LIKE???

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NOT! 

Okay, Simply Sweeter and One of my many Cuzzins' BREATH! 


It's okay. 


I really didn't do this to my house. 

REALLY!!! 

But, It was done to one of the rental houses.
REALLY!!!

This house is a beautiful 100 year old house just a mile from down town Greenville.  This charming little house has all the  authentic touches: wood floors, original doors and beautiful open windows for natural lighting. This house did not need an "artistic" touch.

Soooo, your not sure what your looking at huuu? 


Maybe you should take an aspirin before we start the tour. 


I'll wait. 


Really you might need it. 

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Okay, ready? 


Come on in. . . It's okay . . . Well, it will be.

  

Let's start this little tour  in this room. It is one of the front rooms in the house. 

See, this room is not too bad. I was kind of impressed the lines were so straight and no drips. The only thing was. . .((okay, one of the many things was)). . . the paint used here and in all the rooms was for outdoor use. The paint is very heavy and thick and was VERY hard to cover.  

I think it would be best to move on directly up stairs to one of the bedrooms. 

 This process will ease us into the house. There is no need to send anyone into shock right away. 

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Okay, 

I have absolutely NO! idea what the thought process was here, all we have are pink and purple messy lines.  

That's it. 

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Moving right along, we should go back down the stairs into the kitchen. 

Here is where things really get confusing. Try to focus your eyes really good in here.

Hard to see I know.

Your seeing it right. . .little tiny brush strokes. . . all over the walls, in the drawers  and even behind the refrigerator. The molding IS painted black and where the molding stopped a stripe continued. 

WHY??? 

WE just don't know?

Hold your breath. . . We are just getting warmed up. Now we will carefully go into one of the main rooms. You will see one of the three fireplaces. 

Notice the mantel. 

Now, aren't you glad you took that aspirin?  

Your dizzy right?

I am sure by now your eyes just don't know where to look. Notice, in the third picture. . . the painter went around the pictures that once hung on these walls.  

Do you remember in the kitchen I told you "the decorator" here moved the refrigerator and painted behind it?  

I just don't get it. 

Maybe she was tired. 

Do you do this when you paint? 

I'm just wondering.  Maybe there is a technique here I just don't get.  You know, I am just  a home school mom. . .not an artist or even a decorator for that matter. 

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AND THEN! 

I saved the best for last.


. . . The Pantry. . . 


WHAT THE HECK?

Thought I would run through this again just in case you missed it. . .

. . . the ceilings. . .

Did you realize the ceilings were painted too.  Did you realize this person painted a "molding stripe" where there was NO molding with thick, shiny outside paint?  

I had to keep going back in to see if my eyes deceived me or not.  


It was a not. 


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What did we do? 

First we took pictures. 

Then we got our crew together by hand picking only the most qualified personal. 

 and had lunch.  

We had a system that really seemed to work.  First we primed to cover . .  EVERYTHING!  and we really tried to listen to our leader. 

But, then we decided we should throw her out and find a new one. . .Like maybe the person who decorated this cake. 


Ohhh! Cake! 

Sorry. . . back to the house. . . But, Oh! That cake. It was very yummy and so pretty! AND Since we were on the subject of decorating, I thought I would show you what Stephenie can do.

Hey!!!!  What a minute! Maybe we should have asked her to help paint?  

We put Stephen to work on the ceilings for obvious reasons and NO! he is not standing on anything. It's all him. 

Matthew worked on all the trim and all the high corners. He's no shorty. 


However, it all didn't go smoothly. . . 

I don't want to mention any names or anything. BUT! There was one person who kept telling us she was very tall and could easily reach all the high places. 

We were like "WHATEVER!!! "  "Just close your eyes and paint!" 


She did clean all the floors! and that made us all very happy. 


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There were times that other things needed to be done.

Some of us worked on our City of Troy research papers that were due the very next day. There are NO! excuses in this home school. . . If you don't want to study there will be plenty of on the job training for your life time career.  

Study, work and then Study "More Harder"!!!! That's our school motto. 


We learn all kinds of things here! 
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We learned Reiner is a happy painter. 


AND 


We learned 

Mark would yell and growl at us. When he came in to help he looked around and told us we had too many drips. He also said we were very messy. He said a lot of other things too but we have NO idea of what it was. 

We were like "Laaa, Laaaa, Laaaa" "WHATEVER!"  " Just close your eyes and paint." 

Like Margaret

I will tell you this, Mark did not yell at Reiner. Reiner came by to help us the next day.  What a minute? Is that why Reiner was so happy?  

Was he laughing at us? 

Stupid Mark! Stupid Reiner! 

Close your eyes and Paint! 

Just a little Sunday Snap Shot

  Sometimes I wonder how people who post everyday post. . . EVERYDAY? And then I remember posting is not what is important and I am just not one of those people. 

It's moments like these. . . When I realize my girl is growing up.  

Posting can wait.

 

Moments like these won't. 

A Poem by Margaret

On the Eve of the Anniversary of our father's death, the over cast skies are fitting for our somber moods. Our hearts are heavy but our Spirits are light: for we know the rain falls like  "Pennies From Heaven." 

AND

We simply miss him.

To pay homage to this occasion, I thought I would post a poem my sister Margaret wrote. It is about beautiful memories that will always be close to her heart. 

Our Parents Home

In my parent's home where we have grown,

A place that's special, we've all known.

One of many homes our brothers and Father built almost daily,

A place our Mother and He grew, their amazing family.

In their home we learned how to love,

In this home, our Father left with God above.

A home where parental love was very strong,

With their marriage of fifty-eight years, it wasn’t wrong.

I remember it well as a child,

Although I will admit, it ‘s been quite a while.

In the early morn such happiness filled us, we would adorn,

For the five of us, the blessings we felt to be born.

In the late of the eve under a bright moonbeam,

Mother and Father would dance, as if in a dream.

In this home happiness grew for 30 plus years,

Until late evening that day in September, we felt only tears.

We all stood in wonder as the night fell still,

Our Heavenly Father took him, after so long being ill.

Yet today as that anniversary approaches,

We are comforted, by what his spirit possess.

And as we have cried in our own special way,

We are so happy we knew him, especially today.

Now it is our Mother who carries us each through,

As my Dad often stated She is his diamond, his true.

Although He is enormously missed,

Our memories are of the wonders, in a great big list.

How lucky are those who have felt his gentle touch,

A blessing his children, grandchildren and wife miss so much.

Our Father's love remains in our Mother's heart and ours,

How lucky are those who have visited, and felt those loving hours.

By: Margaret F. Hoverath

It Could Happen

Yesterday, my mom called me and told me One of My Many Cuzzins' sent me and my family a package.

I was like:  "MEEE??? "A package?" "WHAT?" "Huuu?" 

 "WHY?"

My mom laughed and said, "I don't know. . . After school come over and see what it is."

"Oh! We will!"  I said.

After completing science, English, and math I thought we should skip the rest and call it a day. After all, I had important things to do like study for the 8th grade Confirmation class I was teaching at six that night.

AND 


Most Importantly, 

I had a very important business matter to handle at my mother's house. . . like opening a package that was waiting. . . for ME! and my family. 

I should tell you I was confused, a little perplexed and very excited. . . But, I won't tell you that at all. You may think I have never gotten a surprise package before in my life. Unless, I sent a package to myself and then it just wouldn't be a surprise. . . of course, unless I forgot. 

That could happen.

To our great delight I find a card, finger nail polish and goodies inside the very large envelope. 

Okay, there were also Starbursts.  I gave those to out to my confirmation students last night as rewards for: class participation, reading volunteers, good behavior and just plain being there with a good attitude. I figured after being in school all day we all may need a little surprise. The bribe thought out plan worked perfectly. 

The card inside the package said my cuzzin wanted to let me know she felt my pain for the run of bad luck we had in August and I thought. . . Run of Bad Luck???  

Oh! the cars, the fall, the cut, the illnesses, the kids. . . Oh! Yeah! THAT!. 

"WOW!"

"How very nice of her." "How very thoughtful." "How kind." "Gee, It is one thing to think of sending nice things like cards, nail polish and candy but THEN to actuality send them. . .  That is really something special." ~ my mom agreed. 

And then, we both decided two things: 

1.) Complaining and whining pays off.

2.) We both want to be thoughtful, kind and follow through like Regina when we grow up. 

It could happen. 

Well! It could! 

The Big One

It's you know who's birthday today.

No, not mine. 

Mark, Mary Elizabeth, Matthew, Kathryn and Stephen



The one on the left holding Liz. I'm not going to tell you how old he is. . . 

But, I will tell you he is MUCH older then I am. 

MUCH older! 

It's like. . . WOW!!!!

Even though he is getting up there ~ I still really like him.

"May Ree" It's Black and White Wednesday

She is reading! 

NO! Really!

She IS reading!

It all started one night before her fourth birthday: She said, "What's that word mommy?" and I said "Mary" and she said "Oh!" "Just like my name!" 

She recited all the letters. . . M... A... R... Y  and said Mary.  But, Liz says Mary "May Ree" more like a Southern Bell.

This was one of the reasons McGyver wanted to call her Elizabeth and not May Ree like a true Southerner would say. 

The very next night Liz told me she wanted, "to read all the words that say May Ree in her May Ree book." so I read the Mary book to her and let her read all the May Ree words.

The very next night she asked "What's hEs name?" I said, "HEs name is Jeff." "Oh! J...E...F...F ~ Jeff." she said.

And, so it began: She started reading and spelling. Yes, and spelling. I now think my four year old daughter just might be a better speller then I am.

She knows how to read and spell:  Mary, Jeff, Mike, ball, home, I, a, bunny, Grace, Nana, Liz, blue, green, red and get this one VELVET. . . I know!

She can even read the word Elizabeth.

I am amazed. Simply amazed.  

Every night now we read different books and she reads all the words she knows. Then she and I will go over her list of words. I'll ask her how to spell Grace and the other words she knows. She will recite G... R... A... C... E ~ Grace.

When we are done with this exercise ~ I will ask her to pick a new word she likes. By this I mean a word she  wants to learn to read and spell.  We read and spell the word she picked a couple of times and she then grabs her favorite teddy bear and goes to sleep.

In the morning, most of the time, she remembers the new word.

If she doesn't remember how to spell or read the word I write it on a sticky note and put the word up side-down on her tummy. I then ask her several times during the day "Now how do you spell 'kitty' again?" She will look down at her tummy and tell me. 

 By the end of the day she knows her new word.

And always I am JUST amazed. I am simply amazed.

I have never had a child read this early. I have heard they can but.  . . Well. . . never one of mine.

Life's Little Thrills

I took this picture of Kathryn the other day. I can't believe how much she has grown.

It thrills me to see what a beauty she is becoming. 

Septmeber 7, 2010

I do love this picture. But you know, it does not show the dimple on the other side of her face. I am telling you, that thing goes right through her face.  It is so cute! Sometimes I think I should bring that to her attention and get her to pose on that side only. . . But, then I think NO!!! I would just be creating a dimple monster.  We have enough issues at 13.  


When I was editing this picture, I noticed another picture of  her when she was in 4-k. It sits on my desk.

                                                                                                                                                                     

Kathryn 4 years old ~ Grace Covenant Christmas 2001

Yes, there was a time my kids went to school.

I can't believe how much she has grown and I think, "What a thrill it is to be a mother.