What was old is new!

Grandpa Jack passed away in May. We were at his house after the funeral and we spotted a unique piece of furniture in the garage. For as long as Grandma R. could remember, Grandpa had used this as a workbench. I thought it was kinda cool with the pull-out stools so we debated and then asked if we could have it. The answer was yes as it would have been added to the burn pile otherwise. Then the task was at hand to determine what exactly it was. My brother-in-law Brian had the winning answer....a science desk probably from the 40's or 50's! This made perfect sense as Grandpa was the custodian at the old school and would have volunteered to take it home! The before picture is on another device, but picture an old workbench with oil and chemical stains plus old white paint that had been put on in an attempt to improve...

This is the after photo...the wood is walnut and some birch. I am quite enamored with this piece. I looked all over the internet and was able to find only 1 other example of one similar to this. It didn't have the attached stools!

There was another desk right by the science desk that was in worse shape but it had some cool features. We decided that if we thought we might want it, we had better take it! (Thanks to some great advice!) We loaded it up and hauled it home. After investigating more...we discovered that it was made out of cherry wood and was hand-made...probably vintage 1880's give or take some years. Really at that age, what does it matter right? We also had it refinished. I am in love with it's character and charm.

The before and after...or after and before
Here's the fun part. It only had 1 of the original handles. After the paint was stripped, I got on the internet and found something I thought was close on E-Bay. Turns out it was an exact match! What are the chances of that!?! It really adds to the desk that both drawers have the same bin pull. I am sure Grandpa would ask why in the world we refinished those old things...
*smile*

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken in June, the first time since Madie was 1! I do believe it was about time! We hired a local lady to come to the house to do the pictures. She did a fantastic job and was absolutely great with the kids. Even my big kid relaxed a little had a little fun with it. All of the pics were taken on our acreage which is fun. Here is a small peek. {I tried not to use my absolute favorites as they may be seen in a Christmas card later on! :) }






In other news...

• We have been enjoying summer with a pool pass! That has been a lot of fun and the kids have really enjoyed it.
• Some little boy has a birthday next week so plans are in the works for a party!
• Mom was down the last two days. We had fun doing some shopping and of course~playing!
• We had the annual family reunion on my dad's side! Lots of good company and good food!
• The kids and I went to play with Grandma and Grandpa G. for a couple days. Fun times on the four-wheeler! Matt loves it! "I had fun Momma!"
• The girls have been busy with critters...we have had 3 litters of kittens this spring. Luckily they were litters of 2, 2, and 3! 5 of them found new homes this week, the other two are just opening eyes. These along with horses (borrowed from Grandpa R.) and dogs keep the kids busy, busy, busy. They are usually out the door in the morning before I am even out of bed!
• I think we have turned the corner with potty training! WooHoo! It is bitter sweet, on one hand I am sooo ready to not buy diapers any more but on the other, it means my babies are getting big!
  

A Date with Jon...

My sisters and I had a date with Jon...Bon Jovi that is. Thursday Shel made the drive up and we headed for the concert. A little dinner and drink before and we were set. The show was fabulous. I was a little nervous about our seats but they didn't disappoint.

The Gray Girls...

Michelle counted...the band played 25 songs over 2 and a half hours...music all the way from 1982...I was five then but still remembered most of the songs.

Jon has a boyish grin that sent the crowd wild. I have never seen so many 30-something ladies go nuts over a smile. We had a great time...would totally go again!
(oh yeah...I published 2 posts in one day...continue reading below...it's feast or famine around here you know!)

Time for Tulips...

Last Friday I had to take to the day off as I didn't have childcare. The kids and I decided it was a beautiful day for tulips. We got our cleaning done and headed towards Pella. Everything was in full bloom, the weather was gorgeous and the crowds were growing. We were able to get a couple pictures snapped before my battery on the camera died.

Matthew and I lovin' the yellow tulips. They had some that were the size of teacups. Gorgeous!

The kids...a rare moment...a perfect day!

Celebrating 6 years and some honored guests.

Miss Madie turned six this weekend. We celebrated in grand fashion~with a big party! She had a ball and was busy the entire time. Never a dull moment! The theme was Hannah Montana. Fitting for a 6 year old.

Getting ready to blow out the candles..."Don't look at me, I'm embarrassed!"
Opening gifts...the highly desireable pillow pet!

The Hannah Montana Cake...all chocolate of course!

What party would be complete without a pinata! Here is

Jacob taking a whack at it! Brandon had it on a string so he could raise and

lower it at his very whim. Not fair I tell you!

Matthew in full swing! He is at his best when he gets to hit something!

Miss Madie trying for the prize!

Happy Birthday Miss Madie~ We love you!

We also have some new honored guests living with us. Brandon has been angling for these since we moved to the acreage. They are honored since I am going to have to get up before the crack of dawn to feed them! Hershey and Brownie moved in today. I was going for the names T-bone and Sirloin but Emma didn't appreciate my humor, so Hershey and Brownie it is. I realize you shouldn't name these kind of animals but with my children, it is impossible!

Emma feeding Hershey...the Black Angus bottle calf that now resides with us. They look a little skinny but we hope to fix that quickly. They are only about 2 weeks old.

This is Brownie...Matthew had to get in on the action as well. He is a Brown Swiss I believe...hence Brownie.

We can stick with the chocolate theme! Eventually, there will be more but 2 is a good start!

In other news...

• The girls had great reports at spring conferences! Way to go girls! Very proud I must say!
• I got a nasty flu bug a couple weeks ago that had me down and out for a good week plus some~yuck!
• We are itching for spring...it can't come soon enough.
• It has hit me that my children are now 8, 6 and about to be 3. I am not old enough! That coupled with American Idol singing songs from their birth year which happened to be the year I graduated from high school make me think I am getting old...ugh!
• I have been out of blog mode...sorry I will try to do better. Here's to hoping we see you before another month has gone by!

Great at 8...and a cowboy

Matt LOVES "shooting" things. A golf club, stick, vacuum attachments all make great devices the shoot things with. He also has a cap gun from Aunt Betsy and Uncle Mark. He even sleeps with it. Here he is all dressed up in his cowboy garb. We are in the middle of potty training so we even have the big boy undies too. "Shoot targets, not people" is frequently heard around our house.

Cowboy Matt

Emma also turns the big 8 years old. We had a birthday bash yesterday to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa's, aunt, uncles and cousins. We had a great day, even though Matt came down with a fever in the middle of all the celebrating. Figures. Anyway, a big thank you to everyone for their company and help yesterday!

Blowing out the candles...

New flip-flops and toe ring...Aunt Shel would love this pic!

Minnie and Mickey were in the house! We have been all about the mice since we got back from Florida. I think the cake turned out rather cute. Minnie is lying on her blanket watching Mickey surf. Emma helped me with the cake every step of the way.
Better run... a day of work and then I am taking Emma and a few friends bowling tonight for a birthday party with friends. Fun times!

A Chat with Matt

We are on 2 of 5 down with the stomach flu. I had it during the week and Emma was down all day yesterday. Madie is well as of yet so she and I had some fun fixing her hair and make-up. Then we had to take some pictures. Cutie-pie!

Can't you just read her mind?

Matt has been conversing like crazy. We had a 30 minute conversation last night about all he did with Uncle Mark last week. It must have made a big impression. A few other Matthew quotes:

"What's that mean?"
"Hear something"
"Guess what"
"No Madie, not fair"
"Where Dad go?"
"What makin' Mom?"
And many more...